Monstera plants have impressively huge, exotic foliage that stands out in any indoor setting. It’s not difficult to keep the leaves looking nice, but there are a few frequent issues to look out for. The causes of Monstera leaves curling will be covered in this article, along with solutions.
Curled monstera leaves are typically an indication of low humidity or underwatering. Other factors can be your Monstera becoming rootbound, overwatering, pest infestations, heat stress, or pest infestations. Before they unfold, young leaves typically curl tightly.
I’ll go through each problem in detail as I go along to assist you figure out how to fix your Monstera plant.
Why is the leaf on my new Monstera curling?
Learning to spot warning signals that your monstera is unhappy is among the most crucial aspects of monstera care. Most of these signals will be easiest to spot in the leaves. Consequently, what should you do if you find that your monstera leaves are curling?
The main offender is probably thirst or dryness. Your monstera may not be receiving enough water or the surroundings may be too dry if its leaves are curling and even seeming slightly brittle.
However, flooding your plant with additional water might not be the best solution! It’s crucial to identify the cause of your monstera’s drying out so you can address the underlying issue rather than just applying a Band-Aid repair that will only work momentarily or, worse, make matters worse!
What to do if you find your monstera leaves curling and drying out, as well as three reasons why your monstera may be too dry, are given below.
Are curled young leaves typical?
Simply put, being overexposed to heat or light is one of the main causes of a plant’s leaves curling. Both of these are necessary for a plant to survive, however different plant kinds may require varying amounts.
“According to Richard Cheshire, the plant doctor at Patch, plants can experience heat stress from excessive exposure to direct sunlight or heat. To combat this, plants will curl their leaves in an effort to preserve moisture.
“To avoid this, relocate the plant out of direct sunshine or extreme heat and make sure to spray the leaves frequently.
How can I tell if a new leaf is appearing on my monstera?
Your monstera plant’s new leaves will be a pale shade of lime green. This is typical for immature, emerging leaves since they are thinner and have a lighter shade of green than mature leaves.
The leaves harden off as they expand and unfold, changing from a lighter green to a deeper shade of green. Compared to developing leaves, mature leaves are thicker and darker.
A pest infestation or a lack of light might be indicated by mature leaves turning pale or a lighter shade of green. They may, however, also indicate a dietary shortage.
Will leaves from monstera uncurl?
Usually, irrigation problems like under or overwatering cause Monstera Deliciosa leaves to begin curling. Once you continue your regular watering schedule, the leaves will unfold. Other causes, such as heat stress, pests, poor humidity, and pot confinement, might cause the enormous leaves to curl inward. However, because these leaves will unfold as the plant ages, the coiled appearance of new growth is entirely typical.
How can you prevent the leaves on Monstera from curling?
In response to high water loss, Monstera deliciosa and other Monstera species curl their leaves to minimize surface area and minimize evaporation. Although it is a common adaptation of Monsteras and many other houseplants, it is also a symptom of stress in your plant.
Monstera leaf curling can be brought on by any factor that increases water loss or decreases the amount of water reaching the leaves. Let’s examine each cause one at a time. I’ll go through the signs to watch out for as well as what you can do to fix the issue and get your plant back to full health.
Underwatering
Your Monstera will respond by curling its leaves if you haven’t been watering it sufficiently. It is one of the most frequent reasons for Monstera leaves to curl, therefore look into it first. Search for extremely dry soil, crispy, brown leaf edges and tips, and drooping. Due to the lack of water, the plant container should feel much lighter than usual.
Giving your Monstera a good watering is the straightforward answer in this situation. Till water freely runs out of the drainage holes on the pot’s bottom, thoroughly soak the soil.
Try to establish a pattern of regularly examining your Monstera to see whether it needs watering. Every few days, check the leaves for damage and the soil’s dryness. Water when the top 1-2 inches of soil feel dry to the touch.
Avoid scheduling your plant’s watering because the amount of water it needs will change depending on a number of circumstances, such as the plant’s pace of development, the season, the surrounding temperature and humidity, and the size of the plant in comparison to the pot. You may get some wonderful advice on how to maintain your houseplants in top shape by reading my guide to watering houseplants.
