The Monstera Adansonii is a popular Monstera plant with attractive leaves resembling swiss cheese. The care for this plant is simple and straightforward.

This plant is in the Aroid family and will prefer a soil with a peat base, and plenty of drainage. These beautiful plants are native to Central America and South America.

The Monstera Adansonii is a fast grower and typically regarded as an easy to care for houseplant. If you give this Monstera the right soil composition, and lighting needs it will grow quickly.

Monstera Adansonii in terra cotta pot — ***Monstera Adansonii Plant in Terra Cotta Pot***

The biggest hurdle to cross with Monstera Adansonii plants is the watering needs. If you overwater this plant and have the wrong soil base, or a pot without a drainage hole then it can get root rot. One of the first signs of root rot is yellowing leaves.

If you suspect root rot in your Monstera Adansonii, you need to remove the plant from the pot and gently brush the soil away from the roots. Thoroughly examine the roots and look for any mushy brown roots. If the roots look okay and the leaves are still yellowing, troubleshoot lighting or fertilizer issues.

Yellowing leaf Monstera Adansonii — ***Yellowing leaf from sick plant***

Contents show

Other Aroid Plants:

Caring for the manjula pothos plant-pin image — The Manjula Pothos

How to repot your orchid-pin image — The Manjula Pothos

This plant will do best trained onto a moss pole or trellis so it can climb. The Monstera is a hemi-epiphyte. It will develop two kinds of roots, anchoring roots that it will use to climb trees in the wild and aerial roots which dangle from the plant and grow towards the ground seeking nutrients.

Adansonii on moss pole — ***Climbing on a moss pole***

We have developed a printable care guide for this plant. It combines all of the tips and tricks we have to keep your Monstera as healthy as can be!

Yield: Printable Care Guide

Monstera Adansonii Care Guide

The Monstera Adansonii is also referred to as the swiss cheese plant. It has beautiful green leaves with holes (fenestrations) that resemble a slice of swiss cheese.

This plant also comes in a rare variegated leaf form!

This Care Guide will teach you how to keep this houseplant happy all through the year.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Difficulty easy

Materials

Tools

Pot (ceramic, plastic, or terra cotta)
Potting medium (perlite, soil, peat moss, and orchid bark)
Scissors
Rubbing Alcohol

Instructions

Soil Preference:

Monstera Adansonii prefer well draining soil. The roots will rot quickly if they sit in moist soil.
A homemade aroid soil mix of 1/2 potting soil and 1/2 peat moss or coco fiber is a good mix for monsteras
Make sure your pot has drainage at the bottom. Do not use a pot with no drainage hole for this plant.
A heavy soil potting mix is not recommended for Monsteras

Pot Size and Type:

The monstera adansonii can grow in many different kinds of pots, I like to plant mine in terra cotta pots with a drainage hole.
Repot every second year or when roots come out the drainage holes on the pot bottom. Don't jump to a huge pot from a small one. Just go to the next size up pot.

Lighting:

The monstera adansonii will be happiest in moderate indirect light. It will also grow just fine in lower light conditions, but the growth will be slower.
Some filtered sunlight from a window may be appreciated in this circumstance.
Make sure the Monstera Adansonii isn't sitting in constant direct sunlight. The leaves can burn.

Watering:

Water your monstera when the soil is dry at least an inch down. These aroid plants are typically drought resistant and can withstand longer periods of dryness compared to other houseplants. Every two weeks should be fine.
Watering is best done on a regular schedule so the plant is not over or under watered. Both can cause stress on the plant.
In dormant winter months reduce watering to when the soil is dry.
Never let this plant get wet feet. This plant is susceptible to root rot and fungus gnats in heavy moist soils.

How to Fertilize:

Apply a good quality fertilizer (linked in materials) monthly through Spring and summer.
Decrease feedings by late Fall and allow this plant to rest through the winter months.

Temperature:

The monstera plant will do best in temperatures between 65-85 degrees F.

Pests:

The monstera adansonii is a hardy resilient plant. However all plants can get attacked by pests.
Stress by longterm overwatering, poor light, extreme temperatures and soil conditions are contributors to plant stress..
Spider mites, mealy bugs, scale, thrips and whitefly are the most common houseplant pests you will see.
Read our post on How to get rid of aphids and other pests with our homemade pesticide soap recipe or neems oil.
To minimize the possibility of pests be sure to check all nursery plants before bringing them home.
Quarantine all new plants until you are sure no pests live in them.

How to Propagate:

Cut stem in the internodal spacing using sterile scissors
Place in water with nodes down in the water and leaf up
After several weeks roots will grow
Plant in soil when roots are 2-3 inches long

Notes

This plant does best when trained onto a pole or trellis so it can climb. Watch the video below of us repotting and staking our raphidophora tetrasperma for tips on repotting climbing aroids.

Monstera Adansonii Plant Care Guide