- Reduce the amount of fertilizer you use. Although it is recommended to use fertilizer, avoid adding any more while the plant is wilting. Once the top inch of the soil feels somewhat dry (after about a week or so), water your monstera with a good soak under the facet (or tap) to help dissolve excess salts that can build up due to fertilizer. This should also help to rehydrate the monstera’s droopy leaves.
- Always give monstera a good soak, allowing any extra water to drip out the bottom of the pot. Give the monstera a good watering to ensure that the soil is evenly moist because drooping leaves are one of the first symptoms of drought stress. However, if the monstera’s soil is already moist, do not water because doing so could promote root rot, which would explain the plant’s drooping leaves.
- Place your monstera in a location with strong, indirect lighting. Too much shade might result in drooping leaves and stems, while full light is too intense for leaves that are sensitive to the sun. The monstera should come back to life if you put it in a room with direct light that is bright, simulating natural lighting.
- Make sure the temperature is between 60 and 85 degrees. Extreme heat makes the leaves lose more water, which makes them droop, and low temperatures stress the monstera, which can also make the plant droop. To mimic the temperatures in the monstera’s natural environment, keep it away from sources of indoor heat or air conditioning.
- By frequently spraying the leaves, you can raise the humidity. When the monstera has suffered from drought-related stress, spraying the leaves helps the plant recover by reducing water loss. In order to reach the ideal level of humidity for your monstera to revive, either spritz the plant frequently or buy a plant humidifier. Monstera typically prefer around 30 percent humidity.
- In between waterings, let the top inch of the soil dry out. If the soil is persistently damp, overwatering rather than underwatering is to blame for your monstera’s drooping. Before watering again, let the top inch or so of soil dry out. As monsteras need good drainage, make sure the monstera pot has drainage holes in the base and empty saucers and trays beneath the pot frequently to prevent water from pooling there.
- After repotting, give the monstera a good drink and check that the potting soil is well-draining. Any plant that has been replanted may have experienced considerable root damage, which temporarily impairs its capacity to adequately absorb moisture. After repotting, thoroughly moisten the potting soil to help reduce any drought stress that might have caused the leaves to droop. For monstera, use a light, well-draining potting soil. To improve drainage and mimic the soil conditions that monstera are suited to in their natural habitat, I personally enrich the potting soil with succulent and cactus soil or orchid potting mix.
- After transplanting your plant, recreate the natural environment for monsteras to rejuvenate drooping leaves. Your monstera should come back to life once it adjusts to its new environment if you give it plenty of bright indirect light, a regular watering schedule (typically once every seven days), increase the humidity by misting the leaves frequently, keep it away from heat sources, and avoid air conditioning.
- To protect your monstera from drooping and to keep it growing upright, use a bamboo support. Ideally, get a particular monstera support, which is generally wrapped in moss to replicate the growing circumstances of the monstera’s native environment. Monsteras tend to climb and can droop over without support. Naturally, the monster develops upward while clinging to the support.
How can a monstera that is about to die be revived?
Watering should be your first line of defense when trying to resuscitate your monstera if you have been neglecting it. However, be sure it genuinely needs watering before you overwater it—surprisingly, too much affection can sometimes kill plants suddenly! It’s likely that your Monstera needs watering if the leaves have grown to be dry and brown and the soil is light and dry. Use a moisture meter to determine whether the soil around your Monstera has too much or not enough moisture.
Hold out for a moment before rapidly giving your dying plant a bucket of water; there are some unique methods that can make your Monstera look and feel healthier.
Before putting your monstera back in its pot and saucer, soak it for 20 to 30 minutes in a bucket of room-temperature water. After that, continue to water it sparingly but frequently over the following week or two before returning to your regular maintenance schedule. If you believe the root system is still fairly dry, you can soak for 30 minutes several times throughout the first week to ensure that the soil’s moisture level is rising.
When restoring a dying and neglected Monstera, soaking is crucial. It functions much better than simply giving it a lot of water, as the water will immediately run into the saucer and leaving the root system equally dry. Therefore, you need ensure that the soil is evenly hydrated throughout.
