Monstera, The Icon
Other names: Split Leaf Philodendron, Swiss Cheese plant, Piñanona, Paaktzatz, Cerimán, Costilla de Adán
Monstera is a diverse genus containing about 49 species of vining plants in the Arum Family, Araceae. All are native to the tropical Americas, and come in varying shapes and sizes. One species in particular is sure to come to mind for many, and that is none other than the queen of tropical plant paradise herself, Monstera deliciosa. With some of the most iconic and recognizable foliage in the plant kingdom, Monstera deliciosa boasts massive leaves with naturally formed splits along the edge and holes along the middle vein when mature. These large leaves with dramatic splits and holes, called fenestrations, are what make this vining behemoth so charismatic, earning its place as one of the most popular choices for statement plants in homes and businesses around the world. First introduced to European cultivation in the 18th century from a specimen collected in southern Mexico, by the Victorian era the plant had firmly nestled itself into botanical gardens and personal collections across Europe. Its popularity has never waned since.
Prior to its global superstardom, Monstera deliciosa has an ancient history in the jungles of Mexico and Central America where it originated, bearing edible, delicious fruit for which the species is now named. These fruit, which resemble corn on the cob covered in green scales, appear after the plant has bloomed. It can take nearly a year before a sweet, delectable aroma begins to emerge from the fruit, indicating it has finally ripened and is ready to eat. Once ripe, the toxic scales begin to fall off, revealing the edible core of the fruit.
Known as Piñanona in Mexico today, Monstera is still a common source for food and medicine. Pre-Columbian history on the plant is unfortunately scarce, though I found one reference to it being called Paak-tzatz in Southern Mexico, an apparent nod to the fruit’s resemblance to a type of Mayan pottery of the same name, if true. These Paaktzatz are ceramic vessels once used for offerings, often depicting the corn god, representing sustenance, agricultural renewal, and the very creation of humanity from corn, as told in the Popol Vuh (Mayan creation story).
There are two common forms of Monstera deliciosa, the standard large form, and smaller form called Borsigiana. The smaller form grows smaller leaves with fewer holes as they mature, the stem is smaller, and the space between each node along the stem is stretched out, making for a lankier growth habit. The large form has noticeably larger leaves extended at the ends of longer petioles, has a thicker stem, the nodes are much closer together along the stem, almost stacked one on top of the other. Additionally, the large form has a ruffled section of petiole where it meets the back of the leaf on mature leaves. The only variegated cultivar of the large form in cultivation is the Monstera Thai Constellation, which is also the most stable variegated variety since it’s a result of complete mutation. The Albo Monstera, Mint, and Aurea variegated cultivars all come from the small form, Borsigiana. Their variegation is also less stable since they are chimeras, meaning they have two sets of DNA which compete with each other as the plant grows. If the green DNA outcompetes the variegated DNA, the plant can revert to its original green form and continue growing. Alternatively, the variegated DNA can outcompete the green part, putting out all white leaves that can eventually cause the plant to die since it has no chlorophyll to photosynthesize, unless cut back to a green portion of the stem to try again at healthy mixed DNA growth. For these reasons, the unstable varieties, basically everything but the Thai Constellation, are harder to come by, and harder to grow.
How to Care for Monstera deliciosa
Consider your space
First of all, these plants are very big. I write this as my six feet tall, six feet wide beast towers over me, constantly reminding me that I am indeed, running out of space. So, if you have a large spot to fill that gets lots of light, this plant will not disappoint. Since Monstera is a climber and has a front side and back side, I find the best placement for to be a well lit space against a wall or in a corner, rather than right in front of the window. This allows the leaves to face the room rather than out the window, and the wall provides a solid support guiding the plant to grow vertically. If you do this, you may want to provide some sort of barrier between the plant and the wall, as it can latch on with its anchor roots as it climbs, potentially ruining the paint and drywall.
Training
This is more important with Monstera than it is with most other plants, and is often one of the most over-looked care requirements in my experience. Although your plant won’t die if you neglect to train it, it will start jutting out of its pot, taking up way more space than was originally planned, and can be a lot more difficult to deal with later rather than sooner as it grows into a jungled mess. In addition, the plant will not mature properly and grow bigger leaves if it isn’t trained to climb vertically, is overcrowded, or not getting enough light. To make things even more complicated, growers will often fill the nursery pots with several vines to make it fuller, but this can become a bit of a headache down the line if your goal is to grow a tidy, majestic queen. Personally, I’ve had better success raising Monstera into maturity after separating the vines, only growing one vine per pot, mounted to a sturdy moss poll or a big plank of wood for support.
Lighting
Bright shade is ideal, meaning the plant has a view of the sky through the window from where it sits. They can take a bit of direct sun too in my experience, though the leaves will develop crispy tips and discoloration when the direct sun exposure lasts for several hours. Never put it outside under full sun, always shade. In low light, your monstera will do its very best to survive, although you will notice each new leaf that emerges will be smaller instead of bigger, and have fewer fenestrations instead of more.
Watering
They really aren’t known to be finicky when it comes to watering, which is one of the reasons for their popularity. Water thoroughly when soil is dry or mostly dry. They can rot if your soil is kept too wet, or if the plant is left sitting in more water than it can absorb. If the plant is sitting in a liner, water until it begins draining into the liner a couple inches deep and then stop. This insures the entire root system gets access to water.
Repotting
Monsteras do have some chunky roots—if you know, you know. Because their roots are so thick and plentiful, they can become root bound quicker than most plants. This is especially true when you have multiple vines growing in one pot, which is another reason I prefer separating them one to a pot. You may start to realize your plant is becoming root bound if it seems like you’re having to water it more frequently than before, since the plant drinks the water a lot quicker the more roots it has. Increase pot sizes incrementally so as not to shock the plant. If you decide to give your Monstera a climbing support, the best time to do so is during a repot. Long term, as your Delicious Monster inevitably outgrows its space, taking a top cutting off the healthiest and most recent growth and repotting that into fresh soil is an easy way to downsize, while maintaining the mature leaf appeal. Either get rid of the bottom part, or keep it and grow more!
Several species of Monstera are known to be vigorous growers and are some of the most beloved houseplants on the market today. Even though this article focuses on Monstera deliciosa, some other noteworthy species to consider bringing home are Monstera adansonii, Monstera siltepecana, Monstera dubia, Monstera Peru, and Monstera Burle Marx. Most are tolerant of Utah’s dry air and rewarding to grow. They are typically easy to care for and are quick to size up their leaves, especially when allowed to climb, mimicking the conditions in their native habitats.