I have a question that after seeing the post with the Monstera plant reminded me to ask. I wasn't sure if I should put it in that thread or just make a new one. I decided to make a new one so as not to take over. I also have a Monstera. It is about 4 years old now. For the first two years it looked like the one in the other recent Monstera thread with the leaves in a heart shape but not split at all. In fact, I thought it was an entirely different plant at first. And then one day, I thought it was either because it was finally mature or large enough it decided to start having bigger leaves that began to split. Just a bit at first and then finally the entire leaves were split like how Monsteras usually look in pictures. Sorry guys, I don't know what to call the leaf pattern. I decided I was going to propagate with some of its stems and make my mom a plant. So, I did. I gave her a baby plant with only a few leaves that I just potted for her. I went to visit her about 7 or 8 months later. So, the plant was now older but still under a year old. When I saw it, I was shocked. Most of its leaves were already bigger than most of mine and already had the split pattern in the leaves. So obviously it isn't about age or how big the plant is because hers still wasn't as tall as mine or anything and didn't have nearly as many stems as mine. The one here in the other thread also is a mature Monstera plant but most of the leaves have not split. So, what makes the leaves do this? Why do some split and others don't? The other thing is the about those light brown growths that are on the stems. I don't know what to call those either, sorry. Mine have always been between an inch to 4 inches long and they and split and curl. While my mom's were completely straight and were extremely long! The longest one I think was reaching for the window and was about 4 feet! It was bizarre. This is a very interesting plant. Why are those all different as well from plant to plant?
When was the last time you repotted yours and gave it new soil? How often are you feeding it ? Your mothers is in new, fresh, nutrient rich soil, correct?
Yes, my mom's is. But the thread that posted not too long ago had a Monstera and everyone was saying how beautiful it is. And it is a good-looking plant. But it looked like mine in the way it didn't have the splits in almost all of the leaves. That is what brought this post of mine up. Because mine was like that too for the first years of its life. I mean it does now for the most part. But not for the first couple of years. I think that post I am talking about might even be part of the "Plant of the month" photos. So, it can't be a plant in need of something as to why it doesn't split.
Oh, sorry, the answer to your question is no, I haven't repotted it in a while. I have to hold all its limbs up with stakes and stuff and I am afraid I am going to hurt it if I repot it. So, I just feed it when I think it needs something.
A new pot with fresh well draining soil is appropriate for house plants that sit in the same pot over time the soil becomes depleted with nuitrients. They need fresh soil and watering with liquid fertilizer 1/2 strength each watering during the growing season. The old soil becomes inefficient to support the plants growth over time. Check the roots when repotting for any bad decaying matter , clean out the old soil and repot. Give it a few weeks to recover, and it will start to show new healthy growth.
I am actually now thinking about propagating it. I was watching some You Tube videos of them doing this with Monstera plants. And the reason for wanting to do this myself is all the very bottom stems that came up out of the soil in the beginning when the plant just started to grow are very thin, flimsy, and wimpy. I have to hold every limb up all over the place with stakes and ties. More than what is normal for a Monstera I think. I didn't take very good care of it at first or rather I didn't know how and I didn't have any good lighting in my house. This was before I decided to get artificial lighting. After, I got artificial lighting, repotted it, got good soil, and began to feed it and turn it, and pay good attention to it those stems beefed up and are a lot thicker, robust stems now. So, it has these robust thick stems on top of tiny wimpy beginning stems. They start beefing up about 12 to 24 inches from the soil. I don't think there is anything I can do about this but propagate the plant and start over this time doing it right. What does everyone else think?