There are a few steps you can do to prevent wet or dry soil in the future in order to prevent overwatering or underwatering your Monstera. First off, purchasing a self-watering container enables you to be certain that your Monstera is receiving only the water it need. This self-watering pot from Amazon is something we advise.
Additionally, we advise using terracotta containers rather than plastic ones because they let some water to escape out of the sides while plastic containers trap in all the moisture, which can make the effects of overwatering on your Monstera much more pronounced.
How should a dying Monstera Leaf be handled?
DO NOT CUT OFF THE TOP LEAF OF YOUR MONSTERA AT THE BASE OF THE PETIOLLE IF IT HAS BLACK SPOTS (the stalk that holds the leaf up from the main stem). The top growth point, or terminal bud, is located on the top leaf petiole. The petiole’s side has a bump where the subsequent leaf will develop if you look closely. Leave the stalk intact and only remove the leaf, allowing your Monstera’s new growth to continue to grow.
It has already generated a new leaf from its petiole for a lower leaf. A lower leaf’s connection to the main stem can be safely severed at the bottom of the leaf. The petiole may eventually die and fall off the stem if you leave some of it attached.
Monsteras with most leaves dead
Cutting off an excessive number of leaves at once can be harmful to a Monstera plant’s ability to recuperate if the bulk of the leaves are damaged. Keep any leaves with healthy green sections since plants require them to photosynthesize. To allow the plant to continue making energy from the remaining green leaves, initially only remove the leaves that are the most severely damaged or completely dead. If the remaining leaves continue to deteriorate, you can remove them later.
It’s still possible to save your plant even if all of its leaves are dead. An axillary bud, also known as a lateral bud, will activate and branch off to create a new leaf as long as the stem and roots stay in good condition. To activate multiple buds, you can also cut and propagate your Monstera as stem cuttings. This method should only be used as a last resort because it will be extremely slow without leaves.
Pruning Your Monstera
All year long, remove dry or dead leaves, but wait any significant trimming for the spring and summer. Use clean, precise shears to trim your Monstera, and remove any extra growth at the stem’s base.
How to Repot a Monstera
The growth of indoor plants is substantially slower than that of wild plants. This is a good thing to do every two to three years to offer new nutrients and promote new development, depending on the size of your plant and the density of the roots.
When to repot – Because of their aerial roots, Monsteras frequently grow outside of the soil. When the time is right, the plant will however let you know by practically starting to climb out of the pot with its larger branches and their roots.
Pot sizing: Choose a nursery pot with a diameter that is 2 larger than the existing pot if you want your plant to grow taller. You can reuse the same container and just swap out the soil if you want your plant to remain the same height.
Put newspaper on the floor, remove the plant from the pot, and shake off as much of the old soil as you can to ensure that the roots are clean. Get your hands messy. Put the plant in the pot’s center, fill the container with fresh soil, and compact it firmly. Place the plant in a location with bright indirect light after fully watering the soil. It will take your plant 2-4 weeks to recover from the shock and become used to its new surroundings.
Staking Monstera
Some Monstera growers want to stake their plants to support them and encourage more vertical growth in addition to aesthetic considerations. You may accomplish this by simply inserting a moss totem and using prongs to secure the plant stems to it. See here for a complete explanation of how to stake the Monstera.
How does a Monstera look when it is overwatered?
The Swiss cheese plant, or Monstera, is a great choice for interior design because of its distinctively sized leaves. However, the plant is vulnerable to temperature changes and overwatering and can show undesirable signs such as drooping and discolored spots on the foliage if not well taken care of. What are the symptoms of monstera overwatering, and how can you save the plant?
The yellowing, drooping, and development of brown spots on the leaves are indications of an overwatered monstera plant. To prevent root rot, repot the monstera in a potting mixture that drains well. Lightly water the plant to keep the soil moist, and then wait until the top 2-3 inches of soil are completely dry before watering the plant again.
Do Monstera leaves regrow?
It’s common to worry about the loss of a few leaves, whether you’ve had a Monstera for a long time or are fresh new to the Monstera world. Will my Monstera’s leaves ever regrow? depends on how many leaves are dropping and the general health of your plant.
