How often to Water Monstera Plant for Optimal Growth

If you’ve just gotten a Monstera plant as a gift, or you’ve picked one up to spruce up your place, then you might be scratching your head, wondering how often to water Monstera. This isn’t a simple question, since the best watering schedule for Monstera plants can change based on where you live and stuff like that. In this blog post, we’ll give you the rundown on how to water your Monstera plant so it grows the best it can!

How often to water Monstera?

Generally, Monstera plants need a drink about once a week. But, you’ve got to check the soil before you water, because you might need to water more often if it’s hot or dry where you are, and not as much if it’s cooler or more humid. You’ve also got to make sure the soil isn’t soaking wet, since that can mess up the roots.

When you’re watering monstera plants, you’ve got to think about the time of year. When you’re watering monstera deliciosa, you’ll see that the time of year really matters for how much water it needs.

In Winter

Monstera plants are like a lot of tropical house plants that just chill out during the winter. They do this because the monstera is a tropical plant. These plants really like tropical weather, and when things like temperature and humidity change, the plants take a break to save energy.

You’ve got to be really careful not to drown your monstera in the winter. Since the plant won’t suck up as much water, the potting soil might get too soggy. If the soil stays wet for too long, it can ruin the roots, and that might kill your monstera. Water your monstera only every two to three weeks, or when the soil’s dry.

In Summer

Monstera plants are pretty much awake all summer. That’s because it’s hotter and more humid, which makes the plant think it’s back in the tropics. In the summertime, your monstera’s gonna be thirstier than in the winter.

Monstera plants should get watered once a week, or whenever the top 2 inches of soil feel dry.

Factors affecting the watering schedule of Monstera

Monstera plants feel right at home in a tropical setting. Most of the time, you’ll find these plants chilling in the lower parts of tropical or jungle woods. So, they need a couple of special things to keep them happy and healthy.

Temperature and humidity

When you’re looking at watering a monstera, temperature and humidity are big deals. Usually, monstera plants dig higher humidity and warmer temps. When these two things go up, a monstera sweats more, and that means it needs more water than usual.

Types of soil

Monstera plants need soil that’s pretty much like what they get in the wild. According to this, the soil can’t be packed down at all. You should mix fresh soil with stuff like perlite and orchid bark a lot, so any extra water can run off. What kind of soil you use really messes with the monstera’s life and how much water it needs. Want to know more? Look up: best soil for monstera plants

Pot Type

Even though monstera plants grow huge leaves, they don’t do great in big pots. These plants actually do better in smaller pots with enough holes for water to drain. Since monstera roots are stubby and can’t get through much soil, they can’t find water all over the potting soil. At best, this leaves the soil wet; at worst, it leaves it soggy. Either way, it can make monstera roots go bad.

A lot of folks who own monstera plants have good luck when they stick ’em in a terracotta pot and water them right. A terracotta pot only has one hole for water to drain, but the pot itself keeps water from building up, leaving the soil damp but not soaking.

If you want to repot your monstera properly, please read the article: http://famiplants.com/how-often-to-water-monstera/

Plant growth cycle

The three main times that monsteras grow like crazy are spring, summer, and fall. It’s all about the seasons. You might run into trouble with not giving them enough water during these months rather than drowning them. You’ve got to keep the watering just right and make sure they get lots of bright but not direct light if you want them to grow. Want to know more about how Monstera grows? Check out http://famiplants.com/monstera-growth-stages/

When does your Monstera plant require water?

The big thing to remember is to keep an eye on your plant and only water it when it’s thirsty, not every single day. Keeping your Monstera happy is always a tricky balance of giving it enough to drink without making the soil all soggy, which can cause too much water and mess up the roots.

Here’s what I do to make sure I’m watering my Monstera plants at the right times:

1. Every few days, poke around in the soil. Don’t just feel the top; stick your finger in to see if it’s wet.
2. Pick up the pot to see how heavy it is. A pot with wet soil feels way different than one with dry soil. If you keep checking the weight, you’ll know right away when your plant needs water.
3. Look out for leaves that are curling up. Monstera plants usually do this when they’re getting dry.
4. Watch for drooping. While Monstera plants’ strong stems don’t wilt easily, the stems and leaves will hang a little when they need water. If you keep watching your plant, you’ll see a clear difference. Try to water it before this happens.
5. If the bottom leaves start turning yellow, you’re probably watering it too much. Check how wet the soil is to see if that’s the problem. Cut back on the water by making sure your plant gets enough light and the pot and soil drain well.
6. Look at the lower leaves for serious browning – Monstera usually sheds older, lower leaves over time. If you see a bunch of old leaves dying all at once, make sure your plant isn’t thirsty.
7. Some folks like to use a gadget to see if their plant needs water. Using your finger is just fine for small plants. But if you’re dealing with a big pot, those moisture gadgets can help you check how wet the soil is.

How To Water Monstera?

Watering a plant sounds super easy, right? But there are all kinds of ways that giving your plant a drink might actually mess it up. I’m gonna show you how to water your Monstera plants, whether you’re going from the top or the bottom, in a quick step-by-step way.

Watering Your Monstera From The Top

This is how I water my Monstera plants and pretty much all my other houseplants.

1. Grab your Monstera and take it over to the sink. Dump water on the soil with a long-necked watering can. Don’t get the leaves all soaked. Wet leaves in a stuffy house might sometimes make your plant get sick.
2. I like to add the water slowly, waiting for each bit to soak into the soil before pouring more.
3. Since dry soil doesn’t like water at first, the first pour might just run through the soil and out the bottom without soaking in. Adding a little at a time makes sure the soil soaks up the water and gets wet all over.
4. Keep pouring water until the pot feels heavy and water’s coming out the bottom.
5. Let the extra water drain in the sink for a couple of minutes.
6. Pick up the pot and look for any extra water coming out. Tip the pot or bob it up and down, and usually, more water comes out.
7. Make sure you let all the extra water get out. Leaving your Monstera sitting in soggy soil is a surefire way to get rotten roots and a sick plant.
8. Once no more water’s coming out, put your plant back in its tray or fancy pot and put it back where it was.

Watering Your Monstera From The Bottom

Some folks like watering indoor plants from the bottom, and there are good things and bad things about it. “Bottom watering” is when you put your plant in a couple of inches of water in a sink or big bowl, and the soil sucks up the water like a sponge.

Bottom watering takes longer because a plant might need 5 to 20 minutes to soak up enough water to get wet all over. But it’s got a bunch of good stuff going for it, like being a gentle way to water your Monstera, not messing up the top layer of soil, and not washing the good stuff out of the soil.

The not-so-good parts are that it takes longer and you can’t fit many plants in a sink or bowl at once. If you’ve got loads of plants, this could turn into a major time-suck.

After you’ve watered your Monstera from the bottom, just take it out of the water and let it drain like you would if you’d watered from the top.

Most of my indoor plants get watered from the top, but I’m really careful to pour it in just right so I don’t mess up the soil.

Common Monstera Watering Mistakes

1. Overwatering monstera – Giving it too much water can really mess up the roots and cause all kinds of problems. Hold off until the top inch or so of soil is dry, and then give it a good soak.
2. Not Enough Water – Skimping on the water can make the leaves go all dry and crispy at the edges. You’ve gotta water it really well until you see the water coming out of the bottom.
3. Bad Drainage – Make sure your pot’s got holes in the bottom so the water doesn’t just sit there. That’ll rot the roots for sure. Use a potting mix that drains well and maybe toss in some perlite or pumice to help it along.
4. Only Watering from the Top – It’s okay to water from above, but every now and then, you should dunk the whole pot in water for about half an hour. It’ll make sure the roots get watered all the way through.
5. All Over the Place with Watering – If you water it willy-nilly, the plant won’t know what’s coming. Try to get into a routine, like every week or two, and keep an eye on the soil to see if you need to change it up depending on the weather.

So, How Often to Water a Monstera? Most of the time, you’ll want to water your Monstera about once a week. But it might change depending on how hot it is or how wet the soil is. Don’t forget to spray it with a mister sometimes to make it feel like it’s back in the jungle where it comes from. Follow these tips from FamiPlants, and your Monstera will be growing like crazy in no time!