It doesn't necessarily need to be 'water retentive', they have a habit of growing up anything vertical (don't stand still too long near one, LOL). They can grip a rough surface and if it's moist that helps as well.

A moist surface really does help. I had a common heart-shaped Philodendron oxycardium attach itself to an interior, north-facting wall and start climbing. Which btw, gave me a clue that excessive structural moisture could be a problem (potential for mold). What if you used some jute rope tied to a secure hook or two in the ceiling?

It might help if we knew which monstera you are growing. A full-size deliciosa will need a more substantial support than the smaller species or varieties.

Russ

I realize this is a few months old, but I can’t find very much information on how to really tell the difference between the large Monstera deliciosa vs borsigiana. Anyone have any photo reference comparison or something that can be pointed out? I’m trying to figure which varieties I have. Thank you in advance!

Cassandra, the big species deliciosa and its variety Borsigiana can look similar when very young, but the species will become large very quickly... larger leaves and a stouter stem with leaves stacked much closer together on the stem. Borsigiana is much more vine-like and in my experience leaves rarely get bigger than a foot to 14 inches across.

Assuming your plants are in fairly bright light, how long are the vines, how much space is between petioles (leaf stems), and how wide across are the leaves?

Russ

Hi Russ!

Thanks so much for your response. I actually have to say I have come across so many old threads on here and on (I’m assuming you are the same “Russ” on IAS threads I’ve come across) and you are a wealth of information. And I envy all your plants! I’ve become a slight aroid addict in the last couple of years and your name is always popping up. So thank you for all that you seem to write (it’s helped)!

I have one Monstera that I have had for about 3 months that’s still pretty juvenile (it was only beginning to split) it’s grown very fast but doesn’t have any leaves with the second set of fenestrations yet. The largest leaf so far is only about 10” across, there’s about 1.5” between each petiole. But I’m not sure if its still too juvenile to tell?

While I have your ear, maybe you can clarify something else I was wondering about the variegated varieties. I read a thread were you sort of responded to Tom in another question when he was propagating but he was asking about clarification on the variegated varieties (like Thai constellation and cheesecake).

Here’s his original question

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/4097413/monstera-deliciosa-varieties-cultivars

And here’s where you sort of discuss the difference.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3988395/monstera-propagation?n=21

But I was reading this picture caption and it completely confused me, because it has the large sections of white which I thought was the Thai constellation?

On top of which 2 of the local nurseries have huge specimens (clearly delicosas) labeled Thai constellation that have mostly just speckles with the occasional small splash of white. Do you think these are both potentially mislabeled?

I’m sorry for the barrage of questions. It’s just hard to find anyone with any answers. I read about Steve and how helpful he was but that he’s passed away. I also read that Dr. Croat is working on redefining the Monstera genus and all of the plants under it. I would love to see any pictures someday of any of your plants!

Thank you so much for your time! I really appreciate it!

Russ,

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my long winded questions. Especially since you said you haven’t been feeling well. I hope that you are feeling better. I have a real love of vintage and old things, but getting old yourself just kind of sucks.

You definitely cleared up a lot of the confusion I had regarding the variegated varieties and all the he said/she said. Thank you for that!

I suppose time will tell which two varieties I have. The one with the 14” leaf is about 3.5’ tall.

Aroids of all sorts have just piqued my interest and I’ve slowly started to collect them. I originally lived in the high desert of California and tried with very little success to have any sort of tropical plants. Since my move to Oregon last year, it’s humid enough that everything I have is doing really well. I would absolutely love and be grateful for anything you would be willing to share! I will send you an email with my contact info. Thank you again so much!

Cassandra, if the monstera with 14 inch leaves is 3.5 feet long, I'm fairly certain it's a Borsigiana variety. The big species would have much bigger leaves by then. I'm not sure where the high desert of Calif is, but I assume cacti and succulents would be the fare to grow there.

Your issue with aroids in Oregon will probably be the cool or cold winters, but if you keep your collection small enough that you can bring them all in the house, you should be fine.

