exceptionally dry soil
The Monstera prefers persistently moist soil. Make sure your plant is not being overwatered or overgrown. Water according to a regular schedule when the top 2-3 inches of soil are dry.
You can see weak, drooping, and perhaps even turning dark leaves if you unintentionally let the soil on your Monstera plant dry out completely. A thorough soak is necessary if the soil is very dry over the entire container.
How to soak-water your Monstera is as follows:
- Without the saucer, put your plant in the sink or bathtub. Pour roughly 3 to 4 cups of water into your basin. Check to see if the water is warm.
- Give your plant at least 45 minutes to absorb water through the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot.
- After giving your plant a soak, feel the soil’s top to see if the water has gotten to the top 2-3 inches.
- If the soil on your Monstera doesn’t feel completely saturated, water it a little from the top to hasten soaking.
- Drain the sink or tub once the soil of your plant is evenly moist, and then leave it to rest while it completely drains. Put the plant back in its proper place on the saucer.
As a tropical plant, your Monstera will flourish in more humid conditions. By regularly spraying the leaves of your plant, using a pebble tray, or placing a humidifier close by, you can raise the humidity level in the area around it.
Why is the leaf on my new Monstera floppy?
Due mostly to its spectacular leaves, the Monstera deliciosa (Swiss Cheese Plant) is a common houseplant. Although they are simple to care for, these fellas do have one drawback: if they feel neglected, they have a tendency to pout, which may cause your Monstera leaves to droop. Don’t panic too much. They can quickly be persuaded to recover with a little loving attention.
The most frequent cause of drooping monstera leaves is dehydration. They prefer their soil to always be just moist enough. Other contributing factors include overwatering, poor lighting, issues with fertilizer, pests, or transplant stress. The most crucial step in restoring your plant to health is figuring out what the issue is.
Why are the leaves on my Monstera bending over?
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.
What causes my Monstera to sag and curl?
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.
How can drooping be revived in Monstera?
- 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 fairly dry (after about a week or two), water your monstera with a nice bath under the facet (or tap) to help dissolve extra 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 off. 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 you tell if your Monstera plant needs more water?
One of those problems where there are a variety of potential causes (such as nutrient deficiency). But your monstera’s leaves could turn yellow if you overwater it or submerge it.
What’s the difference?
Overwatered: The older leaves or the leaves toward the bottom of the plant will yellow first if your monstera is receiving too much water.
Underwatered: If your monstera is very dry, yellowish leaves will begin to appear on the entire plant, possibly beginning with the younger, more delicate leaves.
How can you cheer up Monstera?
PRO HINT: Monsteras love to climb up vertical surfaces because they are climbing plants. Use pegs or moss sticks to direct your Monstera’s growth upward if you prefer it to grow tall rather than wide.
A tough and simple-to-care-for species of flowering plant native to southern Mexico and Panama called Monstera deliciosa is also known as the “Due to the distinctive growth of ridges and holes, or fenestrations, on its more mature leaves, the Swiss cheese plant is called that. The “The fruit that the plant produces in its native environment, which resembles a pineapple, gives the plant its deliciosa moniker.
A warm, humid environment with plenty of water and soft sunlight are preferred by monsteras. Put your Monstera in an area with indirect light that ranges from moderate to bright. Even though it can tolerate lower light levels, you can notice lanky growth as a result, so the optimum location is a few feet away from a window that faces the south, west, or east and provides brilliant indirect light.
We offer a guide on how to measure light in your environment if you are unclear of the lighting conditions in your house or place of business.
Only the most mature leaves of the Monstera typically develop the distinctive splits, and even so, only under optimal circumstances. Just wait if yours has plenty of light but no splits.
How much water should I give my Monstera?
Fill the pot with water abundantly until you see water trickling through into the saucer underneath. The size of the plant and the potting container will determine the exact volume.
Should I mist my Monstera?
A light mist can give some humidity and aid in hydrating the leaves. However, take care not to drown the leaves in water, as this might cause rot and fungus diseases.
Can Yellow Monstera leaves turn green again?
Most Monstera plants will not recover their full vibrant green color after suffering from over- or under-watering problems, depending on the degree of color loss. If the leaf is extremely damaged, try to prune it back as neatly and closely as you can to the stem to make room for new development.
How do I know if my Monstera is healthy?
The secret to growing indoor plants successfully is finding the ideal ratio of light, water, food, and temperature. You’ll need to monitor and make adjustments to guarantee your Monstera plant flourishes because each home or business has its own particular combination of environmental factors. A Monstera that is happy and healthy will have strong, healthy leaves and show constant development.
Can plants recover from overwatering?
If you mitigated early and altered the watering patterns moving forward, plants can recover from overwatering. Over the course of two weeks, keep a watchful eye out for any general indications of plant health improvement.
How frequently should Monstera be watered?
Monstera deliciosa and Monstera adansonii are the two varieties of Monstera that are grown as indoor plants. In addition to having entirely enclosed leaf holes, Monstera adansonii differs from M. deliciosa by having longer, tapering leaves. Leaf holes on Monstera deliciosa eventually mature, move toward the edge, and then open up.
Though they hardly ever flower or produce edible fruit inside, they are one of the few aroids that produce edible fruit, especially Monstera deliciosa, which is a member of the Araceae, the Aroid Family. Although the indigenous peoples of Central America had been familiar with monsteras for a very long time, the botanical community only became publicly aware of them in the early 20th century, like many aroids.
thrives in direct light that is bright to medium. Although it cannot tolerate strong, direct sunlight, it can become accustomed to it.
Water every one to two weeks, letting the soil dry out in between applications. In brighter light, water more frequently, and in less-bright light, less frequently. Pro tip: Water that has been filtered or set out overnight before use is beneficial for monsteras.
Although normal room humidity will do, humid circumstances are preferred. Use a fine-mist mister or humidifier to increase the humidity level in the room.
Most houseplants enjoy temperatures between 65F and 85F. (18C-30C). It’s ideal to keep the temperature above 60F. (15C).
Use a potting mix that drains effectively. As needed, include elements like perlite or lava rocks to improve soil aeration.
The Monstera is a calm and often pest-free plant. Treat pests as soon as they show up by wiping down the plant frequently and weekly applications of a natural insecticide like neem oil.
SYMPTOM: Edges of leaves that are turning brown and crunchy. CAUSE: Overwatered, thirsty, or high salt buildup
Is the sun getting too much on my Monstera?
- Balance the sun’s and the shade’s intensity. The leaves of Monstera become yellow when exposed to excessive sunlight. The plant will display a condition known as negative phototropism, in which new leaves develop toward the darkness rather than the light, if kept in the dark. (It’s a really cunning trick: in the jungle, nighttime indicates the presence of a taller tree that Monstera can scale to reach the sun.) Indirect sunlight is preferable because this isn’t attainable in a living room.
- Water Monstera once a week, evenly and moderately. Prior to adding more water, allow the soil to become somewhat dry. Keep in a relatively humid setting.
- Avoid repotting too frequently and trim regularly by pinching off new growth to control excessive growth.
Scientists have proposed the following theories as to why Monstera leaves have holes: The ability to capture sunlight on the rainforest floor is increased, according to one idea, by this puncture. According to the other theory, it allows tropical downpours to pass through the leaves, preventing harm to the plant. This explains Hurricane Plant, another name for Monstera.
Note that some of our favorite indoor plants are native to the tropics. Check out Tropical Plants 101: A Guide to Planting, Care & Design for more information. More ideas for indoor plants can be found at: