Monstera
Monstera deliciosa
A climbing rainforest aroid that grows enormous given light and something to climb, and stays small and unsplit given neither. The holes in the leaves are a maturity trait, not a health one: a young plant with entire leaves is normal, and a mature plant producing small entire leaves is short of light.
- Position
- Bright, out of direct sun
- Water
- moderate demand
- Drainage
- Free-draining
- Grows to
- 200–400 cm × 100–200 cm
- Frost
- Frost tender
- Difficulty
- Straightforward
Described view
A juvenile monstera leaf with an entire margin beside a mature split and perforated leaf from the same plant
August
Nothing to do
No sowing, planting, harvesting or pruning window falls in August.
Monstera’s year
Resolved for United Kingdom (general). Every window is stored against a climate event rather than a date, so a late frost pocket runs later than the band shows. What else August calls for.
| Activity | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prune | April. | May. | June. | |||||||||
| Take cuttings | May. | June. | July. |
Timing that travels
The band above resolves this plant's windows into months for one region. These are the windows themselves, stored against a climate event rather than a date — which is the form that survives being carried to a colder garden, a frost pocket, or next year.
Conditions it needs
- Light
- Partial shade, Dappled shade
- Frost
- Frost tender
- Grows best at
- 18–27 °C
- Soil
- Peat-free compost
- Soil pH
- 5.5–7
- Drainage
- Free-draining
- Water needs
- moderate
- Drought
- moderate tolerance
- Waterlogging
- poor tolerance
- Heat
- good tolerance
- Wind and exposure
- poor tolerance
Where these figures come from
- LightSourced guidancemoderate confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Monstera — position
Checked 2026-08-13
- FrostSourced guidancehigh confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Monstera — hardiness
Checked 2026-08-13
- Grows best atSourced guidancemoderate confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Monstera — temperature
Checked 2026-08-13
- SoilSourced guidancemoderate confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Monstera — soil
Checked 2026-08-13
- Soil pHSourced guidancemoderate confidence
- Plant Finder — Missouri Botanical Garden: Monstera deliciosa — culture
Checked 2026-08-13
- DrainageSourced guidancemoderate confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Monstera — soil
Checked 2026-08-13
- Water needsHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
- DroughtHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
It will drop leaves before it dies, which gives fair warning.
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
- WaterloggingHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
Root rot from a saucer left full of water is the commonest way one is killed.
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
- HeatHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
- Wind and exposureHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
On your soil
Computed by comparing this plant's recorded requirements against each soil's recorded characteristics. A recorded horticultural fact overrides the comparison where GrowingHQ holds one.
| Soil | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy clay | Works, with one condition | Monstera will crop on heavy clay, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It needs ground that drains, and this soil holds water. For a crop lifted before winter the risk is not rot but the season: waterlogged ground is cold and unworkable in spring, so sowing is late and germination patchy.Improve the drainage before planting — a raised bed, or bulky organic matter worked in over several seasons. Do not add sand to clay in small quantities; it makes the problem worse. |
| Sandy | Grows well here | Monstera grows perfectly well on sandy without special measures, though it is not the soil it would choose. |
| Chalky and alkaline | Works, with one condition | Monstera will crop on chalky and alkaline, but one thing has to be dealt with first. The soil is substantially too alkaline for it: it wants pH 5.5 to 7, and this soil sits around 7.8 to 8.5.The pH is the obstacle. Small shifts are achievable and slow; large ones are not. On chalky and alkaline the dependable answer is a container of the right compost rather than an attempt to change the ground. |
| Loam | Prefers this soil | Loam suits Monstera as it stands: The pH suits it: it wants 5.5 to 7, and this soil is in that range. The free drainage is exactly what it wants. The soil holds moisture, which saves a great deal of watering. |
| Silty | Prefers this soil | Silty suits Monstera as it stands: The pH suits it: it wants 5.5 to 7, and this soil is in that range. The free drainage is exactly what it wants. The soil holds moisture, which saves a great deal of watering. |
| Peaty and acid | Works, with one condition | Monstera will crop on peaty and acid, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It needs ground that drains, and this soil holds water. For a crop lifted before winter the risk is not rot but the season: waterlogged ground is cold and unworkable in spring, so sowing is late and germination patchy.Improve the drainage before planting — a raised bed, or bulky organic matter worked in over several seasons. Do not add sand to clay in small quantities; it makes the problem worse. |
| Shallow over rock | Grows well here | Monstera grows perfectly well on shallow over rock without special measures, though it is not the soil it would choose. |
| Made ground and urban soil | Works, with one condition | Monstera will crop on made ground and urban soil, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It needs ground that drains, and this soil holds water. For a crop lifted before winter the risk is not rot but the season: waterlogged ground is cold and unworkable in spring, so sowing is late and germination patchy.Improve the drainage before planting — a raised bed, or bulky organic matter worked in over several seasons. Do not add sand to clay in small quantities; it makes the problem worse. |
Not sure which you have? Four hand tests will settle it.
