Monstera Deliciosa

If you’re on social media, or live on planet Earth, chances are you’ve seen the Monstera plant (a.k.a. Swiss Cheese Plant) taking over the world.

Quite literally, these beautiful, bright green plants are climbers and they can really take over a space if you let them! They grow into huge fan leaves where Mother Nature has worked her beauty on their natural divides creating the "swiss cheese-esque" look. All of my plant tips and recommendations are coming from my own experience and how I've grown to take care of them.

These plants are, in my humble opinion, one of the easiest indoor plants possible to care for. They love longer periods without water, they don't need a bunch of sun making them suitable for just about any room, and they grow super fast.

I used to have somewhat of a black thumb, and as with all things, I like to do things my own way.. But sometimes unconventional works (and for me, it usually works lol). So anyways, follow along for my tips on caring for your beautiful Monstera Deliciosa plant including how much sun & water it needs and also tips on how to propagate this quick-growing houseplant.

Monstera Deliciosa Potting & Care

Soil, Sun & Water

Sun: Monstera Plants are low-light plants so they don't need a ton of bright light to survive. If they get too much sun, you'll see them start to "sunburn" and the edges will start to brown. In my experience, my Monstera Plants have loved getting some morning sunlight and then enjoying their shady room the rest of the day.

Soil: You want to plant your Monstera Plant in a fast-draining soil. They don't like to be sitting in a bunch of soggy, undrained soil.. That's a quick way to let your Monstera Deliciosa rot away right before your eyes. I like to line the bottom of my pot with small later of regular ole' top soil (or a lot depending on how big your pot is), then mix in a fair about of Perlite, or small gravel or sand to help promote drainage, then load in the indoor potting soil. I pretty much always use Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Soil (and Miracle-Gro Perlite) on all of my indoor plants. The two mixed together can handle just about any plant you throw their way. To me, it's all about the watering and sunshine. I try to feed my plants fertilizer once or twice a month.

Water: Monstera Plants don't need a ton of water either. I water my Monstera Deliciosa once a week with about 2 cups of water. In the winter, it may only need watered every 1.5 - 2 weeks. In the summer, maybe it'll need it every 4-5 days. Just really pay attention to the leaves and when they start drooping. But, the Swiss Cheese Plant is a hardy indoor plant and they really do good in drought, which is part of what makes them so low maintenance.

Monstera Deliciosa Propagation

Propagation: the process of creating new plants from cuttings of the mother plant.

You will need a pair of gardening sheers, or just a clean sharp knife. You will also need clear vases to put your new Monstera clippings into.

Once your Monstera starts getting so big that you can visually see nodules and brown roots starting to grow out of it, it's time to propagate that bad mama. And don't be scared because it's really SO easy.

1. Cut the long green branch at the base of the plant, just under where the nodule or root is growing out of the plant. You want to nodule to come with the new clipping so that it can sprout in the water.

2. Do this with all of the biggest leaves coming out of the mother plant, but be sure to not clip branches that don't have a nodule or root coming out. They will not propagate in the water without a nodule or root.

3. Put all of your clippings into clear vases filled with water; they need to be placed somewhere where they get a little bit of direct sunlight through the window. I think it helps the roots grow, ya know, chlorophyll or whatever.

4. Watch them grow. This is not an overnight celebrity. This is a several month process of letting the roots grow, grow, and grow some more. All you need to do is make sure you keep enough water in the vases so the roots aren't growing up and out of the water. It's a good idea to even completely change out the water and gently rinse off the roots of the plants after the first couple of weeks when the roots start busting out of their brown shells.

5. After months of soaking up lots of water and delicious sunlight, your Monstera Deliciosa is ready to go back into the Earth. Well, into the soil provided by Earth. If you live in the Midwest, don't plant these in the ground.. They will die. All of that to say: pick a sizeable pot for your soon to be beautiful plants, and follow the potting & care directions from above.