We get commissions for purchases made through links on this page. Monsteras & Aerial Roots: What Are They & What Should You Do With Them? Bacteria and fungi feed on the nutrients in dead plant cells. IMMATURE: Smaller Monsteras just dont have holes in their leaves, and theres nothing to be done about it except to wait. Moreover, it just looks horrible. Use a moisture meter to determine whether the soil around your Monstera has too much or not enough moisture. Over here at Houseplant Central we can sometimes not even be bothered to fight an infestation, only to find out months later that it has disappeared on its own. A monstera prefers a level a bit higher than that, between 60% and 80%, so having a humidifier nearby is a good way to prevent leaf curl in these humidity-loving plants. If youre suspicious, youll have to take your Monstera out of its planter to check the roots. Why Is My Hydroseed Not Growing? While a monstera likes its roots to stay moist, it can become a problem if they are too wet. Many estimates are that a Monstera deliciosa starts to develop fenestrations when it is around 2-3 years old, but of course, you would not know your plants age if you have purchased it from a nursery. How Deep are Hydrangea Roots : Root Type & More. After nearly losing one too many plants, it was time to take matters into her own hands. Please note: the variegated monstera is very prone to bruising in shipping especially the white portions and the leaf edges. Use a watering can or spray bottle to water the soil directly, and avoid getting water on the leaves. A caregiver may remove damaged Monstera leaves if they wish to enhance the appearance of the plant. Root rot is a pretty general term. Finally, if you have an idea of what may be wrong with your Monstera, be sure not to go overboard trying to correct the issue. https://imgur.com/a/OHFOZRL. For a lower leaf, it has already produced a new leaf from its petiole. However, you should still get rid of them as soon as an issue arises. Leaving the remaining green parts of the leaf intact will help your Monstera because they can still provide food through photosynthesis. Bright yellow, curling areas are in the process of dying and can be removed now or later. Some links in the post are affiliate links and I get a commission from purchases made through some links found in the post. 6. Others will manage the damage just well, but they wont look right. 2.2 Monstera's Foliage is brown or white. For best results, follow the outline of the damage and be careful not to trim any green sections. How do Thrips damage Monstera leaves? SUNBURN: Monsteras love bright light, but not direct sun. Watering should be your first line of defense when trying to resuscitate your monstera if you have been neglecting it. The most common time you see shock is when bringing a Monstera deliciosa into your home from a nursery. If you leave a portion of the petiole attached, it may die and fall off the stem eventually. Choose a balanced liquid 20-20-20 fertilizer to feed the plant every few weeks during the growing season. Leaves cannot repair their own wounds. Note that you may need to treat the plant several times to get rid of all the pests and that they can quickly move from one plant to another. Remove your Monstera from direct sunlight 3. Both damaged leaves and missing plant branches can be removed. This is no exception. The fragile roots, located in the well-draining upper levels of the topsoil, can be easily damaged by too much moisture, especially smaller plants. The dense leaves of a monstera, full of nutrient rich sap, can attract a range of pests if the conditions are right for them, and the stress of an insect infestation can cause your plants leaves to curl as it redirects energy towards surviving the bugs. If your Monstera already shows clear signs of rot, you need to take immediate action to try to save your plant. Act quickly to prevent further damage. This represents a significant change in light, humidity, and temperature conditions that it was used to. Pruning Damaged Monstera Leaves Once thrips have been removed from your Monstera plant, you may notice a few damaged leaves which should be pruned. When the time is right, the plant will however let you know by practically starting to climb out of the pot with its larger branches and their roots. PHYSICAL DAMAGE: Although they are hearty plants, a Monsteras leaves can be damaged by knocking against nearby objects or being treated roughly. You must exercise particular caution if you have a variegated Monstera, such as the Albo or Thai Constellation, as the white leaves are significantly more vulnerable to the intense sun and dry air. Its not uncommon at all for tropical houseplant leaves to brown, especially around the edges. OVERWATERING: If the wilting is due to overwatering, you may see yellowing or brown leaves. This will improve the health of your plant so that it can produce new leaves. If your Monstera plant is heavily infested, it may be wise to trim off infested and damaged leaves. To prevent root rot in your monstera plant theres not much you can do but just keep an eye on your plant and make sure that you check it regularly and if you see even a small sign of root rot treat it immediately. Trust me. This can happen when root rot due to overwatering has set in, for example, or if you've fertilized too much or out of season. Fortunately, trimming a monstera is not too difficult. We're happy to add more as you need, Hi, is that possible to shop a cutting of a plant with its root wrapped wet to grow in water. Proper fertilization How do you fix bacterial leaf spots on Monstera? These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. You should prune in the spring because that is when your cuttings will grow the fastest if you intend to propagate them. Even if the rot has affected your Monsteras stem, all is not lost. Thanks. The dead blooms on houseplants can be removed individually and thrown on a compost pile. Practical tips to care for your indoor monstera plant. If the damage does not impact other areas or ruin your aesthetic enjoyment of the plant, it is totally fine to leave small blemishes intact. As long as the conditions are right, your Monstera should perk up after adjusting to the new location. It can be hard to diagnose what has gone wrong with your Monstera from books or the internet since the same type of symptom can have several different causes. For all your Monstera's leaves that have turned brown or black, the process is effectively over. The Healthy Houseplant is reader-supported. Check out our Monstera care product recommendations that you can purchase from Amazon. 