Russ

Found this spread, I am starting to really love aroids and philodendrons. Great information! Thanks Cassandra and Russ :) Beautiful plants. I rescued one variegated monstera from near death, but it is mostly the half white leaves...it has a beautiful stem so I am excited to see what happens when it pops out a new leaf. I've been hunting for other varieties as well. I am assuming this one is a Borsigiana?

My nursery has these 2 huge variegated monsteras which I think after reading here are the bigger kinds, not Borsigiana?

Michelle, how long are the leaves of the plant in the first pic? If under 14 inches it's probably a Borsigiana based on the internodes on the stem.

Those are the big species deliciosa, the last pic shows some nice variegation. These have been pricey for many years, most small cuttings I've seen for sale on Ebay have brought around $100 or more. Part of the reason is that they're slow growing so propagating takes a lot of time. They're hard to find in nurseries these days, that's a great find in your area.

What state are you in? They are easier to grow in southern tier states.

Russ

Hi Russ, sorry for the delay. Thanks for responding! I did measure my plant and it seems to be about 14" so I think it is the Borsigiana. Hoping to see a new leaf. Are these slow growing as well?

The last pic is such a beautiful plant! I am in Boston. I wasn't aware they are so slow. If I had the $$ to drop on that plant, I definitely would. I have a friend that works there and she is going to make sure that whoever buys it, knows what they're doing. They are able to snag them at least twice a year, so I will be prepared next year to buy a good one if it comes through. It kills me not to just go buy it, haha.

Is there a difference between a philodendron vs true monstera? My friend at the plant store mentioned something about this, or is that basically the difference between the Borsigiana/deliciosa just with different words?

Thanks for all your knowledge :) How many monsteras do you have?

Hi Michelle,

Yes, it sounds like your monstera is a Borsigiana type. These are much faster growing than the big species deliciosa, which will normally only produce a few leaves each summer.

I'm not sure I understand your question about philos vs monstera, they are similar organisms and are both found in the tropical Americas with philos having an even larger range. There are only about 50 species of monstera while philo species number in the hundreds, probably hundreds more that have yet to be discovered and described.

I have the big green deliciosa and two variegated forms, the so-called Thai Constellation and Cheese Cake. They may in fact be the same form and should simply be called deliciosa variegata rather than made-up names. I have a white-variegated Borsigiana type, and one with yellow variegation which is far less common.

Others... standleyana variegata, lechleriana, siltepecana, so-called friedrichsthallii aka obliqua, another one's name escapes me right now... it and lechleriana are absolute weeds in and around my shade house.

Russ

bluesea14808@yahoo.com

Hi Russ! Hi Michelle!

I was thinking maybe your question was in regards to the fact that many people still (including some nurseries) refer to Monsteras as split leaf philodendron which is incorrect and where a lot of confusion comes from. They are an entirely different species than philodendron. Your monstera is really beautiful by the way. Perhaps as it grows it will give you the speckles and not just the half leaves also.

Russ, I hope you’re doing well during this holiday season. I’ve accumulated some more plants and I hope in spring I might have something you’d be interested in trading for! I keep seeing your name in threads as I search the web for information. I’m always grateful for your knowledge! I actually have a philo that is a juvenile that no one at the nursery could identify I was thinking about emailing you a photo for your input.

I hope you both have a Merry Christmas!

Hi Cassandra,

You're completely right about people and nurseries spreading the misconception that monstera deliciosa is a philodendron with the phrase 'split leaf philo'.

Let me know the new plants you've acquired, hopefully some will be new to me. But you can always request 'for postage' from my collection.

Send me an email pic of that juvenile philo or post it here and I'll see if I recognize it. ID's are sometimes easy, sometimes challenging, but always fun.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you as well as the rest of the folks here,

Russ

Hi Russ and Cassandra,

Thanks for adding onto this! I had no idea the split leaf philo is different than a monstera! Even in googling, they are all tagged as each other. How do you tell the difference?/what is the difference?

