While yellowing Monstera plant leaves can be cut off to maintain the plant’s appearance, caution must be exercised when trimming the rest of the plant. To maintain the size and shape of the plant, occasional trimming may be required. It is advisable to avoid taking out more than a third of the entire plant at once.
How are the yellow leaves on Monstera pruned?
Fortunately, trimming a monstera is not too difficult. Since they are a hardy plant, they don’t need to be meticulously pruned. In other words, even if you don’t perform a great job, your plant will probably be alright.
You’ll want to remember a few things, though:
1. Put on gloves. When pruning or propagating your monstera, be sure to use protective gloves because the sap is poisonous and can cause severe skin irritation.
2. Use a tidy, sharp instrument. You can avoid crushing or damaging the stem by using sharp pruning shears or a knife to make the cut. Your plant is also shielded from hazardous microorganisms by clean tools. Bacterial diseases can even spread to your other plants and are difficult to treat. (Protect your monstera from insects, fungi, and bacteria with our Houseplant Leaf Armor!)
Instead of slicing the stem off, just give it a good snip or chop while cutting. The cleanest cut will be made as a result.
3. If you can, prune in the spring, especially if you want to promote growth. Growth spurts occur in the spring and summer for the majority of plants, including monstera. Pruning in the spring will yield the best benefits and hasten the recovery of your plant. You should prune in the spring because that is when your cuttings will grow the fastest if you intend to propagate them.
4. Arrange the slices. Starting at the base of the stem, remove any outdated or diseased leaves.
Cut where you want the plant to grow if you are pruning to promote growth. Make a top cut if you want it to grow higher.
When the time comes to actually trim your monstera, keep in mind that pruning promotes growth so choose where to make your cuts. You can safely reduce the plant’s size if you’re pruning to manage your monstera’s size. Just remember that it will eventually need to be done again because it will grow back.
5. Be sure to cut below a node if you’re propagating. Don’t be concerned if you’re only trimming to reduce the size of your plant or get rid of dead leaves. However, if you want to grow your cuttings from them, make sure that they have a node, which is a tiny knob that develops on the stem opposite a leaf. When your cutting begins to grow, these will subsequently develop into aerial roots!
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6. Prevent unintentional proliferation. When you’re done pruning, be careful to dispose of your cuttings in the trash if you’re not going to propagate them because if you place them in a compost pile or somewhere else where they can root in the earth, they’ll start to grow roots.
I’m done now! Don’t be afraid to prune your monstera; it’s an essential yet easy component of care for this plant. This plant develops rapidly and bounces back quickly from pruning. Good fortune!
Do I need to remove the injured Monstera leaves?
Your Monstera should have any damaged leaves removed. Trimming dead leaves helps your plant’s health in addition to improving its appearance.
- Unable to photosynthesize are dead leaves. Any brown or black areas on your Monstera’s leaves are no longer able to supply the plant with energy.
- Dead leaf sections have no protection against rot and infection in comparison to healthy leaves. Dead plant cells provide nutrients that are consumed by bacteria and fungi. For instance, you can notice mold growing on dead leaves that have been left on the plant or in the soil. To help defend the remainder of the plant against these diseases, remove any dark or damaged tissue.
It is possible that only the ripped edge of a leaf will become brown to seal a cut if there is only very minimal damage, such as accidently ripping or torn a portion of the leaf. Leave minor imperfections alone if they don’t affect other parts of the plant or interfere with your pleasure of the plant’s aesthetics.
Monstera damage to the roots and stems can be more serious than damage to the leaves because it prevents the plant from transporting water and nutrients. Visit our soon-to-be-available guides on stem damage and root rot.
Can you keep a Monstera from going bad?
- When the top inch of soil seems a little bit dry to the touch, water monstera. Depending on the climate and conditions, the exact frequency can vary, but generally speaking, watering monstera once every seven days with a deep soak maintains the ideal moisture balance. If you’re unsure, feel the soil with your finger to check for moisture. Water the monstera thoroughly as soon as the top inch of soil feels a little dry.
- Always water deeply enough for any extra moisture to flow out of the drainage holes in the pot’s base. As a result, the soil is guaranteed to be evenly moist and the water will have reached the roots where it is needed. If you water monstera too lightly, it may experience drought stress, which causes the leaves to become yellow. Monstera leaves that have become yellow from dry soil typically recover rather fast following a watering cycle.
