Well, no, don't add sugar water. Don't ever do that, in any case.

The yellowing leaves could be from overwatering, or from letting it dry out too long and then watering.

or, perhaps the pole is crushing some of the roots?

I know it's a pain, but you might want to remove it and check the roots now. That's a lot of yellow leaves.

I use bamboo stakes to hold up the leaves on my huge monstera. The moss pole may be, as you suggest, sucking up the water. Why don't you go ahead and check the roots and then check back in so someone can help you better?

I don't prefer using clay pots unless they're glazed, because they dry out too fast. I grow mine in plastic pots. I only use a solid metal steel rod for mine, not the hollow ones, along with rubber plant ties. I find that they're the only things that can harness in my Monstera and not wear out.

Your leaf problems aren't from the moss pole, regardless of whether or not it's drying out too fast. It looks to me like a light issue. With all of those leaves clustered in so close together, they're having to compete with one another for what little light that they are getting. I only tie up my plant's stems to the metal stake, and I find that it likes to spread its leaves out to maximize light absorption and minimize any competition with any of the other nearby leaves.

To me, it looks like you've tied up the petioles of each leaf along with the stems, so they can't naturally spread out like they want to. The petioles are the long stalks that connect the individual leaves to the plant stems. As you can see, it's shedding, or should I say sacrificing, the lower, older leaves in order to compensate with not receiving enough light to sustain them. Even under normal conditions, monsteras typically shed older leaves anyways. This is unavoidable, so don't let it stress you out. I would suggest undoing whatever plant ties that you're using and only tie up the actual stems of the plant. This will let its leaves spread out the way they're meant to. It would also fare better if you repot it into a plastic pot as well. Plus, I would give it access to brighter sunlight; as bright as possible, while still remaining indirect. And don't bother with giving any plant sugar water. Plants manufacture their own food, and they can only do that thru photosynthesis.

Well, the moss pole was a disaster. For some reason the soil was waterlogged and it had some root rot. I removed the pole and re-potted with Al's 5-1-1 mix. Hopefully it will survive the trauma of this experience. So frustrated that I thought a moss pole was the right thing to do for my plant.

Thanks for your help Lauren, I will add bamboo stakes later if all goes well.

I'm learning a lot from this forum! So thankful!

Wouldn't expect that the pole made the rest of the rooting environment too wet - I think it being present was coincidental. Many tropical house plants need greatly reduced watering during the winter, are best re-potted later in spring.

Also whatever happened in this case to cause some lower leaves to die and drop it is usual with this species for the lowermost parts of the stems to become exposed over time. As with Pothos (Epipremnum) there is an Ivy (Hedera) like two stage, changing manner of growth during the life of the specimen wherein it starts out vining and comparatively small leaved, then matures into a larger leaved, adult phase that flowers and fruits. In sunny greenhouses with enough room and in suitable outdoor climates Monstera deliciosa morphs therefore into a comparatively stout plant with thick stalks and fewer, yet jumbo leaves, deeply divided and with natural holes in them (hence Swiss Cheese Plant). In Hawaii I have actually seen it growing with nearly all of the top attached to a wall, more or less as an epiphyte, with comparatively little - or even no - significant lingering connection to the soil.

I doubt that its presence was "incidental." It could very well increase the water retention in the bottom of the pot. Or, it could cause root disturbance.

Jist adding a few bamboo poles to a monstera caused a bit of root disturbance for me once.

I don't know exactly what happened in this situation, but it sounds as if keeping the moss pole wet may have added a bit more water to the roots, which had, I assume, still not colonized the bottom of the pot, as this was a recent repot.

So glad to help, olive. Just give it time to heal. You may lose a few more leaves, but that's okay. Make sure the 511 mix is draining very freely and keep things moist, but not waterlogged.