When your Monsteras has lost a few leaves, it will typically sprout new, healthy leaves once more. The key is to determine what caused the leaves to fall and take action to fix it. Your plant will begin producing fresh, healthy growth once you’ve resolved the issue.
Before your plant can regain its former splendor and stop dropping leaves, a few questions need to be addressed. What caused the leaves to splatter? How can you prevent this issue from happening again in the future? What should you do with the plant’s remaining old, yellow leaves? Continue reading for solutions to these questions and more!
How can my Monstera be fixed?
The root rot that affects Monstera is likely the most devastating condition. This is due to rot’s ability to spread quickly and irreversibly. It may start at the roots and work its way up, eventually destroying the entire, once-beautiful houseplant.
Root rot is typically brought on by excessive wetness, or “wet feet.” It can be caused by overwatering, employing a planter without a drainage hole, and having soil that doesn’t drain well. Because your plant won’t be able to use any water you give it as effectively without sufficient light, low light is also a factor.
Root rot symptoms can range widely and include yellowing, browning, blackening, leaf spot, drooping, and curling. It is always worthwhile to reassess your watering plan and examine the soil moisture levels if any of these problems arise. You’ll need to remove your Monstera from its planter if you have any suspicions so you can examine the roots.
Unfortunately, your plant is in some difficulty if the roots become mushy, black or brown, and smell bad.
Did you realize? Root rot is a rather encompassing phrase. The problems could be bacterial, fungal, or both.
- Examine the damage. Does it affect the stem or simply the roots? You’re going to need to pull a knife out in any case.
- REMOVE THE WHOLE AFFECTED PART. If doing so necessitates removing the majority of the root ball, so be it. You can keep only the healthy bits of your Monstera. Remove any leaves that appear to be ailing as well.
- Repot in new, appropriate soil. Always use a planter with a drainage hole and make sure to mix quality aroid soil.
- Be tolerant. Place your Monstera in an area with adequate air moisture levels and light (50 percent or up is good; use a humidity meter to check). Keep the soil just barely damp. Hopefully the plant will establish new roots, and the problems won’t recur.
Did you realize? All hope is not lost, even if the rot has spread to the stem of your Monstera. Use the Monstera propagation guide to learn how to successfully rebuild your plant after cutting off the harmed areas.
Should I cut the brown tips off my plant?
Yes, you should remove the brown plant tips. However, this does not need you to remove the entire leaf. Just remove the burnt tip instead. The leaf automatically corrects itself to keep its original structure and form.
How often should you water a Monstera?
When monstera is actively developing in the summer, it needs to be watered once a week. During winter months which is the resting period for plants, it can go without water for up to 3 weeks.
How can you promote the growth of Monstera?
If you use each of these care suggestions separately, your Monstera will grow more quickly; however, if you use them all at once, it will grow so quickly that you will be living in a jungle in a matter of weeks.
You can make Monstera grow faster by giving them more light
For your monstera to produce energy and grow, it needs light. More light is beneficial in that regard.
But as you are surely aware, the sun burns you because it is a really hot substance. Since I reside in the UK and my Monstera leaves were in an east-facing window, I’ve never had a burning issue.
The optimum window for growth is one that faces south or west and has either textured glass or a sheer curtain.
I prefer east-facing rooms and the odd afternoon sunbath outside, although such are not for the timid because they can attract bugs.
The white parts of a variegated Monstera are more vulnerable to burning, thus mine is located in a west-facing room but a few feet away from the window. I often get anxious about it, yet I still adore it.
Grow lights can significantly accelerate development and reduce the risk of burning your variegated Monstera.
This MarsHydro light is amazing.
It significantly accelerates plant growth, however since it’s a professional grow light, hanging it from the ceiling can be a hassle if you don’t want to install a hook. My current setup is as follows:
Naturally, my Monsteras are not underneath it as I keep them in a fish tank (not submerged). like you do.
Grow lights don’t just provide light; they also generate some warmth, which can hasten growth and enable year-round growth.