The monstera deliciosa offers a completely unique indoor plant experience. It is a traveller, never content to remain in one place or take on a single form. It never stops going in strange directions in pursuit of what a monstera needs to be content. Better views? More assistance? simple interest? It’s difficult to say, but it all begins with the plant’s native habitat in the Central American rainforests, and it is that plant’s attractiveness that results from its wandering restlessness. Naturally, there is also that lovely leaf.
Tropical Origins
It used to be true that monsteras and philodendrons belonged to the same genus, but that is no longer the case. Monstera deliciosa is an epiphytic, vining plant in the family Araceae. So, if you come across the common name “swiss cheese philodendron,” don’t be perplexed. Of fact, whether or not we can eat anything has nothing to do with its popular name. In actuality, the unripe fruit, stems, and leaves contain poisonous oxalic acid, which when swallowed may cause terrible throat and tongue irritation. The word “deliciosa” in the species name, on the other hand, refers to the mature fruit’s exceptional flavor, which is present only when it is fully ripe and not before. However, monsteras hardly ever bloom or bear fruit inside.
That Famous Leaf
The colloquial moniker “swiss cheese” actually refers to the distinctive lobes and holes that mature monstera leaves develop. These “splits” and “windows” are known as fenestrations in the botanical world. They are absent in young monsteras, but as the plant becomes older, fresh leaves start to display the pattern.
A Natural-Born Wanderer
The monstera develops its wandering behavior as a seedling on the understory of a rich tropical forest. Young monsteras will naturally move into the darkest shaded areas until they come across the upright trunk of a giant tree, at which point they will start to climb that tree utilizing their powerful aerial roots. The mature plant now begins to rise higher into the forest canopy in search of sunlight rather than darkness. Monstera continues to have this innate urge to explore its surroundings in our houses, looking for something to hang on to and the ideal quantity of light. As a result, monsteras grow into quite arbitrary but intriguing shapes.
Ways to Train It
Owning a monster becomes somewhat of an adventure because of this adventurous behavior. Some plant parents adapt by using plant pegs to support heavier branches. Some people choose to educate their stray plant to travel in a more orderly fashion around a moss pole or a metal obelisk. By wrapping long-strand sphagnum moss around a wooden pole and fastening it with fishing line, you can create a moss pole. Another method entails winding chicken wire into a tube, stuffing it with sphagnum moss, then using a plant stake to secure it to the pot. Before the monstera plant clings to the pole with its own aerial roots, carefully bind the monstera branches to it. It is better to place a metal obelisk into the pot when the plant is still fairly little if you intend to use it as a support. It can be difficult to add an obelisk to a long plant, but it is doable with a little gentle grappling and patience. If an errant branch just flat-out won’t listen to your instructions, you can also trim your monstera.
Easy Light + Water
Monstera enjoys direct light that is bright, like many indoor plants. You must fully water your monstera before letting the potting mix dry to about halfway before you water it again. Make careful to moisten the moss as well if your monstera is climbing a moss pole so the roots will be encouraged to use it. Monstera is versatile but enjoys hotter temperatures and higher humidity than you’d find in a regular home. It might not develop as much in less-than-ideal circumstances, but depending on your point of view, this might not be such a bad thing.
Try One for Your Collection
Once one of these massive beauties finds its way into your heart, we believe you will share our love for monsters. As always, drop by the Greenhouse to speak with a member of our staff if you need plant ties, sphagnum moss, or guidance. Always happy to assist, we are.
The epiphyte Monstera Adansonii.
The Monstera adansonii is a member of the Araceae family of tropical flowering plants.
Native to Central and Southern America, the climbing vines. The trailing stems ascend up trees or cover forest floors. The Monstera adansonii type has aerial roots that cling to surfaces and draw nutrients and moisture from the air, much like all Monstera plants do. The Swiss climbing vines are an epiphytic plant species because of their aerial roots.
The ovate leaves of Monstera adansonii have numerous circular holes, hence the name “Five-Holes Plant.” The length and width of a leaf can reach 8–16 (2142 cm) and 5–12 cm, respectively. The long vines can grow up to 65 feet (20 meters) in length in their natural environment. Proper trimming and support can aid in controlling growth when plants are grown indoors in pots.
Yellowish-white flowers are produced by Monstera adansonii in its natural habitat. These arum-flowers have a big spadix that resembles a petal with a white spathe in the center. Fruits with a pineapple-banana flavor that develop from the blossoms are delicious. They belong to the same family as Monstera plants and resemble calla lily blossoms.
