A gentle, damp cloth or a fast shower with lukewarm water can be used to clean your monstera’s leaves, especially the oldest ones on the plant, to eliminate any dust accumulation.
Only two fertilizer applications will be required for your monstera throughout the entire year: one in early spring and one in late summer.
Your monstera plant will eventually develop aerial roots from its stem. These aerial roots are there to support the plant; do not cut them off. If any aerial roots are too short to support a climbing plant, train them back into the soil to absorb more nutrients when they are long enough.
Is it okay to remove the aerial roots of Monstera?
Your Monstera naturally has aerial roots. No need to chop them off, please. As long as you use a clean, sharp blade and cut them back if they are blocking the path, it is acceptable.
The main plant of your Monstera won’t suffer if the aerial roots are cut off. These roots are designed to ascend, not to absorb nourishment.
For additional information on what to do with the aerial roots of your Monstera, keep reading!
Why are the aerial roots on my Monstera growing so long?
The presence of aerial roots on your monstera plant is natural and not a sign that anything is wrong. The monstera plant is a climbing plant in its natural environment.
The plant’s climbing behavior is only partially manifested in the form of aerial roots. They are there to aid in its expansion. They may be an aesthetic nightmare, but they’re not dangerous.
Should you remove your monstera plant’s aerial roots? or just let them be? I’ll address all of your concerns about what to do with the aerial roots of the monstera plant below.
Why are the roots on my Monstera so numerous?
The majority of climbing plants, including Monsteras, have aerial roots that enable them to climb up trees or other surfaces. Some orchids and monsteras grow up using other structures as supports after attaching to them with their aerial roots. This is significant since Monsteras must fight for sunlight in their natural environments with much taller tropical trees and plants.
The aerial roots help Monstera in the wild climb taller trees so that its leaves may get to the sunshine in the upper canopy, which hardly ever reaches the ground. This helps explain in part why Monsteras can get so big. In the rainforest, Monsteras would not be able to get enough sunlight if they couldn’t use aerial roots to climb up trees.
Additionally, aerial roots remove moisture from the atmosphere, giving the plant more water. Aerial roots are distinct from lateral-subterranean, or underground, roots since they almost exclusively serve to support the Monstera as it grows larger. In addition to absorbing water and nutrients from the soil, underground roots assist in preventing the plant from toppling over or being uprooted.
It’s crucial to remember that an aerial root’s principal function is not to absorb moisture. Don’t disregard your plant because you think the aerial roots should be able to absorb enough water.
Should I soak the aerial roots of Monstera in water?
I’ve seen several sources advise you to put a bowl of water in the planter for your Monster deliciosa and trail its aerial roots in there. According to the theory, this is because aerial roots may actually absorb moisture. However, submerging them in water nonstop won’t likely accomplish much more than cause them to deteriorate and perhaps put your plant in risk.
However, you can frequently spray the aerial roots of your Monstera. Again, there is no scientific evidence that this makes a significant difference, but it won’t hurt. In addition, since these tropical plants prefer their surroundings to be moist, make sure the air humidity is not too low.
Please feel free to leave a comment below if you have any additional queries regarding Monstera aerial roots or if you would want to discuss your own interactions with these magnificent tropical houseplants.
Can aerial roots be multiplied?
An excellent example of roots you can plant is the aerial roots on houseplants. One of the most well-known examples of this can be seen on spider plants. Spider plants are frequently cultivated in hanging baskets, where they produce plantlets that dangle from peculiar, wiry stems that extend from the plant. There are numerous aerial roots on each plantlet. By cutting off the plantlets and placing them with their roots buried in the soil, you can propagate the plant.
Windowleaf plants are indoor plants that utilize aerial roots in a special way. Windowleaf vines climb trees in their natural environment, reaching high into the canopy of the rainforest. Aerial roots are produced, which spread outward until they touch the ground. The strong stems are held in place by the stiff roots, which serve as guy wires. These plants can be multiplied by cutting off a piece of stem just below an aerial root and planting it in a pot.
Some aerial root plants cannot be planted in soil. Epiphytes are plants that use the structural support of other plants to grow on them. The purpose of their aerial roots is to remain above ground, where they can collect nutrients from the air, surface water, and debris. An illustration of this kind of plant would be epiphytic orchids. When to water your epiphytic orchids depends on the color of the aerial roots. Aerial roots with little moisture are silvery gray in appearance, whereas those with lots of moisture have a green tint.
What Is a Monstera Node?
The nodes are the areas where the stem can produce new growth (including leaves, branches, and aerial roots).
Simply put, the internodes are the spaces between the nodes, and the length of them varies from species to species.
All new development, including leaves, stems, petioles, and aerial roots, begins at a Monstera plant’s node. To ensure that a Monstera cutting has the cluster of cells necessary to develop into a new plant, it is essential to include a node when propagating a Monstera from a cutting.
What are the uses for Monstera nodes?
You have the option of either starting your Monstera cutting in water or soil for germination. Since you can see the roots extending and thus determine that the propagation was effective, I personally think the water rooting approach is simpler and more satisfying. Go to the following phase if you want to put the cutting directly in the ground.
Any container that can retain water without leaking is suitable for water propagation, but I prefer to use clear glass containers so I can watch the roots develop. Ensure that the container is strong and tall enough to prevent the cuttings from falling out.
Add water to the container and add your Monstera stems. Keep all of the leaves above the waterline while making sure that the nodes and any aerial roots are below it. If you’d like, you can remove a few of the stem’s tiny leaves. Then set your cuttings somewhere that receives direct, bright light.
You should start to see roots appear in a few weeks. You can transplant the cutting into a pot once the longer roots are at least two inches long.
Must I bury my aerial roots in the ground?
Many aerial roots are frequent in monstera plants, especially in the correct environments (high humidity, warm, and sunny). This is due to the fact that the plant is a climber, and these roots enable it to cling to surfaces and ascend. When a plant is outdoors, its roots can also assist it in absorbing moisture and nutrients from the surrounding air. The roots’ main function indoors is simply for climbing.
When should a Monstera be repotted, and how?
You might be asking what you should do to maintain the health of your Monstera deliciosa if you’ve had it for a long. The solution (in part) is to periodically repot it into a bigger container to give it the space it needs to grow. Long-term storage of monsteras in small containers prevents them from ever reaching their “monster potential.”
Every two years, a Monstera deliciosa should be replanted, ideally in the spring as it starts to grow. Overgrown roots, a lack of new growth, and poor water retention are indications that a Monstera needs to be transplanted sooner rather than later.
This article will discuss some of these signals’ meanings and physical characteristics. It will be simpler to determine when a plant is prepared to go up to the next size of planter once you are aware of how a Monstera responds to being left in a pot that is too tiny.
From aerial roots, how is Monstera propagated?
, 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