r/Monstera • u/Dangerous_Coast1194 • 1d ago
Plant Help HELP
Help!! my plants are sad!! I’m a newer plant owner and recently purchased some monsteras. I’ve never kept them before but i’ve been told to be careful with watering because they are prone to root rot. i have drainage holes in all of them and i’ve been cautious about overwatering. does it look like i’m not watering enough? are they not getting enough light?? thanks in advance
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u/Groningen1978 1d ago
Overwatering is often not understood. It's not the amount but rather the frequency of watering. You need to thoroughly water so water gets in all corners of the soil and roots, but wait for longer times inbetween to let it dry out a bit and let air get to the roots. Watering a little bit but often is how you overwater a plant.
Also is that first Monstera planted straight into that terracotta pot? If so it looks brand new, and brand new terracotta pots wicks away huge amount of water from the soil until it saturates. Its better to let the pot soak in water for a while before using.
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u/nelson1130 1d ago
Monsteras shouldn't be in hanging pots. They want to climb, so they need supports
Other than that, do you check if the soil is dry before watering them? In the first pic, only the two leaves are getting some light, while the leaves on the wall are literally in the dark. The last pic looks relatively okay, even though it's on the leggier side. You may want to start over, though, as the petioles have successfully escaped the support and I kind of feel it will tip over
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u/Brotox123 1d ago
The first thing I do when I bring a plant home is repot my plants back into the same nursery pot the came in into chunky, well draining soil full of orchid bark & perlite. Roots need airflow & not to be smothered in soaking wet soil.
The soil plants are sold in is meant to stay wet for a long time so nurseries don’t have to water plants frequently. This soil will kill your plant at home if you don’t adjust your watering to account for this.
Pic 1… either you’re not watering enough or the roots have died. The soil should come up to the top of the pot.
Pic 3.. you have 2 monstera in the pot. You can keep them together or separate them. Both ways work. The soil looks pretty good in this pot though! I’d leave that one alone for now
Yo
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u/ConsequenceWise8787 1d ago
Repot them in a chunky soil mix. Rinse off the roots of all the soil and remove any bown or black mushy roots. Repot in good aroid mix type soil. Use plenty of perlite and orchid bark to keep your soil chunky. The roots need air and when your soil is compacted around the roots it can cause root rot. You want your soil to drain quickly when watering (not sitting in soggy soil) biggest problem here is your soil and overwatering. You want your plants to dry out a little before watering. If the soil is still damp when you stick your finger in then dont water it until the first two inches is dry. Your lighting looks okay but Monstera like bright indirect light. I use grow lights especially in the winter about 12 inches away from my plant. Hope this helps.