Any species of Monstera, including Monstera deliciosa, adansonii, siltepecana, standleyana, and acuminata, can be grown outdoors. But first, make sure you have the right conditions for growth.
Find out more about caring for Monstera outdoor plants, such as the USDA hardiness zone, temperature, watering, humidity, fertilizer, and other factors. We’ll also discuss bringing this plant outside throughout the warmer months.
My Monstera plant may I place outside?
A well-known indoor plant, the Monstera deliciosa, is prized on Instagram for its exquisite leaves and lovely form. But this plant originates in Central and South American tropical jungles. Monsteras can find warm temperatures and a lot of humidity in their natural habitat. Can a Monstera deliciosa therefore survive and grow outside in your region?
The climate of the area where you live affects a Monstera’s capacity to survive outside. An ideal location for a Monstera is one with a USDA hardiness zone of 10 to 12. A Monstera outside won’t be possible in places that frequently freeze, although it might be possible in the summer.
This article will address some of the most often asked questions about caring for a Monstera outside, such as how to plant it in the ground, if it is invasive, and how to move an indoor plant outside during the warmer months.
My Swiss cheese plant may I place outside?
The ideal indoor temperature range for Monstera deliciosa is between 60 and 85 degrees. Although it will adapt well to dry indoor environments, it favors high humidity levels. You can sprinkle it sometimes to increase humidity if you truly want to take care of it, but it’s not absolutely necessary. When watering a Swiss cheese plant, make sure the water drains out the bottom of the pot. No plant enjoys wet feet! ), then hold off on watering again until the top few inches feel dry. Avoid overwatering this plant—this is a common mistake. Monstera deliciosa prefers a little bit of dryness in the soil. If you’d like, feed the plant with a balanced liquid fertilizer in the summer and then forgo feeding it in the winter while it’s dormant.
Monstera deliciosa can be brought outside during the summer or left outside in warm climates (it’s frequently planted as a landscaping plant in warm climates like Florida). Never place it in full sunshine; instead, place it in filtered shade to prevent the leaves from burning. Before the temperature drops into the 40s, bring it back inside.
Small plants can be supported by a pole covered in moss, which they will climb, as a stake. As the plants develop, the size of the leaves grows. If you don’t stake, your plant will grow more sprawling, which is also acceptable. Although the Swiss cheese plant rarely bears fruit indoors, it does so in the wild.
Does Monstera grow better indoors or outdoors?
In most warm temperate and tropical areas, monstera does best when grown outside in partial shade. Monstera deliciosa is easily adapted inside and will grow in most climes, with the exception of those with extremely frigid indoor temperatures. It is so well-liked as an indoor plant because of this.
How cold can you go until Monstera dies?
Monsteras do not do well in the cold. In fact, you must never grow Monstera in an area where the temperature falls to or below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. If you let your Monstera grow in temperatures below 55 degrees, the plant may suffer serious harm or perhaps perish.
The Monstera is typically grown indoors because it is not cold-hardy. But you might be able to cultivate the plant outside if you reside somewhere with milder winters. The Monstera plant may grow in zones 10 and 11 of the USDA Plant Hardiness Zones.
The Monstera must be cultivated indoors if you live outside these zones. This does not preclude you from bringing the Monstera plant outside. In fact, on bright spring and summer days, gardeners frequently bring their Monstera outside.
Can I take my Monstera outside?
On warm days with a temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, monsteras can be grown outside. Your Monstera won’t handle temperatures below this or if they could start to fall quickly, therefore you shouldn’t ever take the plants outside in those conditions.
When placed outside on warm spring, summer, or fall days, monstera plants can benefit from the fresh air. This is particularly true during summertime downpours when there is normally higher-than-normal humidity. If you choose to transport the Monstera plant outside, just make sure it is shielded from the sun’s rays.
The Monstera plant will typically be alright if it is placed on a porch that is covered. Find a spot that isn’t in direct sunlight if you decide to bring the plant and its container outside. For instance, the Monstera will benefit from protection and safety while outdoors if it is placed in a shady area beneath a tree canopy.
Will frost damage my Monstera?
Frost can kill the Monstera plant in addition to harming it. Because they are from tropical rainforests, monsteras cannot withstand frost or extremely cold temperatures. In fact, leaving the Monstera outside during cold spells is one of the quickest ways to kill it.
