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.
Monstera plants may be grown outdoors.
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.
Where should my Swiss cheese plant be placed?
Finding the ideal location for your Swiss cheese plant is crucial. The leaves will scorch under too much direct sunlight. If there is too much shade, the leaves won’t pierce. The best location is near a window in good lighting and is only a few feet away. Avoid placing it close to a radiator or an air conditioner. Give it plenty of space because it will become extremely big.
Swiss cheese plants can survive in temperatures as low as 10C but will only thrive in temps over 18C.
How to plant a Swiss cheese plant
Plant in a large, drainage-holed pot with peat-free, all-purpose, or house plant compost inside of it. Around the root ball, there should be at least 1 inch of compost.
Caring for a Swiss cheese plant
Swiss cheese plants require little maintenance. The time of year and the environment in the space will determine how frequently you should water your Swiss cheese plant. Instead of watering according to a schedule, water anytime the compost’s top inch or two are dry. Make sure to let all of the water run off after that. Wintertime plants require less watering, especially if they are kept in a cool environment. In the spring and summer, give the plant a monthly feeding with a house plant food.
The stems of the plant must be tied into a support, such as a moss or coir pole, as it develops and becomes floppy. These are available online or in garden centers.
Aerial roots, which are long, white roots that emerge from the plant’s stems, will also develop on the plant. These aid the plant in clinging to trees in the wild. Trimming the aerial roots off if you find them unsightly is OK because your plant will be obtaining its nutrition from the roots in the compost. To support the plant, you can also tuck them into the compost or let them climb the moss pole.
If the roots are starting to protrude from the pot, repot in the spring using plant compost or all-purpose compost. Scoop up as much of the compost from the top of the pot as you can and replace it with fresh material if the plant grows too large for you to handle it comfortably.
To keep them looking glossy and to aid in the plant’s ability to breathe, occasionally wipe the large leaves with a damp cloth. Your plant will benefit from a sprinkling of its leaves if it is in a warm environment.
How to propagate a Swiss cheese plant
Taking cuttings from a Swiss cheese plant is simple. Choose a stem in the spring or early summer that has an aerial root starting to grow further down. Look for a white or brown bud next to a leaf. This will serve as the new roots. Make a cut that is about an inch below the aerial root with a sharp knife or secateurs. Check to make sure the aerial root is immersed before placing the stem in a clear, deep container with a few inches of water. Place in a well-lit area away from the sun and replace the water every few days. Within a week or two, new roots should begin to emerge. The cutting should have developed a respectable bundle of new roots that are about four inches long after about six weeks. You can now put the new plant in a pot filled with fresh, all-purpose, or house plant compost. water, allowing any extra to drain.
Growing Swiss cheese plants: problem-solving
If the leaves on your Swiss cheese plant aren’t perforating, they might still be young; it’s common for a plant to have both cut and uncut leaves. Move to a brighter area if the larger leaves are not perforating because of a lack of light.
You have overwatered your Swiss cheese plant and the compost is too wet if it is “weeping” or has “tears” of water at the borders of its leaves. Water only when the soil starts to dry out, and allow any extra water drain away. Make sure the compost is just damp, not sopping wet.
Yellow leaves may indicate overwatering, particularly if they are also wilting. It might also indicate that the plant needs to be fed.
Brown blotches on the leaves are probably the result of sunburn. Remove the plant from the sun’s direct rays.
Wilting leaves may indicate either inadequate or excessive irrigation. The plant needs water if the compost is starting to dry out. If it is soaked, you overwatered; let the soil air-dry. It may also indicate that the plant’s roots are becoming clogged and unable to absorb water. It’s time to plant it into a larger container if roots start to protrude from the bottom of the current one.
The simplest technique to fix a plant that has grown too large or out of shape is to prune it by removing some stems from the base. Because the sap may be harmful, wear gloves. Take a clipping or two instead, and give the original plant to someone with more room in their house.
Mealybugs might cause issues.
Watch out for insects on the undersides of leaves that resemble white, fluffy blobs. Use a cotton bud or moist towel dipped in a pesticide containing fatty acids or plant oils to wipe them off. Keep inspecting the leaves since mealybugs can be challenging to get rid of.
Scale insects, which are tiny, 6mm long, brown sap sucking insects, may also be seen. Remove using a cotton bud or piece of cloth dipped in a pesticide with fatty acids.
Planting instructions
The Swiss Cheese Plant is best suited to indoor cultivation in North America due to its origins in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America as it cannot resist temperatures below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Choose a deep pot with good drainage and peaty potting soil for planting a Monstera. Since these plants are climbers, place soil in the bottom third of the pot and set a stake in it. Plant ties are used to fasten the stem to the stake and cover the roots with dirt. Place in an area that gets plenty of indirect, bright sunlight.
