Monstera with dry leaves and patches

10 months ago

last modified: 10 months ago

Hi allI have this monstera for 3-4 years now but in the past couple of months it started to look quite bad, though before, it had been beautiful, sprouting new leaves, all green etc. I haven't changed anything in my watering routine, it's still in its original spot.First the leaves started to have brown edges - i thought they were just old or something but by now, all of them have some weird dry, yellowish patches all over the leaves - even the newest ones - that are not quite new because it's been quite some time it brought new leaf. On the underside, i see some brown dots or bumps, small like a pinprick. I thought it might be thripes, so i sprayed the leaves with neem oil solution.We also changed the ground, made a mix of soil, bark and perlite about a month ago. When we replanted it, i didn't see root rot. Anyone has any idea what's wrong?

Comments (9)

Leila B
Original Author
10 months ago
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 months ago
all plants shed old leaves...

we usually prune them off when they start looking ratty... as they are the oldest.. lowest on the trunk ...

can you tell.. in person.. if the worst are the lowest.. if so.. cut them off ...

what does the newest look like.. is it fine.. thats the key to its current happiness.. if you will ...

the browning MIGHt also be lack of proper watering.. when is the last time the plant has been repotted.. media is a water management system.. and it wears out.. and when it does.. it is hard to water properly ... also.. that looks like a lot of plant for what might now be a small pot...

it looks like some of your trunks are getting long.. i might try rotting some of them.. and starting new plants... this old thing isnt going to be happy forever.. since you dont live in a green house..

lack of proper light is called etoliation.. and that might be why some of your trunks are getting long...

ken
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Sara, Did you remove any of the affected spotted leaves? I have a monstera with similar issues, with leaf spots and also droplets of moisture dripping off of many of the leaves and dripping into the leaves below. I purchased this big monstera recently at Trader Joe's. When I bought it about a week + a few days ago, all the leaves were nice and green and no visible spots, and the plant has many new baby leaves unfurling. at time of purchase it looked really healthy. the topsoil was a bit dry when I first brought it home, so I did give it a good thorough watering that first day, but haven't watered it since. 2 days after I had it is when I first notice the spots occurring. as with yours, I also see some darkness on a few of the stem trunks as well. the new leaves, so far, all look free of the spots. the spots seem to only be on the older leaves. I did notice that it started on one leaf and by the next day it was appearing on a few other of the older leaves. Should these leaves be removed. I keep the plant near a sunny window area, but it's fairly filtered light throughout the day, because the window has a porch cover right outside. However, it's not shady, it's fairly bright, just somewhat filtered. The house temp is a steady 65°. I'm wondering if the droplets from the leaves is the plants way of removing excessive water from it's system, since I watered it when I first brought it home. Are leaf droplets typical of monteras or is it due to a fungal or pest infection or as I mentioned,, trying to remove excess water from it's system? If anyone has these monsters, kept as indoor houseplants, not outdoors, and can provide some solutions to stop the spotting or who has more info about what maybe causing these spots, I'd appreciate any advice, so I don't loose this plant. I've attached a number of photos. The first 2 pics show the affected leaves, the 3rd shows the water droplets and the others show the healthy new growth. Thank you in advance for any advice for this beauty. Cheers, 🌿Jeffrie🌿🍀🐞I 💖ladybugs
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Leila B
Original Author
10 months ago
Hi Ken,

As mentioned, we changed the soil about a month ago.

As for the dry patches seen on the first 2 pics, they are on all leaves. The brown edges don't appear on all (yet :/), rather i would say on the older ones, but at this point 60% of the leaves are brown on the edges. The rest "only" has those yellow patches all over the surface of the leaf.

The room is south-south-west, really light. The plant is not in direct sunlight but about 5m from the windows. It's the same place it has been in for the past 4 years. Yeah, might get long a bit, but is this the reason for the yellow patches?
Leila B
Original Author
10 months ago
Hi Ken,

As mentioned, we changed the soil about a month ago.

As for the dry patches seen on the first 2 pics, they are on all leaves. The brown edges don't appear on all (yet :/), rather i would say on the older ones, but at this point 60% of the leaves are brown on the edges. The rest "only" has those yellow patches all over the surface of the leaf.

The room is south-south-west, really light. The plant is not in direct sunlight but about 5m from the windows. It's the same place it has been in for the past 4 years. Yeah, might get long a bit, but is this the reason for the yellow patches?
Leila B
Original Author
10 months ago
Hi Ken,

As mentioned, we changed the soil about a month ago.

As for the dry patches seen on the first 2 pics, they are on all leaves. The brown edges don't appear on all (yet :/), rather i would say on the older ones, but at this point 60% of the leaves are brown on the edges. The rest "only" has those yellow patches all over the surface of the leaf.

The room is south-south-west, really light. The plant is not in direct sunlight but about 5m from the windows. It's the same place it has been in for the past 4 years. Yeah, might get long a bit, but is this the reason for the yellow patches?
iochroma
10 months ago
It’s rare on Monstera deliciosa, but it might be thrips.
Leila B
Original Author
10 months ago
Apparently neem oil didnt improve things much, though :(
icecaligardener
10 months ago
Have you tried misting the leaves regularly? It might help bring some more moisture back into those dry patches. It could also literally just be the position - if you haven't moved it lately, it could need to be in a bit more light! Any chance you could move it into a brighter spot for a while to see if it helps?
Leila B
Original Author
10 months ago
I put a humidifier next to it that i try to remember to switch on regularly. Unfortunately cannot move it any closer to the window because it's a big plant and i don't have enough space. But i'm wondering how it was enough light for it for 2-3 years, and suddenly not anymore..

Monstera with dry leaves and patches

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Leila B
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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Monstera with dry leaves and patches

Comments (9)

Leila BOriginal Author

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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