Hi Marta,

Could you give us a little more info? Does the pot have drainage? What exposure is the window? Where are you located? (this helps us give info on lighting)

Monstera are heavy feeders, it's amazing that you haven't fed it since you got it and it looks so good. Also yellowing leaves are normal, in moderation. They could just be getting older and the plant is shedding them. Leave them on the plant until they completely dry and turn crisp because the plant absorbs the nutrients from the older leaves to feed the newer ones. I would go ahead and feed it though.

Mentha, thank you for writing! I am located in Montreal, Canada.

The plant is in front of a very large sunny south-west facing window and gets plenty of light - especially in winter and spring, as there are no leaves on the large trees in our back yard to shade it. For years it appeared super happy and thrived...

I said that I didn't feed it, but on occassion I did add some liquid fertilizer to the water (Miracle-Gro all purpose 8-7-6 plus chelated iron). But maybe once a month, if that.

The plant is in a plastic pot inside the white one, with a hole for drainage. I'm quite sure that I'm not over-watering, as each time I check, the soil appears dry as bone. Also, because of the density of the plant, it's hard to check the soil deeper than 2-3 inches - maybe it's time fir a repot?...

SaraM, thank you! I'm also thinking that the pot might be too small. I'm thinking I'll wait until June (Tapla!) and repot... It'll be a challenge, for sure. The plant is about 4-5 feet tall and as much across...

When I repot large bulky plants I will sometime wrap the plant in a sheet or a towel to keep the leaves all confined so I can see what I am doing. You will need to remove as much of the soil as possible. Monstera have huge roots, they can be broken easily so you will want to be gentile.

Hi Marta,

I have a suggestion for you on repotting your plant. Btw, it is very pretty. Anyway, as they grow, they get very heavy and top heavy. It becomes a problem. So, be sure you have some tall stakes that hopefully won't rot. They will help a lot as you may have to tie the branches upright. The leaves grow bigger and more cut leaved when they are upright.

That's a very good point, Barb. Someone told me the other day to use PVC pipe covered in coir, so that it wouldn't rot long term.

I like that idea, Sara. You could even join those pipes into a rectangle for added strength.

Thanks guys. I made two stakes to encourage the plant to grow up instead of out. I've tied most branches to the stakes, but it seems that all the new leaves are growing sideways. The stakes were wood dowels that I wrapped in fabric with twine. Hopefully they won't rot - for now, they seem very sturdy.

M - Senescence (aging) is as much a part of plants' life as it is ours; except our parts usually don't drop off once they've done what they can for us. Leaves have a life span, and the first to come are usually the first to go. That the leaves are near the bottom of the plant and shaded by other foliage is reason not to be too concerned; but, it's true that root congestion can be a major cause of leaf loss, so that you plan to address it come summer is a good plan.

Al

Al, thank you for stopping by! I'm glad to hear you think that it's just older leaves dropping off. What concerned me is that there seems to be so many of them all of a sudden. I'll keep watching my Monstera and get ready to repot it in the summer. What soil and size of pot would you recommend? I've seen you recommend a gritty soil mix for ficus - what about for this kind of plant?

5-1-1 mix for this one would be great Marta!!! You can look the mix up just go to the search and type it in!!!

M - please forgive me - I must have stopped reading to look at the picture, then didn't return to the part that indicated you were losing more leaves than just the conspicuous two in the picture. Loss of that many leaves indicates something cultural going on. It could be lack of mobile nutrients like N, P, K, Mg, tight roots, or a soil moisture issue. Moving the plant to lower light could be a cause, or turning the plant after being oriented to light in the same position for a long period. I'd repot in June and get back to the basics - a good soil you can water properly w/o penalty in terms of suppression of root function/health, all the light it wants, warmth, a sound nutritional program.

Your plant would do very well in gritty mix, but it's going to need repotting every other year, so this is one of the few houseplants I'd probably elect to grow in the 5:1:1 mix rather than the gritty mix. The 5:1:1 mix is less expensive and easier than the gritty to make ..... as long as you can find appropriate pine bark. It's also usually about half of what you'd pay for the average commercially prepared product.

I'm really sorry for not reading as carefully as I should and impressing the idea on you that there's no cause for concern. There is, but not grave concern. It's just a regular maintenance issue and your plant should go back to being its vibrant self once the basics are covered. That's twice I had to apologize in two days, but the other was because I rained on a friends parade. Lucky for me, nothing was thought about me engaging my mouth before my brain.

Al

Jamilalshaw, Al - thank you! While not a novice in keeping houseplants, I am new to "specialty" routines, and I hope you forgive my ignorance... What is a 5:1:1 mix? I assume it's a type of soil? From your note it sounds like it's something I can make? I would really appreciate some more info...

Most of the problems people come to the forums seeking resolution for are either directly related to a poor soil (poor root health/function) or are a close by-produce of poor root health. A weak plant means a weak defense against insects and disease, so in most cases, those maladies and a o/a shabby appearance can be traced back to poor root health. There is no such thing as a healthy plant without it having a healthy root system, and the ability to keep roots happy is a critical hump most container gardeners never get past because all they know is 'grab a bag of soil off the store shelf and plant something'.

I didn't provide the name for the 5:1:1 mix; someone else did back in 2004 and it stuck. It consists of 5 parts of pine bark of appropriate size, 1 part of sphagnum peat moss or an off-the-shelf potting soil, 1 part perlite, and a little garden lime to adjust pH. If you can get the bark, it's a snap to make and much more productive than media (soils) based on fine particulates like peat, coir, compost, sand ...... The reason is, water retention is driven by particle size, and the smaller particles cause the soil to hold too much water to provide a root-friendly environment.

To a large degree, the soil you use can determine how much opportunity your plant can have to realize its genetic potential, so it's to the growing puzzle what the border is to a jigsaw puzzle.

I noticed you ask questions freely. Keep asking questions and why the suggestions given are offered. That will help you a little to sort things out. I'll leave you a link that should help you avoid all the common pitfalls almost all growers encounter sooner or later. It's a BASIC OVERVIEW that covers all of the basics. If you want more info on soil (there is much more) after you read over the link - just ask & I'll keep you busy as long as you want to keep reading. ;-)

Al

Tapla, thanks again for the info. I looked into the 5:1:1 mix and plan to get it for the repotting in a month or so.

In the meanwhile, as per the suggestions here I left the yellow leaves on my Monstera, and to my relief, there are no new ones (knock on wood).

I'll keep my fingers crossed, and will update you after the repotting :)

OK - I'll look forward to it.

Al