Monstera turning yellow and brown
Plant: Monstera deliciosa
How long have you had the plant? 1 to 2 years
Concerns:
Lower leaves turning yellow & brown. Started to happen 3 months ago.
I repotted and the new compost was very wet. Perhaps I should repot with better houseplant soil (like for my orchids which are thriving)
The overall plant:
How do you determine WHEN to water: I wait for the soil to become completely dry.
Describe HOW you water: I pour a small amount of water.
Fertilizer? I recently started using Babybio plant food.
Darryl
For starters – yes, you need to immediately repot the plant into proper houseplant soil, which should look like this:
Houseplant soil is mostly made of coco coir or peat moss (brown fluffy fibers); perlite (white bits); and sometimes there are larger components like bark chips. Orchids are typically planted in mostly bark chips with no peat moss or perlite.
Light: it’s hard to see exactly where the window is relative to your plant but it appears to be on the far side of your room, which is most likely too far. The average strength of indirect light should be in the 200-400 FC range, which is only possible right up in front of a very large window (but if you want to be sure, you need to measure).
WHEN to Water: you stated that you wait for the soil to completely dry out – this is not the right watering strategy for a Monstera. You should be watering when the soil is about halfway dry.
HOW to Water: you mentioned that you pour a small amount of water – you should be fully soaking the soil and letting excess water drain away.
Recommendations: you should cut off that yellowed leaf since it is completely dead and will never turn green again. Make sure you 1) repot into proper potting soil, 2) put the plant right in front of your largest window, 3) wait for the soil to become halfway dry, and 4) water thoroughly and let excess water drain away.
Monstera deliciosa is a resilient plant and you should be able to enjoy it for years to come with a few changes to your care regiment.
If you want to develop stronger fundamentals in plant care, my books and online course will guide you in the right direction – instead of useless tips and tricks.
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