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Pests & Diseases - Australia

monstera deliciosa leaf mottling

21 years ago

Howdy, all

We grow monstera deliciosa (split leaf philodendron) for commercial leaf production, and we are seeing a yellow mottling of the leaves which makes them unsaleable.

I am including a photo at

{{gwi:2116370}}

Will be most grateful for any comments.

Aloha

Mike Clark

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Comments (5)

User
21 years ago
Hi Mike,
I really don't know much about Monsteras. I look after the garden next door and they have two very healthy plants (one bearing fruit this year). This one is under shade cloth and seems to do better than the one which is exposed to the elements more.
An article I read suggests that black marks indicate they have been exposed to temperatures which are two low. Brown marks are usually from sunburn and pale marks are from not enough fertiliser or a ph which is too high or low, which is stopping the plant from taking up the nutrients properly.
From the photo, I got the impression it was not just colour but that the surface was affected slightly. Is there any way they could have been damaged before they actually opened up?
I hope you find the cause of your problem...good luck!
Cheers,
Dee.
mikeclark
Original Author
21 years ago
Hi Dee

Thanks for your reply.

I have been growing monstera for several years, both from cuttings and from seed. In the tropics they need some shade, or a permanently overcast climate, to prevent sunburn -- that causes a general yellowing.

I see the mottled condition repeatedly, sometimes more pronounced and widespread than at other times. There is some indentation in the leaves. I have thought that drought during a leaf juvenile phase might cause the indentation and yellowing. Also I have thought that herbicide use might contribute. Soil pH is an interesting question. These plants do GREAT under ironwood trees (Casuarina equisetifolia) which cover the ground with needles, and basically NOTHING else grows, no weeds, just a few ferns. I assume high acidity, though I have not tested. We get average 130" annual rainfall, so one assumes acidity everywhere without treatment.

Mike
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Overwatering is really a misnomer. What's really going on is that some types of soil can stay moist for too long, because of the texture of the particles, and they way they lodge tightly together, filling all spaces in the pot. When that happens, there are no tiny air pockets and roots can rot. When a drip saucer is used, the bit of standing water in there can also be lethal to roots. When roots are rotting, they are unable to deliver moisture and nutrients to the leaves, and the effects manifest as yellowing, brown edges, eventual death of the plant. Learning how to avoid that can greatly increase your success with any potted plants. To read specifically about that, this article is extremely informative. Bagged potting soil is often not what one would describe as well-drained, especially after significant time has passed. It can settle (in conjunction with some decomposition as well) and suffocate roots as it turns into muddy muck. Meanwhile, the roots have filled the spaces they find suitable, and eventually run out of room to grow. A well-drained soil... water flows out as fast as you can pour it on, and dries within a few days. The way (stuff to use, amounts of it) to achieve that is the worthy subject of debate, but about the principle, there is a huge confluence of agreement. Ideally, about any (non-cactus) plant would like to have soil that is never dry, never soggy, always well aerated.
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Hi robin98(NZ(9b)) thanks for your help! *I've had the plants for approximately 2 years. *I repotted them approximately 1-2 months ago. *Both were in terracotta pots, now just the larger one is. The smaller one is in a plastic pot now, there's been no change in either plant other than getting worse. *I water both when the top 2 inches are dry, I use my finger or a wood dowel to tell if the soil is damp, mainly my finger. If the top 2 inches are dry I water until soaked, with the water draining freely through the holes. I never let them sit in water for longer than maybe 30mins, after watering. *The build up was before I repotted, it looks like salt or water hardness. I removed them from those pots and placed them in fresh pots that had been disinfected prior to use. There's some build up since that time on the rim of the terracotta pot (can be seen slightly in photo below of the top of the pot) I'm still sad, but learning to cope with it! ;) Well, I'm trying to learn from this experience. Thank-you so much! I've included some newer photos, please feel free to ask more questions if necessary. I'm considering removing the large one from it's pot, to repot again, but into a smaller pot after I remove some roots. It smells from the top of the soil now, and although when I repotted previously there was no indication of rot I'm thinking this is either leaf disease of some type or root rot. I removed these leaves: Then this started: Here's a picture of the top of the pot: Thanks everyone in advance! Let's hope we can save these guys!
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Emily, you must be doing a few things right to have them that big and green! But wilting leaves even though plants have been watered means they're not able to take up that water, so look to the soil and the roots. Salt buildup in the soil from fertilisers and/or minerals in your water can prevent the roots from absorbing water by creating an osmotic pull in the other direction. Or your potting mix might be old and compacted (soil level looks pretty low in photos), your plants might be rootbound, maybe there could even be some root rot going on - all of which interferes with the roots absorbing water. Overwatering can do the same thing but that sounds less likely for you. Of course fertilising contributes to how well a plant will do but only once the above factors are sorted, I doubt just giving your plants a bit of this or that will be the answer. First step I would flush the pots out with plain water ie. water them thoroughly until it's draining through, wait 10-20 minutes and repeat. This will dissolve any salts back into solution and then rinse them out. Like re-setting. Cassandra, I see a nice looking one of these in the background of another post of yours, whatever you're doing must be working too!
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User
21 years ago
Hi Mike,
You are right, the casuarina needles do lower the ph levels. It might be worth testing the soil, although it would seem strange that you hadn't had the problem before if this was the cause.
The other thing I was going to suggest was posting in the Tropical Plants forum on this site. There seem to be a number of very keen growers there.
Cheers,
Dee.
alisonoz_gw
21 years ago
Hello Mike,
since you are a commercial grower, I wonder if you have a Dep't of Primary Industries (or similar) in Hawaii that might be able to help culture some samples for you to determine if its a viral problem?
You might also try posting in the US Gardenweb Aroids forum as I think there could be some knowledgeable folk there.

Here is a link that might be useful: Aroids forum
Liatris
21 years ago
Mike, I tend to lean toward it being a viral problem, simply because I have 2 plants, grown from cuttings of the same plant, both potted at the same time and in the same mix, kept side-by side in the same location.

One plant is showing similar symptoms to yours, and I had been wondering about it, so was pleased to see your post. In light of your post I might perhaps bin it.

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