Watering and nutrients
During the growing season, moderate watering should be done once a week, and less frequently in the fall and winter. Before watering again, you may usually wait until the top inch or two of soil are dry. High humidity does indeed benefit these plants. Keep the foliage lush and green by regularly spraying the leaves with demineralized water or rainfall. Although it is not necessary to fertilize your Monstera, you can boost development by feeding it once a month with a liquid fertilizer in the spring and summer.
Pruning
Given that Monstera plants grow quickly and can get quite huge, pruning is a crucial component of their maintenance. Regular pruning may be necessary to keep your Swiss Cheese Plant under control, depending on how much space you have. With a sharp, spotless knife or pruning shears, remove any old or unhealthy leaves from the stem to get things started. Additionally, gloves should be worn when pruning a Monstera because the plant’s sap can hurt your skin and is hazardous.
Pests and diseases
Scale insects and spider mites are the two most frequent pests of indoor Swiss cheese plants. A spider mite infestation is indicated by browning or curled leaves, but a scale infestation is indicated by white and yellowish patches on the leaves. Both of these infestations can be treated with insecticidal soap or neem oil. Swiss cheese plants are normally resistant to most illnesses, however they are susceptible to leaf spot, a fungus infection brought on by high humidity, and root rot, which is brought on by excessive watering. Because of this, it’s crucial to grow your Swiss cheese plant in a pot that is the proper size and has adequate drainage holes.
Temperature
Your Swiss Cheese Plant will feel at ease in your house if you do. The plant needs to be between 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which is normally where most homes are, for best health. If your Swiss Cheese Plant is exposed to temperatures below 65 degrees Fahrenheit, it will continue to grow but at a slower rate. Any lower than 50 F, and the plant will entirely stop growing. For this reason, strive to keep your home as comfortable as you can to maintain a healthy Swiss Cheese Plant.
Keep the plant in an area of the house that gets a lot of traffic, away from potential cold drafts like an entryway or the back door. Some individuals put their indoor plants in infrequently used guest bedrooms, forgetting that these spaces won’t be heated in the winter, causing the plants to struggle to survive due to the extreme cold. Additionally, you must prevent air conditioners and heaters from being used on the plant because they are detrimental to its general health (University of Oxford).
Light
The Swiss Cheese Plant is blessed with a mix of indirect, bright light and shade. It spends a lot of time protected from direct sunlight by the above canopy of the trees’ foliage in its natural habitat because it climbs up trees. It’s a good idea to try to replicate this habitat as much as possible within a home by positioning the plant in a location where it will get a decent amount of both filtered light and shade. However, it also benefits from some indirect bright light shining through the leaves above.
Although they look lovely on windowsills, young Swiss cheese plants require protection from direct sunlight with a sheer fabric blind. For this plant, the windowsill is typically not a choice as they get older and larger. They are content to reside in a room’s corner that receives bright natural light at least occasionally during the day. In full shade or under artificial light, the plant is known to thrive and grow well, however it may do so more slowly under these circumstances.
Humidity
For the Swiss Cheese Plant to flourish, there must be moderate to high humidity. It is acclimated to a healthy amount of moisture in the air because its natural habitat in tropical climes would be extremely humid. You must take action to counter any regular high humidity levels or unusually dry air in your home.
Running an electric humidifier is one alternative. The easiest and most expensive choice is this one. Your humidifier can be placed on a timer so that you can essentially forget about it and let it take care of everything. There are many less expensive techniques, one of which being the use of a tray of moist pebbles. You would need to build a pebble bath by setting your potted plant on a tray with pebbles and pouring water over the pebbles. The humidity level around the plant will rise as the water evaporation continues. As long as you periodically top off the water level when it gets low, this alternative requires little care. Keep the water level in the tray lower than the pebbles to prevent water from seeping up into the soil and roots of the plant; otherwise, if it comes into touch with the drainage holes in the plant pot, it could harm the health of the plant by making the soil excessively wet and leading to root rot.
The employment of a misting spray is the alternative method for generating humidity. Applying a misting spray bottle filled with water to the plant’s foliage is a straightforward but efficient technique. As long as you can remember to utilize it, it is a quick and effective strategy to use. It also has the added benefit of lightly cleaning the foliage of your plant, preventing dust from collecting on the leaves.
The Swiss Cheese Plant should never be near anything that could dry it out, such as fans or heating vents, as it enjoys humidity.
