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

Hi Tasha, the variegated Monstera looks great, I've got one too and I really think it's a very nice type of variegation. The browning is really annoying though, mine does the same, the white parts seem very susceptible to it. Your cutting looks healthy and should do fine. I have taken cuttings like this, of the growing tip of the plant before, and they've always done well. Monsteras seem quite easy to propagate, as I've recently learned (quite new to this!). You can also get new plants from sections of the main stem - they will grow new shoots from the nodes they have at each point where a petiole joins the main stem. Tom

Hi Michelle! Did you figure this out already or am I stepping in too late? The top photo is an older more mature leaf shape, the lower is a more juvenile monstera that has just begun to split. If allowed to climb and given enough light, the lower pictured plant would eventually develop more fenestrations and get that large (also given that it is actual deliciosa and not deliciosa v. borsigiana). Hope this helps!

I should state the reason why I use plastic self-watering containers. When the weather warms up enough to move my plants outdoors, all of my plants go outside. All of them. No exceptions. In fact, I'll be moving most of them back outdoors tomorrow, because the weather will finally start warming up, with lows hovering around the 50°F mark. All of my plants benefit from this; increased sunlight, increased humidity, plenty of fresh air, and plenty of water. I know that some people just don't have the space to move their plants outside, but some people act as if their houseplants are allergic to being outdoors, HaHa! Some African Violet growers wouldn't dare move their plants outside, much less let them get their leaves wet. Mine stayed outside all last season; where they got rained on all of the time, and they pretty much thrived on neglect, and they kept on blooming, too. During the summer months, I'll have to water my plants on an almost daily basis. It's not as bad as it sounds, just a few minutes of "rain" from the garden hose in the evening. I mentioned that I use the self-watering containers. Well I keep the bottom reservoir empty when my plants are kept indoors, but during the summer, my plants soak that water up like a sponge; especially my Monstera. If I grew it in a clay pot, the poor thing would dry out way too fast. With plastic self-watering pots, I already have to water them daily, and they still soak up all of the water from the reservoirs. In clay pots, there would be no way I could keep them well watered. No way at all. Even with it being as humid as it is here in the South.