How to care for a monster at home, plant and breed
Monstera is a unique houseplant. It is difficult to find another flower that would be equally unusual, which is why its popularity is only growing among gardeners. Also, taking care of a monster at home is easy.
Description and characteristics of the plant
Monstera belongs to indoor decorative creepers. An adult plant can grow up to 5 m when grown in verandas or spacious rooms. But on average, the height of the liana is 1-1.5 m. The native land of the plant is the tropical forests of South and Central America.
The main feature of the monstera is its large leaves of a strange dissected or perforated shape. As a rule, young leaves are rounded without cuts.They acquire an odd shape as they grow. By the age of five, the leaves reach 50 centimeters in diameter. The stem of the plant is thick, the root system is powerful.
Rules of care
Monstera belongs to unpretentious indoor plants that do not need a lot of time. The main thing is to know the main characteristics of the plant in order to provide favorable conditions for the growth of the bush.
Lighting
Monstera is easy to light. It is better not to leave the plant in direct sunlight in order to avoid the appearance of burns on the leaves. It is also not recommended to put the pots in the shade. Young leaves will become small, while old ones will take on a pale yellow color. It is best to put the pot in partial shade so that the light is diffused. It is advisable to place the pots on the east or west windows.
Temperature regime
The plant prefers heat, in cold rooms the bush grows poorly and often gets sick. The optimum temperature for the bush is + 25-35 degrees in the summer. In winter, the temperature can be reduced to +16 degrees. The main thing is to protect the bush from cold drafts.
watering
Monstera is a moisture-loving plant. Since the homeland of the plant is the tropics, it is necessary to water the bush often and only with warm water. But monstera also does not tolerate excessive soil moisture. To understand that the plant is experiencing excess moisture, you can drop droplets that protrude from the tips of the leaves. In autumn, the soil is irrigated after two days, as soon as the topsoil begins to dry out. In winter, the amount of watering may be limited, especially if the apartment is cool. This can lead to root rot.
Spray
Monstera loves to spray, especially in summer when water evaporates quickly. As with irrigation, warm settled water is used for spraying.
Leaves should be regularly cleaned of dust. The main thing is that after this there will be no white spots. In winter, it is not necessary to spray the bushes, you can wipe the surface of the leaves only with warm water.
Fertilizer
Fertilizing the monster is a must. If you neglect this procedure, the bushes grow poorly, and the foliage acquires a pale green tint. The plant is fed in spring and summer. In autumn, fertilizers are applied as rarely as possible, and in winter they completely stop feeding. Monstera loves both root and leaf feeding. Fertilizers are applied at least twice a month. As fertilizer, you can use special complex fertilizing for representatives of the Aroid family. Fertilizers "Epin" or "Humisol" are also suitable. For foliar top dressing use "Urea-K6".
Size
The monstera does not need to be pruned. You can cut off old yellowing leaves.
Aerial roots and formation
You can cut it 1-2 times, when the bush is still small, so that the plant is branched. But in this case, the monster will need even more space. It is better not to touch the aerial roots at all, they are very fragile despite their impressive size.
Bloom
It is almost impossible to achieve flowering in indoor conditions. Monstera flowers are large, white. Outwardly they resemble a sail.
Transfer
Monstera, due to fragile roots, does not tolerate transplants. Seedlings are best planted directly in a large pot.But if this is not possible, the young plants will have to be replanted 1-2 times a year. At the age of 5-6 years, the bush will finally be formed, and it is no longer necessary to transplant it. Replace only topsoil.
Stands and brackets
The bush needs a good and strong support. Under natural conditions, the trees serve as a support for the vines. Therefore, when growing in a house, a strong and thick beam should be installed in the center of the pot.
Features of winter care
In winter, the vine begins a period of dormancy. The number of waterings is reduced, and top dressing is completely stopped until April.
Soil needs and fertilization
The soil for monstera should be fertile and loose, it is advisable to pour drainage at the bottom of the pot.
The composition of the substrate for planting a flower:
- turf land;
- peat;
- humus;
- river pebbles (can be replaced with coarse sand);
- chopped pine bark.
Top dressing is applied from April to August.
Dormant period
The dormant period of lianas begins in mid-October and lasts until April.
Breeding methods
Monstera usually reproduces without problems. There are several ways to plant a plant. The longest growing method is from seed. The most commonly used propagation from the top of the stem, progeny or cuttings.
from the seed
The seed method itself is not difficult. It is more difficult to find quality seeds from which to grow healthy shrubs. If you are lucky, a year after the emergence of shoots, you can grow a good bush with 2-3 leaves.
The process of growing monstera from seeds:
- For planting, you can use light nutrient soil or moss.
- The room temperature should be constantly at the same level + 23- + 25 degrees, it is also important to provide seedlings with diffused light.
- After planting, the seeds are covered with cling film or glass, which is regularly removed to air the soil and water it.
Seeds usually germinate 1-1.5 months after planting. When the bushes grow a little, they can be transplanted into separate pots, in which they will grow all the time.
Cuttings
The easiest way is grafting. To do this, cut off a stalk with 2-3 leaves from a bush and put it in water. You need to cut the stem below the aerial root, from which the roots then grow. The cutting takes root quickly, in two weeks the roots already have time to develop well.
High
Another selection method is with the top of the plant. The cut top is placed in water, which must be constantly changed so that it does not stagnate. When three developed roots appear, the monster can be transplanted into pots.
daughter process
Monstera multiply by daughter processes in the spring. They appear at the bottom of the stem. Daughter processes are planted immediately in pots.