- Regularly empty the trays and saucers under the pots. Avoid letting water gather under your monstera for an extended period of time as this might lead to root rot.
- In pots with drainage holes in the base, always plant monstera. Water must be allowed to readily drain from the pot’s base since monstera plants need proper drainage.
- If the dirt feels too heavy or compacted and you can’t stick your finger into it, repot the monstera. Because there is not enough oxygen for root respiration when the soil is compacted, the leaves will become yellow. The optimum soil for monstera growth is one that is easily aerated so that oxygen can reach the roots and water can drain efficiently. In order to more closely resemble the permeable soil of the monstera plants native environment, repot the monstera in potting soil or compost and add around 1/3 succulent and cactus soil or orchid potting media.
- Place your Monstera in a spot with strong, filtered light. The pierced leaves of the monstera vine, which grows like a vine in the canopy of tropical forests in Central America, spread out widely to absorb as much light as possible. The leaves can become scorched by direct sunshine, and too much shade turns the foliage yellow (in rooms with north facing windows for example). A room with good lighting and perhaps an east or west facing window is ideal for monstera growth.
- When it’s growing, fertilize your monstera once every month. As a result of their big leaves, monstera plants are relatively nutrient hungrier than other plants. The roots of the monstera may deplete the soil of nutrients if it has been in the same container for a long period. Additionally, the starting potting soil may not have been extremely nutrient dense. Use an all-purpose houseplant fertilizer at half strength once a month from Spring through Mid-Summer (do not fertilize in the Fall or Winter) if your monstera has yellowing leaves with weak development and is not suffering from overwatering or underwatering. This should revive the yellow foliage.
If your monstera has turned yellow due to a lack of water, it should quickly recover following a thorough soak and a regular watering plan, usually once every seven days.
However, if your monstera is overwatered and the leaves keep turning yellow and beginning to droop and seem dead, it may be very difficult to preserve the plant.
Roots that have root rot appear squishy, rotting, and smell unpleasant, whereas healthy roots should feel hard.
You can take immediate action in this situation by removing the monstera from the container, emptying the dirt, and using a clean pair of pruners to trim back any diseased roots and encourage healthy development (wipe the pruners with a cloth soaked with disinfectant after every cut to prevent spreading any pathogens to otherwise healthy root).
However, this causes a lot of harm to a plant that is already unwell. Take a cutting of a monstera leaf for propagation, which is what I would advise you to do first.
The easiest approach to save a monstera plant is to propagate it if there are some healthy-looking leaves and stems still present.
Watch this instructive YouTube video to learn how to grow monstera quickly:
Can I chop yellow leaves?
Do I need to remove the yellow leaves? It varies. It’s acceptable to remove any yellow leaves that you find unsightly or bothersome. However, it is not required. Finding the issue and repairing it is preferable if you have a lot of yellow leaves, which could be caused by overwatering or inadequate sunshine.
Can leaves heal on their own? No, leaves from broken or split houseplants never heal. If you remove the damaged leaves or wait until they fall off, your plant will produce new ones to replace the ones that were harmed. After receiving enough water or fertilizer (or whatever it is they are lacking that is causing them to droop), drooping leaves may recover.
What’s causing my Monstera to become yellow?
Inappropriate soil moisture, particularly overwatering, is the most frequent cause of yellowing leaves in Monsteras. Whenever the top 2-3 inches of soil are dry, water your Monstera only then. The soil must be kept moist but not drenched. You can wait a little bit longer between waterings during the winter.
When watering, be sure to use enough water so that liquid runs into the saucer from the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot. It’s crucial to remove any extra water from the saucer since your Monstera won’t do well with “wet feet,” which leads to the rot of the roots and the eventual death of the plant.
In order to properly and consistently care for a Monstera, the soil must be adequately hydrated. Your Monstera may become stressed and become yellow if it alternates between incredibly dry and wet soil as a result of inefficient watering.
Low humidity and dry soil lead leaves to first turn brown on the edges before eventually turning completely yellow. The humidity will rise if you mist your Monstera plant’s leaves frequently.
In general, Monsteras do well in indirect light that ranges from low to bright. The foliage will burn if exposed to direct sunlight for an extended period of time. Monsteras can tolerate low light levels, although their growth will be slower. Yellowing leaves can be a sign of insufficient light. Move in accordance with the amount of light that your Monstera is receiving.