Try putting a reminder on your phone every few days to assist you check your plant on a regular basis if you frequently forget to water your houseplants.
Low Humidity
In the understory of tropical rainforests, where there are constant temperatures and high amounts of humidity, many of the common houseplants that we grow are bred.
Many houseplants struggle to survive in our normally much drier houses because of the low humidity. When the humidity is low, monstera leaves frequently curl.
Although more resilient than some other common houseplants, Monsteras thrive in humidity levels above 40% and generally develop leaf curling, brown leaf tips, and leaf margins in environments much lower than this. Some less common Monstera species need very high humidity levels to stay healthy and attractive.
Following are some ways to tell if an issue with underwatering or low humidity-caused curling of Monstera leaves;
- Examine the soil. Underwatering is rare if the soil is still wet.
- If the issue is solely caused by low humidity, your Monstera is not likely to wilt.
- To keep track of the humidity levels in your house, use a digital hygrometer/thermometer. Low humidity is not the problem if humidity levels are consistently above 40%.
To benefit your Monstera and other houseplants, there are several ways to raise the humidity levels in your home.
- Due to plant transpiration, group your plants together to produce a humid environment.
- Underneath your Monstera, use a humidity tray. It works great to use a drip tray with a wide base and water in it. Make sure the pot’s base is just above the water’s surface by placing a few scattered stones there.
- To quickly and simply raise the humidity, use a humidifier. You can maintain your preferred humidity level with several models. This humidifier is an excellent choice for indoor plants.
How can curled Monstera leaves be repaired?
Even after daily watering, your Monstera’s leaves are still curled. In this instance, though, you might actually be overwatering, which would cause the leaves to curl.
Your monstera’s roots will be drowned by excessive watering, which might result in fungi that cause diseases like root rot. When the root system is compromised, the plant’s remaining parts cannot receive nutrients and water.
Monstera leaves often fold themselves up in reaction to water shortage in order to lessen the amount of water vapor emitted into the atmosphere, much like underwatered plants do.
How to determine whether overwatering is the cause of curled leaves:
- Test with your finger by sticking it in the ground. Wait a few more days before watering your plants again if there is moisture 2 to 3 inches down.
- Poke-a-stick technique: Insert a chopstick or dowel made of wood into the ground. It’s not yet time to water if it comes out damp with particles of dark soil adhered to it.
- To test the soil, place the probe about halfway into the pot. You don’t need to water the plant if the meter is still reading higher than a 3.
How to treat a Monstera that is too wet
- When the leaves on my Monstera begin to curl, I simply wait a few days for the soil to dry up before watering it once again.
- To avoid future curling if the soil wasn’t able to dry in time, you might need to upgrade your drainage holes or replace the soil with aerated well-draining soil. Consider incorporating perlite, coconut coir, and orchid bark into your potting soil mixture.
Use of Chlorinated Tap Water
If you regularly water your plant and haven’t over- or under-watered it, you might want to look into the water quality you’re using right now.
Fluoride and chlorine have been added to tap water to help limit the growth of bacteria. These substances will eliminate the helpful bacteria that are already present in your soil, stopping them from breaking down organic matter so that your roots can absorb it.
Additionally, regular use of tap water causes salt to build up, which kills the root tips on your Monstera and makes them more vulnerable to root rot.
Again, a scarcity of water and nutrients sets off the defensive mechanism. Your Monstera’s leaves will curl up as a result.
How to treat leaf curl brought on by using tap water:
- Look for and remove any dark, rotting roots from the plant.
- Repot your plant in a fresh, Monstera-appropriate mix of well-draining, aerated soil.
- The chlorine in the tap water will disappear if you leave it out for at least 24 hours. As an alternative, you ought to utilize filtered or rainfall.
You may recall those high school science lessons where it was demonstrated that water vapor moves from areas with high humidity to areas with reduced humidity. But what are Monstera leaves involved in any of this?
Plants release water through transpiration, as I have mentioned. Low humidity causes monstera plants’ leaves to lose more water than usual and begin to curl up.
