Monstera deliciosa troubles
Plant: Monstera deliciosa
How long have you had the plant? 1 to 6 months.
Concerns:
I bought the plant and it looked healthy. I repotted the plant into a bigger pot (I believe I should have just left it, but I was new to plants). The leaves were curling inwards but we’re still green. I put a moss pole in to keep the plant stems from being so outward.
Nothing changed, so I put the plant back in it’s original pot, but now the leaves are going yellow and it’s even more limp than before.
I want to say maybe it’s overwatered, but the fact it’s so limp makes me think it’s underwatered.
Light Situation:
The monstera lives inside my Ikea greenhouse cabinet with grow lights (on for 12-16 hours a day). I did try putting it on my north east facing window where it has 3-4 hours of direct sunlight for about 2 weeks but noticed no change so I put it back in the greenhouse.
How do you determine WHEN to water? I wait for the soil to become completely dry.
Describe HOW you water: I put a chopstick into the soil to make several tunnels of water. Then I pour water over the top in a circular motion so that the soil has been soaked evenly.
What fertilizer (if any) do you use? Miracle Gro all purpose liquid plant food
Soil situation:
Darryl’s Analysis
Environment:
Those two small grow lights are barely doing anything for a monstera from that distance. The plant would do better right up close to your largest window but 3-4 hours of direct sun is a bit much so blocking it with a white sheer curtain would be ideal.
Effort:
You don’t have to wait for the monstera’s soil to become completely dry – when it is roughly halfway dry, then you can water (this is the WHEN to water). In terms of the HOW to water, the way you’re doing it is great – evenly and thoroughly.
Expectations:
I can see from the soil close-up photo that your monstera plant is a cutting from the middle of the vine as opposed to the growing tip. That means any new growth will come from a new growth point, which will take several weeks or months depending on when this cutting was taken. If you water sooner than when the soil is completely dry, that should help the plant establish stronger roots and you should see the leaves a bit less curled. As for the yellowing, this is not reversible and inevitable especially with cuttings. Once the new growth appears, you will feel better about the overall plant.
If you want to understand how to have a long-term view of plants, I can teach you.
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