Do Monsteras only climb?
What should you do if your Monstera becomes so tall that it begins to topple over? It need a ladder to ascend!
In its native rainforest habitat, monsteras are climbing plants and can be found climbing trees. By use a moss pole or other vertical support, we reproduce this for potted Monsteras. This prevents the large plant from taking over your living room and enables your Monstera to grow upwards toward the light without toppling over and breaking its stem.
Does Monstera grow in the air?
For new plant enthusiasts who are unfamiliar with them, the aerial roots of a monstera can be a frightening sight. Others think they are an eyesore since they contrast with the Monstera’s other beautiful green foliage.
Should you cut the aerial roots from your Monstera, though? No, there isn’t much of a reason to do that. The plant won’t harm the structure of your house, even if it is up against a wall, like ivy may. Thus, the only genuine justification for cutting out air roots is purely aesthetic. They are always left on my plants. I would just select an other plant species that is not a hemiepiphyte if I didn’t like aerial roots! They are charming to me.
Having said that, if you’d like, you can completely remove them with a clean knife. It won’t harm your Monstera because they typically generate aerial roots indoors, which seem to serve mostly as support.
Some do contend that cutting off your Monstera’s aerial roots will prevent it from growing past a particular leaf size. Although I haven’t seen any scientific research to support this, we all know that a lot of the houseplant interest is based on amateurs’ observations.
Did you realize? Aerial roots of Monstera deliciosa plants are sometimes trailed into the ground to serve as aerial-subterranean roots. I can’t speak to whether this works because I haven’t personally tried it. Though that seems unlikely.
How to remove aerial roots
A Monstera aerial root can be easily removed by just cutting it off and throwing it away. However, there is one crucial point to remember. Your tools should be clean before cutting or pruning any indoor plants, as is standard practice. You slightly increase your chance of spreading bacterial or fungal diseases by using filthy tools.
You’re good to go after giving the knife or pruning shears you use a nice alcohol spray. But keep in mind that Monstera deliciosa is just one of several plants with aerial roots. If you remove one, another one will simply grow in its place. This is particularly true of mature plants.
What makes the Monstera plant unique?
The Monstera’s native environment is tropical rainforests. The huge Monstera leaves are better able to survive strong winds and rain because they have holes in their leaves, which allow the elements to pass through. The plant got its name from these peculiar leaves (the Latin word monstera, which means weird). One of the more interesting monstera facts, yes?
Do Monstera deliciosa plants trail?
Due of this plant’s need for assistance in growing upright, moss poles for Monstera deliciosa are very popular. Monsteras grow epiphytically in nature, which means they cling to trees or other vertical surfaces and ascend.
Many other common houseplants, including philodendrons and pothos, also grow in the same way in the wild, but we typically utilize them inside as trailing plants. However, Monstera deliciosa’s size and weight make it too awkward to grow as a hanging or trailing plant in most circumstances, unlike those other plants.
Indoor Monsteras thrive with the support of a moss pole that serves as the tree’s place of support in the lack of a tree to climb. However, this does not imply that the plant must ascend a pole. Without one, your Monstera will still develop successfully. The main goal of adding a moss pole is to encourage the plant to grow vertically as opposed to trailing over the pot’s sides and onto the ground.
How can a Monstera be taught to scale a wall?
Your Monstera should be allowed to climb since it is not only natural for them but also looks fantastic! The majority of Monstera enthusiasts prefer to offer some sort of support for the plants, like a totem pole or pole covered in moss.
Monstera plants develop tendrils covered in aerial roots to aid in climbing. Monsteras’ aerial roots provide a variety of functions in addition to absorbing moisture and nutrients from the atmosphere. In the rainforest, they also cling to the rough surfaces of big trees to aid the Monstera vine’s ascent to the canopy—exactly what a moss pole may accomplish for your indoor plant.
Not all Monstera climb, though. In hanging pots or baskets, some kinds, such as Monstera adansonii, produce a stunning display. Additionally, they can be stacked on top of bookcases, filing cabinets, or even the refrigerator’s top and left to hang over the sides.
It is ultimately a matter of personal opinion whether you let your Monstera climb or decide to let the cascading vines fall freely.
To add some variation, teach some of your Monstera plants to climb while allowing others to trail from pots or baskets to display their eye-catching foliage. Or, to create a Monstera climbing wall, group many Monstera plants together and build a trellis (or latticework) against the wall.