Possible problems
Vine growing problems are rare. They are mainly associated with a deficiency or excess of nutrients in the soil, improperly organized watering.
Falling leaves
If you take good care of the monster, there will be no problems. But it often happens that the leaves of the plant still fall off. Lack of sunlight may be the cause. If the vine is in the shade all the time, it will begin to lose foliage. In this case, you can simply rearrange the pot in the sun, on the west or east side.
Spots on foliage
Spots on the foliage appear due to spider mites. Also, spots may appear due to a lack of sunlight.
yellowing of leaves
Foliage can turn yellow for a variety of reasons:
- Waterlogging of the soil (in this case, the leaves also begin to rot).
- Lack of nutrients in the soil.
If the leaves turn pale yellow and covered with yellow spots, this indicates too much sun.
Brown foliage
Foliage acquires a brown tint due to too dry air. Also, the reason may be that the plant is cramped in the pot. Or it could be that the ground is waterlogged all the time.
In this case, the leaves will not only turn brown, but also rot.
Pale color of young leafy platinum
Young leaves may turn pale from lack of sun. Also, the reason may be a lack of nutrients.
The bush is uprooted
The bush is torn off if it does not get enough sunlight. This usually happens if the vine is in shade all day. You can solve the problem if you place the pot in the sun for a while, then rearrange it in partial shade, where there will be diffused light.
full foliage
If the foliage is whole in young leaves, there is nothing terrible in this, partings appear later. If adult foliage is intact, it may indicate a lack of sunlight, low air temperature, and a lack of moisture or nutrients.
The foliage withers and flies
Usually the old leaves fall off. If several leaves fall off at once and the upper leaves turn brown, this may indicate that the room is too warm.
harmful insects
Problems with the cultivation of vines can also arise due to the appearance of harmful insects.
Spider
Spraying Actellik helps prevent spider mites. You should also regularly air the room and sprinkle the creeper with water.
Aphid
For the treatment of lianas from aphids, the preparations "Confidor", "Fitoverm", "Actellik", "Decis" are used. Treatment with a laundry soap solution also helps. You can quickly control aphids by spraying garlic juice diluted in water or ground red pepper.
Shield
It is not uncommon to see a mealybug on a plant. You can cope with it with the spraying of garlic juice diluted in water. If there are few insects, they can be manually cleaned from the leaves and treated with the "Confidor" or "Decis" bush. Repeat the procedure after 10 days.
Kinds
Monstera is of several types, the main differences are in the appearance of the plant.
Delicacy
The vine reaches about 12 m in length. The leaves are heart-shaped, elongated. After flowering, the Delicacy Monstera produces fruits that are eaten. This grape variety is used for landscaping the premises.
Oblique
This species is native to Brazil. A characteristic feature of this species is elliptical perforated leaves. Down they begin to narrow. The length of the leaves varies from 20 to 25 cm. On the stem, they are usually arranged asymmetrically.
Perforated
The leaves are irregular, asymmetrical, perforated. Below, the leaves expand. This species is native to South America.
How to make a flower bloom
At home, the monstera does not bloom. And it is almost impossible to make a vine bloom. You need to be prepared for the fact that even creating ideal conditions, flowers may not appear.
In order for the vine to bloom, you need to properly organize watering, do not forget to regularly apply top dressing to the soil. It is also necessary to think of spraying the foliage, the plant likes humidity.
Poison and useful properties
The influence of monstera on the human body can hardly be called harmful. The only thing that can be noted is that there are microscopic needle-like formations on the leaves of the monstera. If they touch the mucous membrane, they can cause a burning sensation. But it can happen if pets or children chew the leaves. The rest of the plant is absolutely safe. This houseplant does not cause significant harm to humans. Also, some growers are afraid to plant a plant, because the juice contains toxic substances in its composition, due to which poisoning can begin.
But you can only be poisoned with monstera juice if you bite or eat a leaf.
The advantages of growing monstera:
- The plant enriches the air with oxygen and hydrates it.
- Absorbs harmful substances.
- Thanks to the large leaves, the flower accumulates a lot of dust, which is then easy to get rid of by simply wiping them with soap and water.
- By the monster you can determine the time. Before the rain, small drops appear on the leaves.
But the main advantage of the flower, because of which flower growers love it so much, is the decorative type of the plant. Monstera immediately enlivens the room and fits perfectly into any interior.
Tips & Tricks
Tips for growing monstera at home:
- The plant is fast growing and does not tolerate frequent transplants. In order not to disturb the flower any longer, it is better to plant it immediately in a spacious pot, in which it will constantly grow.
- Next to the vine, it is imperative to put a solid support so that the branches have something to hang on to. It can be a plastic pipe or a thick wooden pipe.The pipe can be covered with artificial moss for decorative purposes.
- It is undesirable to constantly rearrange the pot. It is better to immediately select a place for the plant where there will be diffused light and there will be no drafts.
- Before transplanting, you need to untangle the aerial roots so that the monstera does not strangle with them. The excess can be cut off.
- If leaves or roots need to be pruned, only sharp tools should be used. Before starting work and after each cut, the instruments must be disinfected.
Growing a monster is easy. This is one of the least pretentious houseplants. The main thing is to immediately provide the flower with favorable conditions for its growth, and then it will reciprocate.