7.Fertilizer Over-fertilizing your Monstera Adansonii can cause chemical damage and toxicity in the roots. If your monstera is showing even a slight chance of damage, then it is a better idea to try to save it from damage before the entire plants get affected. You can certainly purchase a moisture meter to check your soil, but I prefer just to use my finger. Also check the soil of your plant frequently to avoid excessive drying of soil and make sure that the season and climate of where you live also plays a major role in the health of your plant. If your plant is kept outdoors make sure you keep it under something that provides shade to avoid your plant getting too much sunlight. Luckily these show-stoppers are pretty easy to care for, but problems can unfortunately always pop up. This method should only be used as a last resort because it will be extremely slow without leaves. Losing these leaves is actually a good thing since it allows the plant to focus its energy on taller and developing larger leaves. Yellowing leaves with brown blotches are a common sign of thrip damage on Monstera plants. Environmental factors like the amount of light, ventilation, temperature, and humidity level can affect how quickly, or slowly, water evaporates from the pot. However, if you want to grow your cuttings from them, make sure that they have a node, which is a tiny knob that develops on the stem opposite a leaf. Monstera leaves curling, dropping, and wilting, as well as stunted growth, are all symptoms of low light, in addition to leaf discoloration: pale green, yellowing, and even browned edges are all signs a plant isnt producing enough chlorophyll. A Monstera plant that is too young won't fenestrate until it is about 2 to 3 years old. A lack of nutrients can show up in the leaves and a general slowing of growth. Both damaged leaves and missing plant branches can be removed. For Monsteras where the majority of the leaves are damaged, it can be detrimental to the plants recovery to cut too many leaves off at once. Seeing yellow leaves on your Monstera deliciosa is quite common, but it can be alarming. No, unfortunately you can not save a monstera stem if it breaks. This usually happens when your plant is unable to breath due to overwatering of your plant or if the soil is compact. To allow the plant to continue making energy from the remaining green leaves, first only remove the leaves that are the most severely injured or completely dead. If 100% of your plants leaves are dead, its not too late to save it. Theyre often similar to those of Monstera leaf curl. An overwatered monstera, with its fine roots, may be damaged by root rot if the soil stays too moist for too long. Check out the Monstera deliciosa care guide and the Monstera adansonii care guide to fine-tune your plant parenting. Some plants simply drop damaged leaves and start again with new ones. To keep your plant healthy, you must assess how much of the leaf is dying and then carefully remove the damaged areas. Your goal when cutting should be a smooth chop without crushing the tissue around the cut. Prevent unintentional proliferation. In the chart below, I have listed some of the possible causes based on the issue youre seeing with your plant. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to fix them or make them green again. I will receive a commission if you click through and buy something without charging you more. Here is what weve discovered works the best. The top leaf petiole contains the top growth point, or terminal bud. POOR ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS: A room that doesnt suit your Monstera can cause spots on the leaves. Remove only the most damaged or completely dead leaves at first, so that the plant can continue to produce energy with the remaining green leaves. My monstera is outdoors and the leaves are totally shredded. Mealybugs on plants | What should you do? If you suspect that your Monstera deliciosa is suffering from poor lighting conditions, reposition it in front of a window that receives a good amount of light throughout the day ideally a west- or south-facing window. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The Solution If you notice new leaves emerging that are brown or black before they unfold, there may be a fungus issue or the plant has received too much water for an extended period of time. Additionally, we advise using terracotta containers rather than plastic ones because they let some water to escape out of the sides while plastic containers trap in all the moisture, which can make the effects of overwatering on your Monstera much more pronounced. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Since our houseplants cant talk, it takes some detective work to figure out what is causing the issues. Take a look beneath the foliage. A houseplants appearance can also be ruined by dead or poorly formed leaves. Leaves can also be damaged by warm dry air if plants are placed too close to heaters or heating ducts. If most of the leaf looks unhealthy, I would go ahead and take off the whole leaf. Im done now! Youll need to keep an eye on it because after one or two waterings, it wont make a difference. If they are larger and different shapes with brown in the middle, it could be overwatering. Lets go into 12 of the most common problems with Monstera, their causes and what you can do to help your plant. The average home interior has a humidity level between 40% and 60%, depending on the location and the time of year. Monstera plants are extremely easy to take care of however, it can get damaged if not given proper care. The number 1 thing to do when you notice your Monstera is losing leaves is to act quickly. The most common symptom of shock is leaves that wilt or curl in on themselves, and the plant itself just looks miserable. Cutting off damaged leaves does not impact the plant. To activate several buds, you can also cut and propagate your Monstera as stem cuttings. When you buy from product links in our posts, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Be sure the environment is as suitable to the plant as possible, though bright, indirect sun, away from drafts, and with the optimal pot size and potting mix. But usually, this is an easy fix, and it should be easy to tell which of these issues is causing the problem. Monsteras are tropical rainforest natives, which should be your reference for the ideal growing conditions for an indoor monstera. You should give the plant enough water that you see it come out of the drainage holes, but dont let that excess water sit in the tray under your plant. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Madison, M. (1977). Since there are several different causes for yellow leaves, you will need to do some additional troubleshooting to narrow down what is happening with your plant. For a few months, you can try switching to distilled or filtered water to see if it helps. See here for a complete explanation of how to stake the Monstera. Thats why, if any of these issues pop up, its always worth reviewing your watering schedule and checking the soil moisture levels. Smaller pots dry out faster since they hold less soil and water, so a pot should be large enough to accommodate the size and age of the monstera. Some of the most popular houseplants out there are the species in the genus Monstera, especially Monstera deliciosa and Monstera adansonii. If you look closely, you can see the bump on the side of the petiole where the next leaf will form. You can reuse the same container and just swap out the soil if you want your plant to remain the same height. Its a really sad, slow death. Put on gloves. As long as the stem and roots remain healthy, an axillary bud (aka lateral bud) will activate and branch off to grow a new leaf. Smooth, brown bumps that are easy to identify as scales can be distinguished from spider mites, which are tiny insects that are difficult to see but leave behind extremely fine webbing. 0 coins. If you accidentally let your Monstera's soil dry out completely, you may see leaves go limp, droop, and possibly start to brown. Treatments vary per bug. They are, after all, real monsters. We provide a wide range of information from indoor to outdoor plants to product recommendations to make your gardening experience the best it can possibly be. The issues can be either bacterial or fungal or both. Trim off any roots that show signs of rot, and rinse away as much of the soil from the remaining root ball as you can. When your cutting begins to grow, these will subsequently develop into aerial roots! Before we tell you how to save a damaged monstera let us first look at the possible signs that your monstera is dying. Low light is also a contributor, because your plant wont be able to use any water you give it as efficiently without plenty of light. White spots can be the result of a fungus called powdery mildew. Monstera grows near a refrigerator or experiences constant cold drafts. You may need to adjust to a less frequent watering schedule if your plant experiences guttation regularly. This will help the plant focus its energy on new growth to help your Monstera leaves grow back. Regulate your water carefully, and in general, try to reproduce the plants natural, tropical environment as much as you can. Well, dont worry; the Monstera has magical abilities and will regenerate all of its lost stems and leaves (at least if you take good care of it)! This happens because the extremely low temperature will freeze the sap of the plant. To read about the most common pests affecting Monsteras, click here. The first step should always be to evaluate what has changed recently since many problems develop after changing the plants circumstances (like being repotted or moved). If your Monstera is looking droopy, it might be worth checking it for bugs. For more information on propagating a Monstera from cuttings, read this article. Finally, if you suspect pests, inspect the plant to figure out what kind they might be. This self-watering pot from Amazon is something we advise. How Do They Damage Monstera Leaves? The petioles side has a bump where the subsequent leaf will develop if you look attentively. If they are not getting enough light, leaves (particularly lower leaves) can yellow and fall off. They are, after all, real monsters. So what should you do if you find Monstera root rot on your plant? "What's wrong with my monstera?" Here's a simple guide to problems your monstera might have, how to identify them, and how to fix them! While curling is a common symptom of a range of conditions, a monstera will show stress through its leaves in other ways. Starting at the base of the stem, remove any outdated or diseased leaves. If you were overwatering your plant try to reduce the water intake of your plant.