I stumbled upon this post a few weeks back because I too was really puzzled by the appearance of these tiny black dots sprinkled all over my wall paper, monstera plant, the curtains, and my bedding. They looked like poppy seeds but attached/stuck to the plant, wallpaper, and the fabric. After carefully scraping them off with my fingernail and vacuuming the curtains, I would be astonished to find a new set of dots peppering the same wall all over again a few hours later. I got a bit obsessive over the next couple of days as this really bothered/disgusted me (the plant is right next to my bed/pillow), but eventually I found the culprit (actually on several occasions). It turned out to be a moth, or at least that's what I figured once I saw it. When I researched the internet trying to figure out what these dots/seeds/eggs could be, I passed on the idea of it being moth eggs because in all the photos the eggs were neatly arranged close together, but mine were spread all over the place about 10-50 cms apart 1 egg at a time. During the day, I typically open the windows to air out, sometimes only a bit, so I guess moths must find their way inside the house and then hide themselves very well. I found one hidden in the folds of the curtain. I found a second moth a few days later again in the very corner of the room hidden by the folds of the curtain. I think these suckers are just very good at hiding & camouflaging because my husband and I were carefully screening the folds and looking all over and didn't notice any the previous days. I even watered the plant daily to ensure there weren't any moths or other culprits hiding in there. Unfortunately I continue to periodically find these black pin-sized heads on the same wall and curtain, but I'm less freaked out about it now that I know what it is and much more thorough at looking for the culprits. My advice is to make sure you close the windows and really check all the cracks since they're very good at hiding.

Hi all, Thanks so much for your responses!! I got sidetracked by a home reno I was working on but that's all finished now so I have time for plants again. I have not yet taken the monstera out of the pot and continues to have yellowing. I am making it a priority to peek at the roots this week, I'll let you know what I find!! Lauren, I wanted to ask you again about your Black and Gold Cactus and Succulent mix. I know we talked about it a couple times and last fall you had good results with it for an arrowhead. How has the plant done in the meantime? Any other good or bad news with that mix? I'm thinking it might be a more appropriate medium for this monstera and I'm even considering it for a hart's tongue fern as those need superior drainage...

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

Yes, she'd probably enjoy more light, but what is that under a window? If that's an AC, she shouldn't be in front of it whether it's turned on cooling or heating, both would mess her up. If whatever the unit is isn't turned on, then yes, definitely put her in front of the window on those days, she'll love you for it (provided it's not a full-South exposure and she doesn't get torched there). She looks much happier. Where in the world are you? In high latitudes you don't want to repot a plant until it is spring, generally, because that's when they really kick the growth to high gear. For a Monstera, I'd recommend a large sturdy plastic or ceramic pot with a good drainage hole. Note that it will grow huger the bigger pot you give it, and you don't want to get into the game of pot-one-upMonsteraship with it. Give it a pot and see how big it gets, and give larger pot only if you want the plant larger. If you are happy with size, just let it live in the pot it has, and maybe trim it occasionally (you can root the cuttings in water for more plants, sometimes they even have air roots so you'll be ready to plant more or less right away). I am so glad Monstera is making a fashion comeback - I loved them when I was little and they were everywhere, and now that we bought a house with a large living room, I am growing one of my own - mine is tinier than yours, I bought her with still-unperforated leaves (total babyhood for Monstera), but she's now up to 8 perforations on the newest leaf, and I am very excited! :D