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 is my Monstera yellowing and drooping?
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 move into nooks and crannies along frond parts 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.
Why is the leaf on my Monstera pointing up?
Do you recall when you last watered your Monstera plant? Because underwatering is one of the most frequent issues that causes your Monstera’s leaves to curl up.
When Monstera is submerged, its innate capacity to prevent water loss is activated. In order to prevent transpiration from releasing too much moisture into the atmosphere, monstera leaves curl up to reduce surface area.
How to determine whether underwatering is the cause of curling leaves:
- First, you should inspect your Monstera to see if there are any other symptoms, like drooping, crisping, or browning leaves.
- Another easy way to check for underwatered Monstera is checking the weight of the pot, keeping in mind that dry soil pots will feel much lighter than wet.
- To determine when to water, you can also rely on contemporary technologies like a single probe soil moisture meter. Place it between halfway and two thirds of the way down from the surface. If the moisture content is less than 3, you need to water right away.
How to fix a Monstera that has submerged:
- Put your Monstera in the bathtub, cover the soil completely with water, and let it sit for a bit to let the water drain.
- If your Monstera is severely underwatered and shows signs of wilting, you might want to carefully relocate the plant into a bucket of water. The plant will have a chance to recover more quickly as a result.
How can you tell whether your Monstera is content?
- Symptoms. Monstera leaves frequently turn brown or have brown patches in addition to turning yellow.
- Causes. Overwatering, underwatering, lack of fertilizer, compacted soil and lack of light.
Overwatering and poorly draining soils are the most frequent causes of yellowing and dying monstera leaves. Between waterings, the top 2 inches of the soil must somewhat dry out for monstera. Regularly wet soil encourages root rot, which causes the monstera leaves to become yellow and look to be dying.
Hemi-eptite plants Monstera Deliciosa, Adansonii, and Obliqua have both ariel and terrestrial roots. The soil in rainforest conditions, such as those found in Panama and Costa Rica in central America, is well-draining, porous, aerated, and made of organic materials, where the roots can flourish.
When the monstera is watered too frequently and the soil is always damp, oxygen from the potting soil escapes, which restricts root respiration and hinders the roots’ ability to efficiently absorb moisture and nutrients from the soil and the humid environment around them.
The monstera leaves turn yellow as a symptom of stress if the roots are unable to absorb moisture or nutrients to transport them around the plant.
Long-term saturation of the monstera’s soil encourages root rot, which causes the plant’s leaves to turn yellow and droopy and look to be dying.
Take into account the possibility that the soil is overly wet due to:
- Because of the excessive soil compaction, which has resulted in the removal of all the air, there is poor drainage.
- The base of the pot lacks drainage holes.
- The tray or saucer under the plant has amassed a pool of water, which makes it difficult for water to drain properly and allows the soil to remain wet.
Yellow monstera leaves may potentially be a sign of underfertilization or underwatering. Monstera plants have a high demand for nutrients and can quickly deplete their nutrition supply because of their enormous leaves.
To stop the monstera leaves from turning yellow in the spring and summer, regular fertilizer application is necessary.
In its natural habitat, the tropical plant monstera typically grows in filtered light or strong, indirect light.
If the monstera is kept in a dark or shaded spot indoors, this is against its natural environment and may cause the leaves to yellow.
What causes my Monstera to bend?
The leaves and stems of a thirsty Monstera should droop or bend downward as a warning sign. It could also appear wilted.
But this is a simple problem to solve because after a decent watering, the plant should seem more vibrant again.
Every 7-8 days, I notice that my Monstera enjoys water. It’s time to water if the soil feels dry on your finger or 1-2 inches down.
Bending stems could also be an indication that your plant needs more support if it is still producing new stems, you can see a lot of new growth, and you know it is receiving enough water.
A simple solution is to bury a moss pole in the ground and direct the stems to begin growing upwards rather than outwards.
Check your pot’s size as well. Make sure the pot isn’t too huge if the plant is young. These plants may endure cramped conditions for a while before requiring repotting.
Additionally, a pot that is too large frequently necessitates overwatering because to the soil’s tendency to retain extra moisture. A young plant won’t enjoy these circumstances, too.
Additionally, excessive watering nearly invariably results in root rot, which serves as a haven for fungus gnats (learn how to get rid of them).
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, if not properly cared for, the plant is susceptible to temperature changes and overwatering and may display unfavorable symptoms including drooping and discolored areas on the foliage. What are the symptoms of monstera overwatering, and how can you save the plant?
The yellowing, drooping, and development of brown patches on the leaves are indications of an overwatered monstera plant. To prevent root rot, repot the monstera in a potting mixture that drains properly. 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 I need to remove the yellowing Monstera leaves?
Getting Rid of Yellow Leaves 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 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 are Monstera leaves made more vibrant?
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.
Do I need to spray my Monstera?
Monstera Deliciosas may tolerate low to high levels of indirect, dappled light. Their leaves may burn and scorch if exposed to direct sunlight for an extended period of time. Low light conditions will inhibit growth.
Make sure your Variegated Monstera Deliciosa gets enough of bright indirect light if you have one.
Water
You should spritz your Monstera Deliciosa frequently and water it once a week. In the winter, when you may only need to water your plant every two weeks, let the soil dry up in between waterings.
Humidity
Because Monstera Deliciosa prefers a humid atmosphere, we advise often wetting its leaves. To boost the humidity of the air around your plant, you might also place it close to other plants.
Additional care information
From a stem and leaf cutting, you may quickly reproduce your monstera deliciosa in water. Make sure to make the cut just below a stem node.
The Monstera Deliciosa’s huge leaves are readily covered in dust over time. Use a moist towel to routinely wipe them.
Troubleshooting
Yellowing leaves may indicate that your Monstera Deliciosa has experienced moisture shock or has received too much light.
Browning leaves are a sign that your plant has been receiving insufficient light or has been exposed to low humidity.
Why is my Monstera having trouble?
The tropical vine Monstera deliciosa is renowned for its aggressive, quick growth. While they won’t grow as tall when kept inside, Monsteras can produce a lot of growth quickly. In the wild, they can easily reach heights of up to 60 feet. It’s time to look into your Monstera if you’ve discovered that it isn’t growing at all. There might be a problem.
There are various reasons why a Monstera will cease developing. The most frequent causes are poor lighting, an excess or shortage of water, pests, roots that are attached to pots, and a lack of nutrients. Fortunately, most of these issues are simple to resolve, and a Monstera that has experienced any of these problems typically recovers fast.
A pause in growth, regardless of the reason, can make a houseplant owner feel a little anxious. But don’t worry, you can solve the majority of problems in a few easy steps. In this article, I’ll discuss some of the major problems that can impede a Monstera from growing and what you can do to fix them.
How is Monstera kept in good health?
- 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: