In this guide, we’d show you how to propagate Monstera adansonii using the two most common techniques. The guide also includes important care tips and how to create the best environment to thrive into healthy mature plants.
There are two indisputable truths about Monstera adansonii: the long vines can quickly take up a lot of space making pruning absolutely necessary and the unique fenestrated leaves are eye-catching making them really cool houseplants to have.
Also known as Swiss cheese, Five Holes, and Andanson’s Monstera among other names, they are some of the easiest houseplants to propagate. So instead of throwing away all those pruned Sweet cheese vines, a smarter idea would be to grow new plants from the cuttings to fill out your space with more lovely plants. You could also gift the propagated plants to friends or neighbors if you have more than enough.
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Table of Contents
How to Propagate Monstera Adansonii
There are basically two ways to propagate Monstera adansonii: in water and soil.
Generally, you’d want to stick to a method that works best for you. Some folks find more success with water propagation while others prefer soil propagation because it is quicker. If you are new to this, trying out both methods is probably necessary to figure out which one you are more comfortable with.
That said, the common aspect to both methods is that the growing conditions must be the same as the matured plant and you’ll need potting soil that is best suited for their growth.
First though, let’s take a quick look at the growth requirements for Monstera adansonii before discussing propagation.
Monstera Adansonii Growth Requirements
Soil – No matter the potting mix or soil used, it should be well-draining. There are several recipes on how to create awesome Monstera adansonii potting soil online with ingredients such as peat moss, perlite, charcoal, orchid bark, or even a cactus/succulent soil, and much more.
Light – The plants thrive best when exposed to bright, indirect light daily. A couple of hours of direct sunlight won’t harm them though.
Humidity – Native Monstera adansonii grow best in areas with high humidity. Fortunately, humidity is not that big a deal-breaker when it comes to growing them.
That said, you can improve the levels of humidity in indoor spaces where they are grown using a humidifier. Misting the growing plants daily is another way to get around this issue.
Temperature – They do poorly in winter or when the temperature is very cold. Normal room temperatures are perfect. They can be grown all year round in zones 10 – 11. In all other hardiness zones, they are mostly summer plants and hibernate in winter.
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Two Ways to Propagate Monstera Adansonii: Water & Soil
Things you’ll need:
- Matured Monstera adansonii
- A pair of sharp shears, pruners, or scissors
- Rubbing alcohol
- Small glass jar
- Water
- Planter or pot with
- Potting soil
How to Propagate Monstera Adansonii in Water
Propagating sweet cheese plants in water is easy and fun with tons of rewards the least of which is the high success rate.
Steps:
- The first thing you want to do is to take locate the nodes on the matured plant. This is where the leaf’s petiole attaches to the main stem. Without the nodes, propagation would be a failure.
The node is where the stems shoot out leaves and new branches. On stems, nodes appear like rings and tend to be brownish in older stems. You can’t fail to spot them.
- Next, sterilized the blades of your shears or pruner using rubbing alcohol. This is important as it prevents the transfer of harmful organisms from the cutter to the plants.
Also, it is advisable to sterilize the blades each time you want to get a new cutting from the main branch. So you want to keep your disinfectant (rubbing alcohol) close to you during the process.
- Using your shears, cut out a portion of the vine just a few inches below the node and as close to the main stem as possible. This ensures there isn’t an unsightly looking stump sticking out of the mother plant
- After getting your cuttings, you can further trim off the section just below the node. You could skip this step if you want to, but that section is likely to rot later. And when it rots, you’ll have to cut it off so you might just as well do it now while your shears and rubbing alcohol are handy.
- Next, stick the cuttings in your jar of water with the leaves facing up. You can pop in as many cuttings as the jar can take. Make sure the node(s) is completely submerged in water.
- Tiny rootlets should start growing out of the nodes in a few days. One of the fun aspects of propagating Monstera adansonii in a glass jar is that you can observe tiny roots growing over the next few days.
Tip: It is a good idea to have more than one node for each cutting. Thing is, not all nodes end up sprouting roots. But there is a higher chance of success with multiple nodes on a single cutting.
- This is the point where you check for rotten sections usually below the nodes. If you notice any, cut them out with your pruner and return the plant to the water.
Note that you might have to do this multiple times. It just depends on the plant and growing conditions. Your plant should be okay though once the rotted part is removed.
- Roots should start growing from at least a week to several weeks depending on the plant and growing conditions
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Transplanting:
- Fill your pot with the potting mix
- Create a hole in the soil and bury the roots in the hole. You can have several of the new plants in each pot if the pot is large enough. This creates that full bushy appearance when the plants grow to maturity.
- You can water the soil thoroughly and allow the excess water to drain out of the pot.
- Finally, place the pot in a brightly lit area. Water each pot only when the top 1or 2 inches of soil is dry which should be about once a week.
Done; you’ve successfully propagated Monstera adansonii in water!
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How to Propagate Monstera Adansonii in Soil
This second method skips the first part of water propagation. That is, you don’t have to stick the cuttings into a jar of water and wait for roots to shoot out. You simply go straight from new cuttings to planting in soil.
Though this is a faster method, it is a lot less fun become you don’t get to track the growth of the tiny roots shooting out from nodes through the glass jar. Unless you periodically pull out the plants from the soil, you’d never know if the roots are developing nicely.
That said, many gardeners prefer this method because it is faster. And because no transplanting is required, the young Monstera doesn’t need a period of adaptation from water to soil. So there is no plant stress due to a change of growing substrate.
Steps:
- Take your cuttings from a matured plant as described in the first method. As usual, use sharp, sterilized pruners and ensure each cutting has a least a node.
- Fill your planter or pot with your potting soil
- Node side facing downward, push the cutting into the soil. You don’t have to bury the nodes too deeply. Simply make sure they are just below the surface of the soil
- Water the soil and stop when excess water starts draining out of the holes at the bottom of the pot.
- Keep the pot contain where it can get lots of bright, indirect sunlight for at least six hours daily.
- Regularly check the soil moisture level to ensure it never dries up completely in the first few weeks. Basically, ensure the soil is constantly moist.
- If everything is done right, new leaves would begin to grow in about a week or so. That is a sign that your cuttings have developed new roots.
- In about 3 months, give or take a couple of weeks, the roots would be fully established. You can now transplant the Monstera adansonii to a bigger pot.
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Monstera Adansonii Care Tips
- You can place a plastic bag over the plant to improve humidity levels. Remove the bag when you water to prevent soggy soil.
- If you can, use filtered or spring water to water them because some plants react negatively to chemicals in tap water
- To avoid over-watering, allow the soil to dry out before watering. It is easier for the plant to recover from under-watering than too much water.
- Brown/yellow and drying leaves are usually a sign of underwatering. Simply water them more frequently to resolve the problem
- In winter, yellowing leaves can be due to dormancy as winter and there is nothing you can do about that. The leaves would fall off eventually.
- If you feel they need fertilizers, apply balanced fertilizer specifically made for houseplants sparingly or about once a month in the growing season
- Make sure the soil pH is between 5.5 and 7
Wrapping up
Monstera adansonii, commonly known as Swiss cheese plant due to the fenestrated leaves, is a tropical plant that is quite easy to grow and care for. And with their long trailing vines, you’d easily get tons of material in the form of pruned vines if you intend to propagate them.
The most common ways to propagate Monstera adansonii are in water and soil. Sweet cheese soil propagation provides the fastest route to getting new plants. Both methods are relatively simple and take advantage of stem nodes to shoot out new roots in the growth medium.
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