Essential Monstera Care Tips
Monstera are tropical climbing aroids native to Central and South American rainforests.
In nature they:
- Start life on the forest floor
- Climb trees using aerial roots
- Grow toward bright, filtered light
- Experience high humidity and airy soil
Giving your Swiss cheese plant growing conditions that are close to their natural environment, and staying consistent with care, helps them quickly settle into steady, reliable growth.
Keep these essentials in mind:
- Provide bright, indirect light – essential to achieve the beautiful fenestrations or leaf-splits
- Pot in chunky, well-draining aroid soil – maximum aeration is ideal to avoid dreaded root rot
- Wait for the top layer of soil to dry before watering – consistently wet soil breeds fungus gnats
- Repot every 1-2 years – with fresh soil to give your monstera the nourishment it needs
Monstera Light Requirements
Monstera thrive in bright indirect light. This mimics their natural environment beneath the rainforest canopy.
Best locations in a home:
- Near an east-facing window
- A few feet back from a south-facing window
- In a bright living room with filtered light
- Near large windows with sheer curtains
- Well-lit kitchens or bathrooms for varieties that need high humidity
They also love vertical space, so give them room to climb.
For some details on how to tell if your monstera has enough light, and places you really shouldn’t be putting your monstera, have a look at my in-depth lighting guide.
Watering a Monstera
Overwatering is the most common mistake I see with monstera beginners.
My watering rule
Always allow the top 3–5 cm of soil to dry before watering again. There are tools you can get to help with checking your soil, but the easiest and most effective method is to just stick your finger in.
General schedule:
- Spring/Summer: every 7–10 days
- Autumn/Winter: every 10–20 days
But always check the soil first.
A free draining monstera soil will make watering a complete breeze. To learn how to spot the signs of overwatering and underwatering, and the full benefits of bottom watering, take a look at our complete monstera watering guide.
Misting Monstera
Misting a Swiss cheese plant with a spray bottle adds temporary humidity to the surface of the leaves, which can help the plant feel more comfortable in dry indoor environments. Monsteras naturally grow in humid tropical forests, so a light mist can briefly recreate that kind of moisture around the foliage.
However, misting has very limited long-term impact on humidity because the water evaporates quickly.
If you enjoy misting your monstera, treat it more like gentle leaf cleaning and a small humidity boost, not a primary care technique.
To help get the most out of misting, and understand some of the risks, take a look at my expert monstera misting tips.
Supporting and Training Monstera
Because they are natural climbers, monstera benefit enormously from support.
Best supports:
- Moss poles
- Coir poles
- Trellises
Benefits of giving support:
- Larger leaves
- Faster growth
- Stronger stems
- Better aerial root development
Managing the shape and structure of your monstera makes many parts of care go much sooner. Take a look at my in-depth monstera pruning and supporting guide for everything you need to get started. I’ve also got a handy DIY moss pole guide to easily make best kind of climbing pole.
Spotting Nutrient Problems
A healthy monstera has:
- Deep green leaves
- Firm stems
- Consistent growth
Common issues
Yellow leaves
Usually caused by:
- Overwatering
- Poor drainage
- Old leaves naturally dying
Brown leaf tips
Usually caused by:
- Low humidity
- Irregular watering
- Salt buildup from overusing fertiliser
Small leaves without splits
Usually caused by:
- Insufficient light
- Lack of support
- Immature plant
Black mushy stems
This is caused by root rot. Immediately:
- Remove plant from soil
- Trim rotted roots
- Repot in fresh soil mix
Repotting a Monstera
Repotting is one of the most important things you can do for a thriving monstera.
I usually repot every 1–2 years.
Signs your monstera needs repotting
- Roots coming out of drainage holes
- Soil drying out extremely fast
- Plant becoming top-heavy
- Roots circling the pot
Repotting can be tricky, between choosing the right pot, the best Monstera soil and the perfect post-potting watering schedule. I’ve made a full step-by-step guide to repotting Monstera to help you find what works best for you.
Fertilising Monstera for Healthy Growth
Monsteras benefit from regular feeding during active growth, but be careful. Harsh liquid chemical fertilisers can cause root burn and salt buildup in your soil.
My simple schedule:
- Spring & Summer: every 3–4 weeks
- Autumn: once, around the middle of the season
- Winter: not at all
Monstera will go dormant in the winter and do very little growing. Adding fertiliser when the plant is dormant means the nutrients will sit unused in the soil for several months.
This can damage the roots of your plant, confuse the plant’s natural growth cycle, and increase the risk of over-fertilising in the future.
All our soil mixes come with a natural dry fertiliser that’s gentle and nutritious.
Wrapping Up
Monsteras are incredibly rewarding plants, and easily one of my favourites. When given bright light, airy soil, and something to climb, they respond with impressive leaves and fast growth.
For a thriving monstera, just stick to these basic points:
- Light: bright, but indirect
- Soil: chunky, and well-draining
- Water: when the top layer has dried
- Climbing support: a moss pole works best
- Repot: every 1–2 years, in a pot a couple of inches wider
Stick to these, and your monstera can quickly become one of the most show-stopping plants in your home.
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