Caring for your Monstera Deliciosa

The Monstera Deliciosa is also known as a Fruit Salad plant - how cute! Honestly, who needs a Bali holiday when you've got this tropical looking friend in your living room?! So, as you transfer your Bali resort details over to my name, let's chat some more about the Monstera.

The Monstera doesn't only grow tall and wide, but he grows quite quick as well! They don't require heaps of help, so are great for those plant parents who require a lot of instant gratification to keep them motivated (that's me!).

Some fun facts:

• Monsteras are a part of the Araceae plant family, meaning 'abnormal' in Latin. Bit rude?

• In the wild, these bad boys love to climb up trunks and branches of trees, and can grow leaves around 60cm wide! Even indoors, you can notice the Monstera hunting for something to climb. You can pop a little trellis or pole nearby to help him out, if he needs some support (who doesn't).

Monstera jungle in the wild

Planty sciencey people aren't certain why the leaves have those holes, but they think it could maybe have something to do with maximising the surface area for sun absorption, or to maybe to help protect the plant from heavy rains, because the water flows right through! This is why it's also called a 'hurricane plant' - fun fact!

Above: a new Monstera leaf about to open! This new little guy was just a stump about a week ago, and now he's ready to bloom.

Watering Monstera:

The common leading cause of death in plants isn't neglect, but actually too much love (in the form of overwatering, that is). I've got a separate blog post on how to water your plants, but a general rule of thumb is to feel an inch into the soil, and see if the dirt is dry. If it is, give him a drink! For my Monstera, this is about once a fortnight.

Make sure he lives in a pot with good drainage - this just means it has holes at the base, so the water can drain out. This will stop him suffering from root rot, where water builds up at their base and makes them sick! Mine is just in this plain plastic drainage pot (from Bunnings), which I then pop into a cuter ceramic pot on my coffee table (from Kmart).

Light and temperature for Monstera:

A Monstera loves a filtered light, so keeping him indoors is A-OK. Just make sure he does have a balance between sun and shade, and watch out for yellow leaves (this is a sign he's burning in the sun!). A Monstera prefers some humidity, and temperatures over 21 degrees celsius (same), but he's super forgiving if the environment isn't perfect!

I would definitely recommend a Monstera to new planters, and would love to hear your tips and tricks too!