I have seen the yellow variegation in photos and they are beautiful!

I have repotted Jessica (my monstera) about 2 months ago and have been keeping her happy. When do you think I can expect to see any new growth? I know you mentioned this was a faster growing type. Not being impatient, just want to be sure I am doing the right regiment! :)

Hope you and your plants had a nice holiday

Michelle, the name 'split leaf philodendron' used to be commonly applied to P. selloum, which is now called P. bipinnatifidum. It's true though that the name is now erroneously given to Monstera deliciosa by nurseries and other sellers. M. deliciosa is a big, slow-growing vine whereas P. bipinnatifidum is the best known of the many so-called 'tree type' philodendrons, more correctly called 'self-heading' types. These philos grow upright and produce long aerial roots from the top that will root in the ground several feet from the trunk to support and keep the plant from being blown over by winds. Trunks can be very thick, often 4 to 5 inches across.

I wouldn't expect too much from Jessica until the warmer temps and higher light of late spring or early summer. At that time you should see fairly fast growth, be sure to give her a feeding to get her going strongly.

All the best, Russ

Yes, I’m sorry Michelle, I realize that the way I worded my last response could be misinterpreted. Split leaf philodendron is an incorrect term often used for Monstera deliciosa. Philodendron and Monstera are two different species in the same Aracae family. But many people mislabel Monsteras as Philodendron.

I haven’t repotted them this year, so I’m not sure if that would make a difference; both of my Monsteras sit in a northern facing window. It’s PNW light so it’s not the “brightest” light there could be, but it’s still a relatively decent amount of light and both of my plants put out new leaves. Probably a few every two weeks. Right now on one plant I have 6 leaves unfurling. What’s your light situation for Jessica?

Thank you guys! So is this classic plant that most people sell considered a split leaf then-not monstera? https://www.amazon.com/Split-Leaf-Philodendron-Pot-Pineapple/dp/B00MUY4TCE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515771442&sr=8-1&keywords=split+leaf+philodendron

vs. the pics I posted up there of those huge variegated ones being true monsteras?

Jessica is in my living room, which gets natural light most of the day, and about 6ft away from my bright LED bulbs. I have Henry-I think the split leaf philo...in a corner much closer to the lights (on a timer). He has been putting out some new growth (yay!) but it is small-I made a thread about this under aroids, that you actually commented on already :) Im in Boston- the sun sets at 4:30 right now, so making due!

Michelle, monstera and philodendron are both aroids and therefore related, but they're not the same and names aren't interchangeable. They're like cousins in the same family.

The plant in the pic at your link is an immature-stage Monstera deliciosa. They wrongly call it 'split leaf philo' in the title copy, a popular common name for it but totally incorrect.

The pics you posted on Dec 8 ($280) are also of Monstera deliciosa. These and the green one in the link are both very slow-growing but I suspect the variegates, given less chlorophyll on leaves, are a little slower than an all-green one.

Question... regarding the plant in your pic of Dec 8 (with books in the background), I can't enlarge the pic... are there holes in the interior of those leaves?

I think we decided that Jessica and Henry might be the variety Borsigiana, so they'll be much smaller, faster growing and will be more vine-like than the full size deciosas.

Regarding yellow variegation, my full-size deliciosa variegata specimens (from defunct Asiatica Nursery erroneously sold as Thai Constellation) have new leaves with distinctive creamy yellowish variegation but it slowly fades to a creamy white color. I'd be interested in knowing if there is a full-size deliciosa that has permanent yellow variegation, I've never seen one in person and don't trust pics. Years ago someone posted pics of a red-variegated deliciosa but turned out to be a photoshopped hoax.

The Borsigiana variegates are different, the white one is white from the get-go, not yellowish, and stays that way. The color in the yellow one is permanent and doesn't fade.

Russ

Michelle, which nursery is that in Boston?! I've never seen such large specimens for sale!