How to determine whether low humidity is to blame for the leaves curling
- Low humidity can cause Monstera leaves to curl, which is sometimes misinterpreted for underwatering. Low humidity is also frequently indicated by symptoms on your plant, such as drooping, browning, or crisping leaves.
- You’ll require a hygrometer, which you must purchase, to properly identify the issue.
Curling leaves due to low humidity can be fixed by:
- Monstera should ideally be kept in a space with humidity levels between 40% and 60% to avoid curled leaves.
- You should either acquire a humidifier, a pebble tray, or try grouping your houseplants together to boost overall humidity if the humidity level in your space is below 40%.
When leaves curl, what does that mean?
Plant genetics mostly determines growth patterns. Others are tall and have few branches, while some are naturally short and bushy.
The main causes of variations in plants, outside genetics, are:
- inadequate lighting
- Overly bright
- extremes of heat
Keep an eye out for indicators like upward leaf curl, which shows the leaf is attempting to hold onto moisture. The light will likely be too close in this situation.
Surprisingly, in a hydro system with plenty of water and oxygen available, plants can handle bright light better.
Everything is fine as long as your plant is largely healthy and developing daily! The ability of a plant to adapt to its surroundings increases with size.
Why is my Monstera getting older?
A plant’s leaves will initially display evidence of inconsistent or inadequate irrigation. Examples of this include curling, wrinkling, withering, and drooping.
You should check the soil first if the leaves are wrinkly. The leaves will grow wrinkled if they are under- or over-watered.
How Can You Tell Them Apart?
The dried-out potting mix is most likely the result of underwatering. The leaves wrinkle, twist, or curl due to the acute lack of moisture in the foliage.
Due to the lack of turgor pressure in your monstera plant, it will also appear wilted. It becomes dry because leaves shed more moisture than they absorb from the roots.
- Look for further underwatering symptoms on your monstera, such as:
- Overly thirsty DroopingMonsteras are notorious to droop or fall limp.
- wrapped-up leaves
- Lack of moisture in the leaf tissue is the cause of the foliage’s curling.
- tan leaf edges
- One of the most typical signs of acute dehydration is this. If your monstera is situated near a heating vent or in a bright environment, the leaf tips and edges will brown more quickly.
- Monstera leaves with brown dots
- Water your plant now if you see faint, crusty brown spots on its leaves.
- leaves turning yellow
- Yellow patches or leaf changes will occur. Brown dots and points on the leaf’s surface are a regular occurrence.
- dry as bone earth and withering foliage.
Overwatering is more likely to be the root of wrinkled monstera leaves than underwatering. The cause of this is that monsteras dislike standing in wet or flooded areas.
An even worse condition called root rot can result from overwatering a monstera. The root damage will hasten the wrinkling and curling of the leaves.
Unfortunately, overwatering symptoms can be misconstrued for underwatering signs. An effective technique is to check the soil for moisture. If the potting mix is sludged and wet, your monstera is receiving too much water.
- Other signs of an overwatered monstera deliciosa include:
- They start to turn yellow starting with the leaves closest to the ground.
- The undersides of leaves get water-soaked brown patches as a result of edema.
- Leaf wilting typically follows leaf dropping or collapsing.
- Root rot can be identified by its brown or black, squishy roots and rotten-egg stench.
- The excessive moisture in the potting mix causes mold or mildew to develop on the soil’s surface.
How to Correct Improper Watering
You must make sure to provide your plants regular watering. Due to their special requirements, watering monsteras cannot be done in a way that is universally effective.
- You should water your monstera at least once every two weeks in the spring and summer.
- You should only water your monstera a few times a week in the winter and fall.
Regardless of the season, you should wait between irrigations to let the top 1/4 to 1/3 of the potting mix dry up. Before the subsequent irrigation, check the soil moisture using the finger test.
Deep watering can make a monstera that has been submerged wrinkle less. But be aware that leaves may sustain damage that prevents them from restoring their natural shape.
However, a monstera that has received excessive water and has symptoms of root rot needs to be repotted.