Monstera that are stressed or weaker are more prone to bug infestations. Spider mites and other sap-sucking insects can dehydrate your plant. Leaflets and fronds quickly start to yellow as a result of this issue. In an interior environment, scale, mealybugs, and spider mites are usually present. These tiny pests multiply and travel into nooks and crannies along frond portions if they are not eliminated at an early stage. The insects’ piercing jaws fatigue your plant and hasten yellowing, particularly if your Monstera is already unwell due to inadequate lighting, nutrient inadequacy, or insufficient soil moisture.
Are you seeing fresh growth on your Monstera? This yellowing is normal if your plant is experiencing new development and the yellowing leaves are older, especially near the base of the plant. Old leaves on your plant are shed, and new growth is energized.
When should I trim the leaves on my Monstera?
After you have pruned your leaves, you can reuse the cuttings by growing more of them or by composting the dead leaves.
Propagate your cuttings
Making a new plant from a cutting of an old plant is known as propagating your cutting.
Your cuttings can be rooted in either water or soil. The method you choose to utilize generally depends on your personal preferences.
To see how long the roots have grown and whether there is any rotting, I prefer to cultivate my Monstera cuttings in water.
Make sure the plant is not overwatered if you wish to place it in soil. This could result in the formation of germs and mold, which could harm or kill your plant cutting.
Use the dead leaves as compost
It is a smart notion to compost the leaves from a plant whose leaves have been clipped after they have died or become yellow.
Dead leaf composting is a reasonably easy process:
- Put all of the plant’s leaves in a bag after you’ve collected them all. Mixing some grass clippings with the leaves is also a good idea.
- Compost makers and natural fertilizers can be added to hasten the composting process.
- If your compost mixture seems dry, be sure to add extra moisture, and make small holes in the bag so that air may reach the compost.
- To achieve the finest effects from your handmade compost, keep the bag in storage for at least two weeks.
In conclusion
Making your Monstera happy by pruning. You’ll be able to maintain the appearance of your living area and see fresh growth. Additionally, it is a great technique to prevent the illness from spreading after a leaf becomes infected.
The best time to prune your Monstera is in the early spring. Avoid the dormant season because it could cause more harm than good to the plant.
Where do you clip the leaves of Monstera?
, you should separate each leaf and node on either side of the node/aerial root into independent segments.
The youngest leaf has a node that was still propagation-viable despite not having fully matured (you can kind of see it bumping through).
After you have separated your cuttings, you should remove any outdated sheathing from the leaf stems. When submerged in water for an extended period of time, they can decay and hinder the propagation process.
Your cuttings are now ready to go to their temporary residence. All you need is water and a vessel—I like clear ones.
It’s best to let the cuts to “heal” or dry up a little bit before immersing the cuttings in water. This only takes a little while.
The aerial root can be cut back, but I prefer to leave mine uncut. To make it sit comfortably at the bottom of my vessel, I simply delicately wrap it up.
The remaining stems are then arranged in the vessel, each one being spaced apart to allow for proper root development as well as aesthetic appeal once they are planted in soil. Due to their new root system, there isn’t much room to try to arrange them at that time.
Simply add water to completely cover the roots and ends once they are positioned how you like.
Place it somewhere bright, but not in the sun, and replace the water every three to five days. After roughly 2-3 weeks, roots should start to form!
In addition to new roots, it has also sprouted a huge number of new leaves.
Here is a picture of my very first effort at growing a monstera. I took the above steps, potted the cuttings in soil after around three months, and continued. It has thrived ever since I started watering it once a week!
Your inquiries are addressed:
Yes! Once they are in the proper light and receiving the appropriate amount of water, they are excellent for beginners and very simple to care for.
I plant them in a well-draining pot using ordinary Miracle Grow indoor potting soil. No need for moss or pearls.
Yes, to answer simply. That is a factor in the propagation process. I wouldn’t recommend making excessive or frequent cuts because you run the danger of harming the plant by putting it into shock.
It’s usually time for a new and larger pot when you can see the roots through the dirt or when you notice the growth has significantly halted.
All of my plants receive fertilizer during the growth season (April to September). I will fertilize every other week because I water them all once a week. I prefer liquid fertilizers (plant food) since I can regulate the amount that each plant receives.
In the summer, grocery stores like Kroger or your neighborhood Lowe’s or Home Depot may stock them. It’s always a good idea to check for nearby and online nurseries, such as