Space and spacing
- Mature height
- 200–400 cm
- Mature spread
- 100–200 cm
- Rooting depth
- 30 cm
Where these figures come from
- Mature heightHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
- Mature spreadHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
- Rooting depthHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
In a container
- Minimum volume
- 10 litres or more
- Minimum depth
- 25 cm
Where the container figures come from
- Minimum volumeHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
- Minimum depthHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
Pot on only when roots fill the pot. Monstera flowers and splits better slightly pot-bound, and a large pot of wet compost around a small root ball invites rot.
Where and how you can grow it
Each way of growing is assessed separately, and “not assessed” is a real answer rather than a gap we have filled in with a guess.
| Method | Suitability | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor pot | Well suitedsourceSourced guidancemoderate confidence
Checked 2026-08-13 | |
| Container | Well suitedsourceSourced guidancemoderate confidence
Checked 2026-08-13 | Indoors, or outdoors in summer only |
| Greenhouse | Well suitedsourceSourced guidancemoderate confidence
Checked 2026-08-13 | |
| Hydroponics | WorkablesourceSourced guidancemoderate confidence
Checked 2026-08-13 | |
| Windowsill | MarginalsourceSourced guidancemoderate confidence
Checked 2026-08-13 | |
| Open ground | Not suitablesourceSourced guidancemoderate confidence
Checked 2026-08-13 | Tender: will not survive a British winter outdoors. |
Growing it
- SupportGive it a moss pole or a stout stake to climb. Monstera is a climber, and the leaves get larger and develop their splits as it ascends — an unsupported plant sprawls and keeps making small entire leaves however well it is fed.
- WateringWater thoroughly and then let the top few centimetres dry before watering again. Little and often keeps the surface wet and the root ball dry, which is the worst of both.
- PropagationTake a stem cutting with at least one leaf and — this is the part that decides whether it works — one node, the swollen band on the stem opposite a leaf where the aerial root emerges. Cut just below it. A length of stem with leaves but no node will never root. Stand it in water or push it into damp compost, and keep it warm and bright out of direct sun.
- FeedingFeed monthly with a balanced liquid feed from April to September and then stop until spring. A monstera in good light is a genuinely fast plant and will use it — but the split, holed leaves everyone grows it for are produced by light and maturity rather than by fertiliser, and feeding a plant in a dark corner gives large plain leaves on long weak stems. If new leaves are coming in smaller and entire rather than divided, move it nearer the window before changing anything else. Flush the compost through with plain water every few months to clear accumulated salts.
Where this guidance comes from
- SupportSourced guidancehigh confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Monstera — support
Checked 2026-08-13
- WateringSourced guidancehigh confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Monstera — watering
Checked 2026-08-13
- PropagationSourced guidancehigh confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Monstera — propagation
Checked 2026-08-13
- FeedingSourced guidancehigh confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Monstera deliciosa — cultivation
Checked 2026-08-13
What goes wrong
| Problem | How often | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Aphids | occasionalsourceHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence No external citation — see the evidence type above. Checked 2026-08-13 |
Safety and edibility
Listed as harmful to cats or dogs
Monstera is listed as harmful if eaten. All parts carry needle-shaped insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which drive into the soft tissue of the mouth on contact. The pain is immediate, which is why an animal rarely takes a second bite and why fatalities are rare — but the drooling and swelling that follow are real and distressing.source
Sourced guidancehigh confidence
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center — toxic and non-toxic plant list — American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Monstera deliciosa — toxic plants list
Checked 2026-08-13
Affected parts: all parts.
- Pets and livestockpetschildrenAll parts contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals. Chewing causes immediate intense burning of the mouth, drooling and swelling — painful and distressing rather than life-threatening, and the pain usually stops an animal after one bite.
source
Sourced guidancehigh confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Monstera deliciosa — toxicity
Checked 2026-08-13
Keep it out of reach of pets that chew plants and of small children. If chewed, rinse the mouth and offer water or milk; seek veterinary or medical advice if swelling affects breathing or swallowing.
Sources for this page
GrowingHQ editorial synthesis · Plant Finder · Royal Horticultural Society
Each figure on this page carries its own citation, under the “where these figures come from” note in its section. Record last reviewed 2026-08-14.
If something is wrong with it
- Brown, crisp leaf tips — 2 causes GrowingHQ holds for monstera
- Sticky leaves, or a sticky surface below the plant — 2 causes GrowingHQ holds for monstera
- Lower leaves turning yellow — 2 causes GrowingHQ holds for monstera
Something else? Work through it with the diagnostic tool.