5 Common Care Mistakes That Will Kill Your Monstera

It’s no marvel why monsteras are so beloved. They’ve a selected aesthetic that harkens again to the midcentury fashionable period. Their fenestrated leaves are distinctive amongst different houseplants. However monstera care errors are simple to make should you don’t know what you’re doing. 

2025 was deemed the 12 months of Monstera by the Nationwide Gardening Bureau. The Swiss cheese plant has exploded in reputation over the previous few years, and it’s widespread to see one in houses everywhere in the world. Wholesome ones are fairly stately, and yours will thrive simply when you make sure you’re caring for it correctly.

You’ll be able to develop a small plant to its full six to eight-foot measurement over time. Whereas they might appear dramatic, they’re not as delicate as some houseplants. With slightly correction, yours can bounce again from monstera care errors shortly.

Let’s focus on the commonest monstera care errors and how one can repair them earlier than they develop into critical issues.

Improper Lighting

Probably the most widespread monstera care errors shouldn’t be offering sufficient gentle (or offering an excessive amount of). Getting the sunshine incorrect is a simple mistake to make. Monsteras are explicit and want shiny gentle, however not direct daylight. These situations mimic these they’d obtain within the wild. 

Since most individuals develop their monsteras indoors, preserve them out of south or west-facing home windows that obtain full, direct daylight. As a substitute, offset the plant’s container from a sunny window. A sheer curtain diffuses direct daylight and supplies the brightness monsteras want. In the identical vein, set them close to however in a roundabout way below develop lights. 

Outdoor, they want fixed cowl, however they will deal with slightly dappled daylight. Keep in mind this should you preserve yours outdoors for a part of the 12 months or all 12 months within the tropics. 

Incorrect Watering

There are two tenets to watering your monstera the correct approach: contemplating the time of 12 months and the frequency of watering. Monsteras, like all vegetation, have an lively development part and a dormant interval. These phases are direct responses to the sunshine and precipitation adjustments that happen because the seasons shift. 

When monsteras are actively rising in spring and summer season, they want extra water than they do in fall and winter as they enter dormancy. Guarantee the highest one to 2 inches of soil dries between watering, and also you’ll be watering it appropriately. You’ll discover your plant doesn’t soak up as a lot water in winter whereas it’s dormant, so that you received’t should water as a lot. 

Among the many different widespread monstera care errors, this one will be probably the most damaging if not dealt with promptly. An excessive amount of water results in root rot, which is a troublesome situation to mitigate. You’ll be able to attempt to take away the plant from its pot and snip off any rotted and browned roots, leaving white ones. Then, repot it. 

Too little water results in slowed development and crispy, yellowed leaves. Follow the one to 2 inches of dry soil rule to maintain issues in the very best situations doable. Fortunately, monsteras are good at letting you understand once they want water. Search for a slight wilt, and provides them slightly water.

Utilizing the Incorrect Soil

The situation of the soil you present to your monstera is instantly associated to how a lot watering it’s essential to do. In contrast to the simpler houseplants, like pothos and philodendron, monsteras want coarse and well-draining soil. A daily potting soil amended with some orchid bark is ideal. 

In the event you present a soil that compacts simply or doesn’t drain nicely, you may create situations that result in root rot, fungal development, and even unusual situations like saline buildup. As with the opposite care suggestions, look to the plant’s pure habitat to tell the very best situations for it in your house. Keep away from the widespread monstera care errors on the soil stage, and watch yours take off.

Too A lot or Too Little Humidity

One other one of the widespread monstera care errors shouldn’t be offering the correct humidity. Some species of monstera are extra delicate and want larger charges of humidity than others. However typically, at 50 to 60% humidity, most are completely satisfied. 

Probably the greatest methods to keep away from widespread monstera errors associated to humidity is to position yours in an area that isn’t in proximity to a vent or a chilly window. These settings dry the air. In the event you stay in a house that tends towards dryness, a humidifier or a pebble tray positioned close to the monstera container ought to assist. Keep in mind to alter out the water within the pebble tray because it evaporates.

One enjoyable trick individuals love to do with their monsteras (and their different houseplants) is to place them within the lavatory. The nice and cozy, humid air there tends to make them very completely satisfied.

In the event you can’t match them in your lavatory, bathe them from time to time. Simply throw them within the bathe and spray them with mild lukewarm water. Then dry them off and place them again the place they obtain optimum lighting.

Not Checking for Pests and Illnesses 

You would possibly assume {that a} houseplant isn’t vulnerable to pests and illnesses. Nevertheless, this is without doubt one of the most typical monstera care errors. Indoor vegetation are usually uncovered to spider mites, mealybugs, and different scale bugs, together with aphids and fungus gnats. Indoor illnesses occur, too. 

Preserve a fast test of your whole plant in your routine. You are able to do this whenever you water, or whenever you bathe your monstera (if that’s one thing you select to do). As you test, use a moist material to wipe down the leaf surfaces to take away any mud which will have accrued.

Look out for leaf spots, wilt, and powdery mildew. In the event you see a small portion of the plant has one among these, merely snip the world off with sterile, sharp pruners. Bathe the monstera if it takes on aphids or spider mites. Use alcohol (70% or much less power) to take away scale. Repot vegetation which have been infested with fungus gnat larvae.