The ideal temperature for monstera plants is at least 60 degrees. The plant should be left at those low temperatures for a long time even though it can live in temperatures as low as 55 degrees.
If you’re just going to let your Monstera plant get harmed by frost, what’s the point? Although growing the Monstera plant is not difficult, it does require warmer temperatures. If you are unsure about keeping this plant at these higher temperatures, think about buying a plant that can survive outdoors in your region.
You can find out which plants can withstand your particular climate by consulting the USDA Hardiness Zone map. This means that even during the winter, those plants can flourish outdoors in your region. They won’t need you to keep the temperature constant like Monstera plants do.
Can a Monstera be planted outside in the summer?
Houseplants can profit from time spent outside just like humans can. The summer growing season is ideal for moving indoor plants outside because the weather is ideal. But there are a few things to think about first. Here are our top suggestions for moving indoor houseplants outside.
Tip 1: Wait for temperatures to warm up.
The majority of typical houseplants are indigenous to arid or warm tropical climates. Wait until the outside temperature is constantly above 6065 degrees Fahrenheit (1518 degrees Celsius) before moving any plants to prevent potential cold damage or worse. Even while some plants can withstand temperatures as low as 50F, it will be safer to wait till it warms up a bit in case temps drop significantly at night. Bring plants outside for a few hours each day leading up to the change in temperature if the days are warm but the evenings are cool. This will assist the plants adjust.
Tip 2: Keep windy days in mind.
The wind is one of the major problems when gardening outside, especially on rooftops and balconies where it can blow plants over, dry them out, or even chill them if it’s cooler at night. Before you take any plants outdoors, get a feel for how windy the area is. Only take mature, larger plants outside that won’t blow over if it’s very windy; keep smaller, tabletop plants indoors.
Tip 3: Avoid harsh direct sun.
The sun and heat on those hot summer days provide one of the other main difficulties when working outside. Because of how easily bricks and concrete conduct heat in cities, your plants may become overcooked, like an egg. Additionally, the heat will dry out the potting soil for your plants far more quickly than it would inside. When your indoor plants are outdoors, you can find yourself watering them every single day, perhaps twice a day, especially in the middle of summer.
When you initially take your plants outside, put them in complete shade to prevent them from burning in the summer sun. Start by avoiding direct sunlight, especially for cactus and succulents that worship the sun. The sun’s rays outside can be twice as bright or more than the sun’s rays interior, therefore keep in mind that indoor light is much weaker than outside light. Plants that have become accustomed to direct light indoors risk burning if they are exposed to it outdoors. The optimal conditions for indoor plants to adapt to the outside are ambient light or shade. Plants can be moved farther into the sunlight after about two weeks in the shade. During this changeover period, check on your outdoor indoor plants every day.
Tip 4: Opt for planters with drainage holes, or place them in a covered space.
Do not place your plant outside if it is in a planter without a physical drainage hole unless it will be entirely protected from the elements. Why? For any plant in a non-draining pot, accumulating rain can be problematic since it can quickly fill the non-draining planter, causing overwatering and possibly root rot.
When the potting mix for your outdoor houseplants becomes dry, check it every day and give it a good soak. They will likely dry up more quickly outside than they did inside due to the additional heat and sunshine. When it does rain, you can forgo watering the plants in planters with drainage that day.
Tip 5: Check weekly for plant pests.
You might notice some biting marks on your plants when they are outside. Absolutely normal. Insects giving your plant their home are something to be on the lookout for. Additionally, you should take precautions to avoid bringing any pests inside with your plants when you bring them back inside in the fall. Before bringing plants back inside after the summer, give them a thorough trimming and inspection. In order to be extra cautious, you can even routinely spray them with insecticidal soap. Here is more information about typical plant pests.
Tip 6: Expect some leaf loss come fall.
Your plants will receive less light and food when you bring them indoors again in the fall. Therefore, unless you store plants in a location that receives a lot of natural light, such as in front of a window, or provide additional illumination, your plants will drop their leaves when you bring them inside. However, you shouldn’t let this stop you from putting them outside for the summer because even indoor plants can lose leaves as the days grow shorter.
After reading this, you might be considering if it’s worthwhile to move plants outside after all. Bringing your plants outside provides advantages besides just making your outside environment more beautiful:
It is not merely a horticultural cliche that “the darkest shade outdoors is still brighter than a bright window inside. Make it your motto when relocating your plants outside. Light is a plant’s nutritional source. They will develop more quickly and consume more food as you provide more light for them. You should move these plants outside for the summer if you want your Monstera to grow to be enormous or if you want a Fiddle Leaf Fig that is even larger. Growth should be seen in a short amount of time.