Support
When Swiss Cheese Plants reach maturity, they typically have a tall, upright appearance, so you’ll need to give them some support. They climb up the sides of trees in the wild, using their aerial roots to help them as they ascend. When the plant is cultivated outside of its natural environment, you can replicate this support with a moss stick.
Simple steps can be taken to make your own moss sticks. A stake that is buried straight into the ground next to your Swiss cheese plant and roughly the same height as the plant is required. Then, using clips, ties, or staples, completely encircle the stake with a fine mesh wire. Then, cover as much of the stake as you can by soaking some sphagnum moss in water and inserting it into the spaces between the stake and the mesh wire. The Swiss Cheese Plant will use this to climb higher, using the moss pole to support its weight in a manner similar to how it would in the natural use other plants or trees. You can purchase moss poles from garden centers or online if you don’t have the time or desire to create your own (Gardeners World).
The huge, hefty leaves of the Swiss Cheese Plant will begin to bend the stems if they are not supported. When the arching stems finally touch the ground, they will look disheveled and disorganized. The strain imposed on the stems by the weight of the plant may even cause them to snap, resulting in permanent harm. When your plant reaches a height of a few feet, it is necessary to provide it with a moss pole for support.
The plant will initially need to be coaxed to grow upright. To accomplish this, fasten a few of the stems to the moss pole to encourage the plant to climb. The most often you should have to do this is a few times per year. The pole will just require occasional misting with water for maintenance purposes. A more upright plant will result from keeping the sphagnum moss damp, which will encourage the plant’s aerial roots to grasp the pool.
Propagation
While stem cuttings can be used to propagate Swiss cheese plants, seeds can also be used because of their propensity to root fast and easily. Just remove a stem from your mature plant right after a node, leaving a node intact at the base of the stem. If you desire, you can then immerse the cut end of the stem in rooting hormone after removing any lower leaves off the stem. Although it is not necessary, this step will probably improve your stem’s chances of taking root.
You can now choose whether to plant your stem directly into the ground or in water for further growth. Simply put your stem cutting in a glass or jar that is half full of water and place it in a warm location away from direct light to grow in water. Wait for roots to emerge while changing the water daily to keep it fresh and prevent rot or mold. Normally, this procedure takes two to three weeks. When the new Swiss Cheese Plant has a few roots, you can transfer it into a small pot of soil and continue with normal maintenance. The cutting’s emerging roots should not be left in the water for an extended period of time because developed root systems will be more difficult to transplant successfully into soil.
Simply bury the cut end of the stem into some moist potting soil to make a small hole, pushing the earth up against the stem to support it, and then plant it directly into the ground to propagate. Wait for it to root while keeping it warm, ideally with heat from the bottom. Similar to water propagation, rooting will take two or three weeks. The plant will also begin to produce new leaves, which is how you will know when it has established roots. You can also gently tug on the stem to see if roots have grown. A little resistance indicates that the roots have expanded. Give the stem additional time if it immediately pops out of the ground when you pull on it. Once roots have developed, you can transfer the new plant to a larger, more permanent container and carry on with normal maintenance.
Repotting
Depending on its growth, this plant will need a new pot about every three years. To repot the plant, carefully pull it out of its current container and set it in a new, larger container with new potting soil in the bottom. The roots will spread out in the new container and continue to grow well if the old soil is gently worked out of them. Make sure the top of the root ball in the new pot is the same height as it was in the old pot by surrounding it with fresh dirt in the new pot.
Give the plant plenty of water to help it adapt to its new surroundings. Repotting is done when the plant is still quite little to make sure the roots have adequate room to expand, to rehydrate the soil, and to provide the plant fresh nutrients. Repotting becomes even more crucial as the plant becomes higher because if it’s in a pot that’s too small, it could collapse over. The top of a fully grown Swiss Cheese Plant will probably be heavier than the rest. To sustain the weight of the plant, the pot it is in needs to be rather substantial and hefty.
Are Swiss Cheese Plants toxic?
Yes, both humans and ordinary domestic pets like cats and dogs are poisoned by Swiss cheese plants. Calcium oxalate, which the plant’s sap contains, is hazardous if consumed. Burning in the mouth, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are all indications of poisoning. When trimming Monsteras, it’s crucial to use gloves because the plant’s sap can irritate skin. Monsteras can yield fruit when grown outside, but it only becomes edible when it is fully ripe.
How large do Swiss Cheese Plants grow?
The Swiss cheese plant may grow quite enormous, which is one of the reasons it was given the scientific name Monstera. These plants can reach heights of 10 feet and have two-foot-wide leaves in their native rainforest habitat. Swiss Cheese Plants respond well to routine trimming, which can help keep them to a manageable size, although they are typically too huge for most homes.