Plant: Monstera deliciosa

How long have you had the plant? 1 to 6 months

Light Situation:

How do you determine WHEN to water: I water once a week, and check soil

Describe HOW you water: I pour a small amount of water into the soil

Any other details? I recently bought a humidifier to see if it would help! I don’t leave it on 24/7 but do turn it on for a few hours

What fertilizer do you use? I have never used fertilizer

Closer look at the soil and pot:

Darryl

First issue – let’s take a closer look at this leaf…

Patchy discolorations and little black dots are tell-tale signs of thrips.  A closer look confirms this:

Here are my Suggestions/Recommendations:

1. Just cut off any of those ‘heart-shaped’ leaves that have thrips damage (any patchy discolorations and especially if there are black spots) and then continue with regular treatment as mentioned in this article
2. Repot into a larger pot – normally I recommend going into a pot that is at least as big as the biggest leaf but that’s just for a single vine.  You appear to have 5 vines here so you can definitely go into at least a 12″ pot; the size of your pot is the reason your plant always seems to be droopy – the soil can’t hold enough water to keep the plant adequately hydrated
3. HOW to water: Do not “pour a small amount of water” when it’s time to water.  Take the plant to the sink and thoroughly and evenly soak the soil.  Once the excess water has drained away, you can put it back into its outer pot.
4. WHEN to water: do it based on soil dryness rather than a predetermined schedule.  When the soil reaches about halfway dry, then it’s time to water (and see Suggestion 3 for HOW to water)
5. Don’t bother with a humidifier, it has very little impact on good growth in comparison to the above suggestions
6. Start using fertilizer on a regular basis if you want your plant to hold on to as many leaves as possible in the long-run. More info here on fertilizing

Monstera deliciosa is a great long-term plant if you can gradually eradicate the thrips, which can be done with very regular treatment (I’ve cleared it from 2 of my Monsteras).

If you want to develop strong fundamentals in plant care, my book and online course will guide you in the right direction – instead of useless tips and tricks.