Some plants’ dormant lateral buds will awaken when placed outside, giving your plant a broader appearance if it appears sparse. By the end of the summer, you’ll get a really bushy plant if you combine that with modest pruning.
For plants that make pigments, color will be more vivid and leaves will be larger than they would be if kept inside. Cacti and other plants may even begin to bloom.
Making room inside by placing plants outside. You can see what new plants you want to add to your collection with all that space!
My cheese plant is crying, why?
I frequently see water droplets at the tips of the leaves when I check on my cheese plant in the morning. I was initially concerned that my house had a leak, but after some investigation, I learned that it really happens rather frequently.
Why then do cheese plants sob? People frequently assume it’s dew, however dew is actually atmospheric precipitation that collects on the surface of plants; cheese plants actually drip because of a process called guttation, which gives the impression that they are weeping.
Check out the details I’ve gathered below if you’re interested in learning more about the science behind this and what the cheese plant truly drops (hint: it’s not water!).
Are Swiss cheese plants sun-loving creatures?
Swiss cheese plants are accustomed to the dark jungle floor, therefore they can survive in a variety of lighting situations. Chaz needs a lot of mild light, but direct sunlight should be avoided because it could burn his leaves.
The peculiar cut-outs on his leaves won’t appear if it is too dark. Although Aurora enjoys sunbathing more now, she still dislikes direct sunshine.
How frequently do I need to water my Monstera Adansonii?
My eight Monstera adansonii plants receive water when the soil mixture is 1/23/4 dry. This typically occurs every 79 days during the summer and every 1420 days during the winter.
Keep your Monstera at a moderate moisture level. Depending on the size of the pot, the type of soil it is planted in, the area where it is growing, and the climate in your home, yours may require watering more or less frequently than mine does.
Two things: refrain from overwatering yours (this will cause root rot and cause the plant to die) and reduce the amount of watering you do throughout the winter.
Temperature
Your houseplants will also feel comfortable in it if you do. This Monstera enjoys a warmer climate during the growing season and a milder climate during the winter months when they are dormant.
Just make sure to keep it away from any drafts and from vents that provide either heating or cooling.
Humidity
The Monstera adansonii enjoys it, just like many tropical plants do. Despite being native to tropical rainforest environments, they thrive in our homes.
Your leaves may be reacting to the dry air in our houses if they have little brown tips. Many of the leaves of my indoor plants, including this one, have them because I live in hot, dry Tucson where the humidity level is typically around 25%.
My kitchen sink is big and deep, and it has a water filter on the faucet. I take mine to the sink every time I water it, spritz the leaves there, and then leave it there for about an hour to temporarily increase the humidity level. Additionally, it prevents dust from gathering on the leaves, which could impair the foliage’s ability to breathe.
I run the diffusers I have on my tables for 4 to 8 hours each day. Here in the arid desert, this seems to assist a little bit.
Fill the saucer with stones and water if you suspect the absence of humidity is the cause of yours looking stressed. Place the plant on the pebbles, but watch out for water collecting in the pot’s bottom or around the drain holes. I do that with some of my houseplants, and it also helps.
Fertilizing/Feeding
Every spring, I lightly apply worm compost to the majority of my indoor plants before covering it with a thin layer of compost. For tiny plants, a 1/4 coating of each is sufficient. For larger pots, I increase the layer to 1/21. You can learn more about my worm composting and feeding practices right here.
Eleanor’s vf-11 is used 23 times to water my Monstera adansonii over the warmer seasons of spring, summer, and early fall.
For her indoor plants, my buddy in San Francisco uses Maxsea Plant Food, which has a composition of 16-16-16. I’ve started applying this (at half strength) 2-3 times over the season, spread out between the Eleanors. As of now, so nice!
Tucson has a lengthy growth season, and indoor plants benefit from the nutrition these plant meals offer. For your plant, once or twice a year might be plenty.
Avoid over-fertilizing your plant, regardless of the type of houseplant food you use, as salts can build up and damage the plant’s roots. Brown patches will appear on the leaves as a result.
Since houseplants need time to rest in the late fall and winter, it’s better to avoid feeding or fertilizing them during those times.