Monstera Watering Guide – Common Mistakes To Avoid
Watering is a big worry for some Monstera owners, and with good reason. It’s widely known that the quickest way to lose your plant is to get it wrong. So today I’m going to share my extensive Monstera experience, and give you a guide to how to tell if you are overwatering or under watering your plant.
Why Is It So Difficult To Get Right?
You’ll find some mixed messages when it comes to watering Monstera plants. Some of those come from people discussing different varieties without specifying this issue, but mostly it’s because they are making assumptions about how you keep the temperature and humidity in your home.
My home is kept at a relatively similar temperature for most of the year. This means that I don’t need to hugely change my watering habits as the seasons change, but I still do a little when the very warm weather hits in summer.
Today I want to take a step back from assumptions, and give you the tools you need to get the perfect watering schedule (and ad hoc plan) for your monstera plants
General Monstera Watering Rules
I often see it written that Monstera should be watered every 7 to 10 days. This is not what I have found to be true for most homes, and definitely not for mine.
I keep most of my Monstera plants in my study, which is also a reptile room. The ambient temperature is fairly high compared to your average room, because of all the heated terrariums that also live there. So leaving my Monsteras without water for 10 days would not end well.
The reality is the best way to water your Monstera is by soil. And it’s a bit of a dirty job.
Does my Monstera need watering?
I check my houseplants every day, and almost all of them I judge based on the soil appearance or dampness.
For Monstera, the first check is just visual. If the surface looks damp (but never soaking wet) then you can move on, it’s fine.
If the surface of the substrate looks dry, poke your fingertip into the soil. Either by feel or wiggle it around to create a little gap, check whether the soil is damp around 2cm under the surface. If it is, don’t water. If it’s not, it’s watering time!
How to water your Monstera
I recommend using a small watering can designed for houseplants. These usually have a long, narrow spout which helps you to moderate the amount you pour. I like to water in a vague spiral around the top of the pot, allowing the water to spread over the plant. I stop when the soil looks damp but not soaked.
When Watering Goes Wrong
There are two main ways people mess up watering their Monstera. Your plant will quickly give you signs if you’ve watered them too much or too little.
Over Watering
Too much water will soak your substrate and cause your plants roots to become mushy and even rotten if left too long. You’ll also find the leaves have a yellowish tinge that turns to bright yellow if not resolved fast enough.
Some over watered plants release fluid from their leaves overnight. It’s not a sign that the plant is sick, just that it is getting too much water.
These issues can sometimes be helped by replacing your potting soil mix, which should be an even blend of soil and a looser substrate like perlite.
Lack of drainage is also a part of this issue. If you haven’t got this loose soil mix, and you are keeping your plant indoors so you don’t have drainage out the bottom of the pot, then you can end up with a pool of hidden stagnant water underneath your plant. If you think this is causing a problem, you can switch to a pot with drainage and a saucer underneath, however in my experience this issue is removed just by getting that substrate right to begin with.
Under Watering Signs
On the opposite end of the scale, dry substrate and lack of moisture can cause the soil to look shrunken and move towards the middle of the pot, leaving gaps around the edges.
Your plants leaves will also initially droop, then curl up (this looks different to the new curled leaves, and will curl from the tip rather than lengthways). After a while you might also see crisping along the edges of the leaves that looks a lot like burning.
Happily, although it can look more dramatic this is an easier fix than the alternative. Just make sure you give your plant a big drink, and make sure you don’t leave it too long between watering again.
Do You Need To Spray Monstera Leaves
Some plants really appreciate a good misting, but Monstera don’t tend to be one of them. This said, I do keep my Obliqua Monstera plants in terrariums, because they tend to do better in higher humidity environments. However, most plant owners have a traditional Deliciosa (swiss cheese plant) or Adansonii (monkey mask) which don’t need that high humidity environment.
Misting can be aesthetically pleasing as it prevents dust settling on the leaves, but it doesn’t actually do a lot of good for your plant. You are only going to get a few minutes of raised humidity when you spray water on leaves, and the real benefit is at root level where you plant actually takes in it’s drink.
What helps more in this regard is actually raising the humidity in a longer term way.
Humidity
If you are having issues keeping your Monstera happy in terms of getting enough water, one way to help is to cluster your plants together to increase their ambient humidity. If you’ve got several plants spread out, pushing the pots so that they are touching can make a surprising difference.
If this doesn’t help, moving them to a more humid room like the bathroom can also really help your Monstera plant to stay happy and healthy.
Don’t Forget Light
Nothing in the world of botany lives in a vacuum. And one of the most important parts of getting your watering right, is making sure your lighting is correct too. To find out more about this vital aspect of caring for your Monstera, check out my detailed article here.
And if you have any questions about your plants health, just pop it in the comments section below. I’ll be happy to help!
