Know in one minute about Monstera adansonii
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Introduction
Monstera adansonii (family Araceae) is evergreen tropical vines and famous for their heart or oval-shaped leaves with natural holes. It is also known as the Swiss cheese plant and is native to Mexico, West Indies, Central, and South America. This plant is an epiphyte which means it is easy to grow on other plants or a moss pole as climbing houseplants (1).
Common name
Adanson’s monster, five-hole plant, monkey mask plant, Swiss cheese plant, Swiss cheese vine, or trailing split-leaf
Botanical description
Monstera adansonii is a beautiful ornamental root climbing hemi-epiphyte.
Height
The plant is 2 – 4 m tall, occasionally to 6 meters.
Stem
This plant stem is green, thick, branched, the cylindrical aerial elongated axis with extended internodes.
Leaf
Leaves are simple, green, large, thick, glossy surfaces with an irregular and distinctive hole in full leaves.
Flower
Flowers are bisexual, cream to yellow (in wild), rarely flowers in indoor or as a house plant.
Fruit
Fruit is green, becoming yellow to orange at maturity.
Seeds
Generally are one-seeded with brown or black color.
Generally, people get confused between Monstera deliciosa and Monstera adansonii. Monstera adansonii has longer, tapering leaves, as well as having completely enclosed leaf holes. Moreover, this plant is slow-growing and requires little space which makes it perfect for indoor use. This hole helps to capture sun flecks or small beams of sunlight. This type of hole gives a better chance of catching a random ray of light than whole leaves (2).
Alternatively, Monstera deliciosa leaf holes eventually grow towards the edge, form deep indentations, and open up as they mature. Monstera deliciosa is fast-growing and produce big leaves than Monstera adansonii
How to take care
Monstera adansonii requires low maintenance and care is very easy. This plant needs watering, only when it’s top three to four inches of soil gets dry. Given the proper conditions, this plant may survive year after year.
Soil
This plant needs well-draining soil like peat and perlite potting mix to avoid root rot. For best growth, slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil (pH 5.5 -7.0) is needed. Also, select a pot that has large draining holes at its base.
Water
Irrigate only when the top of the soil becomes dry and reduces watering in the winter. Moreover, allows the soil to dry out between watering, generally, water about once a week is best. Excess water or over-watering may cause rotting of roots and yellowing leaves. However, brown, crispy, or curling and wilting or droopy is a sign of under-watering.
Light
This plant grows well in bright to medium indirect light or partially sheltered positions. Since direct sunlight may burn the leaves, however, a few hours (3-4 hrs/day) of gentle morning light is good for this plant. In indoor, you can place the plant near the east or west-facing window for best growth. Furthermore, it should clean the leaves by gently wiping them off with a damp cloth.
Temperature and Humidity
The ideal temperatures required for healthy growth is 64°F-85°F (18°C-29°C). Monstera adansonii is not tolerant of cold temperatures, make sure not to let it go below 60°F (15°C). This plant grows well in high humid conditions (above 60%). You can regulate humidity levels by the humidifier, spraying the plant regularly, or using pebbles or stones underneath the plant.
Fertilizer
Fertilize about once a month with a water-soluble fertilizer during the growing season. Suspend fertilizing during the dormant winter period.
Potting and Repotting
Repotting of the Monstera adansonii plants should be done at the beginning of spring. This plant is slightly pot-bound so it will need to report it every 2-3 years. Moreover, do not fertilize when you have just repotted the plant because the potting mix included fertilizer initially.
Pruning
Prune the Monstera adansonii plants are necessary to prevent their wild and leggy appearance. The ideal season of pruning is in spring, removing any dead or damaged dead leaves and encouraging more new vines to grow.
Propagation
Monstera adansonii is easily grown from seed, stem cuttings, or suckers. The Monstera adansonii plants can be easily propagated using stem cuttings with at least some internodes.
Place the vine in a glass of water and/or rooting hormone until roots form and then plant the cutting in soil. You can also put the cutting directly into the moist soil for about 2 to 3 weeks to grow. Once the new leaf emerges you can easily differentiate the new and old growth through the physical appearance of the leaves. Moreover, the stem of this plant also produces aerial roots at nodes which can easily be cut and planted to produce a new plant.
As an indoor plant
Monstera adansonii is recognizable by its beautiful glossy green leaves with its natural holes. It is not only a beautiful indoor hanging plant but also has many health benefits.
This plant contains phenolic compounds like flavonoids which possess antimicrobial and antioxidant activity. These compounds fight against various infections and protect the body from diseases (3). These phytochemicals kill the larvae of mosquitoes (Culex quinquefasciatus) thus show mosquito repellent activity (4).
Furthermore, some people believe that this plant can purify indoor air, but I did not find any research study to prove it.
The Monstera adansonii toxic to cats or dogs
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the Monstera adansonii is toxic to cats and dogs. It may cause irritation or burning sensation and swelling at the mouth, lips, and tongue. This plant may
also cause vomiting, lethargy, or drooling, and difficulty swallowing to the animal. If swallowed, insoluble calcium oxalates found in the Monstera adansonii can cause gastrointestinal issues (5).
Q&A
How to propagate monstera adansonii?
The Monstera adansonii is very easy to propagate by stem cutting. You can cut the vines right below a node and aerial root and put them back either in water and soil.
How fast does monstera adansonii grow?
Monstera adansonii is a slow-growing plant but from spring to the early fall they grow fast. These plants can grow up to 1-2 feet (30-61cm) in a single season. However, the growth of the plant also depends on the conditions like light, water, soil, etc.
Why is my monstera adansonii dying?
Common problems with the monster adansonii plant are turning yellow or brown in its leaves. This is due to the inappropriate light, water, soil, and fertilizer. This plant doesn’t like too much or too little water or light.
Overwatering may cause brown or yellow leaves, black stems, and root rot. Underwatering may cause brown and crispy leaves at the edges. On the other hand, too much sunlight may burn the leaves. Moreover, some pests like spider mites and scale insects as well as leaf spots also cause disease in this plant.
How to stake monstera adansonii?
Stacking is important to get monstera adansonii bigger and bigger and get a hang on its aerial roots. Wooden or moss-covered polls, trellis, and stakes set into the middle of the pot will provide the extra support.