Fallen head over heels for a Monstera plant lately? Want to get more of ’em for your place, but clueless about how to make more? Don’t sweat it—you’re not the only one! Even though it might look a bit scary at the start, making more Monstera plants is actually simpler than you might guess. With the right stuff and a bit of time, you’ve got all you need to win at this! In this blog post, I’ll guide you through every part so you can get going without a hitch on your own adventure in making more plants. Pumped to find out how? Let’s dive into the details of how to propagate Monstera.
When is the best time to propagate monstera cuttings?
Spring, summer, and fall are all decent times for making more monstera pieces, but summer’s the top choice. The hotter weather and more hours of sun help the roots grow quicker and the plants grow stronger. Don’t forget, these jungle-loving plants are big fans of damp air, so make sure to keep things moist while you’re at it. All in all, kicking off your monstera pieces in the summer is your best bet for making it work.
How to Propagate Monstera in Water?
Wanna make more monstera in water? First, pick a healthy, full-grown Monstera stem and snip it off at the bottom with clean, sharp cutting scissors. Be sure that the piece you cut has at least 2-3 leaf spots with leaves still on ’em.
Step #1: Find the Node on a Stem
To get a piece from a Monstera, you’ve gotta find a bump first. A bump will be somewhere in the bottom two-thirds of the stem.
Usually, there’s a puffy part with a lump, and there’s already a tiny root poking out of it (it looks like a small brown bump).
You usually find bumps where two stems meet, which is another easy-peasy way to spot one.
With really sharp scissors, snippers, or a box cutter, cut around 2 inches below the bump.
After you’ve got your piece, take off any extra stems or coverings from new leaves.
To keep it from rotting, you should just have one long stem without too many leaves.
Step #2: Stick the Pieces in a Jar with Water
After you’ve snipped your pieces and cleaned them up, let them air out for around 10 minutes.
Then, gently pop them in a jar and pour in water up to a few inches over the bump.
Make sure the piece is hanging and not squished against the side or bottom of the jar, ’cause that might make it rot.
We like using jars with a big bottom and a small top, like these. It gives the roots room to grow and keeps the stem standing up straight.
Put your jar somewhere bright and sunny (but stay away from hot, direct sun). The more sun, the quicker your piece will grow roots.
You should switch out the water at least once a week to keep things growing just right.
When I change the water, I also like to wash my roots softly in case any dead plant stuff is sticking to them.
If you forget to change the water every week, no biggie, but you should toss in fresh water as you go along.
Step #3: Be patient while the roots grow
Before sticking your Monstera piece in soil, give it around 6 weeks for the roots to pop up.
If you want a better shot at success, we usually say wait at least 2-3 months to make sure a strong bunch of roots have come in.
A Monstera, though, can chill in water for loads of months (or even years) as long as you switch out the water now and then, clean the roots, and shift the piece into a bigger jar as it gets bigger.
When you’ve got a nice bunch of roots taking over the jar, that’s when you know it’s time to move it into soil.
You can go ahead and put your Monstera piece in as long as you’ve got about 5 roots that are a few inches long.
Keep checking on the roots every week and don’t be shy about cutting off any bits that look like they’re going bad.
You can get rid of rotting roots as long as you’ve still got some healthy-looking ones (white, yellow, light green, light brown)
You’ll know the bad ones because they’ll be dark, squishy, or way skinnier than the others.
Step #4: Plant a Rooted Monstera Cutting in the Soil
After a few months, when the Monstera piece has got a bunch of roots that are at least 6 inches long, you can move it from water to soil.
Pick a pot that’s a few inches wider than the bundle of roots. After tossing in a bit of soil at the bottom, gently pop the rooted piece into the pot.
Then, gently spread the rest of the soil in the pot. Make sure the bottom of your pot’s got a hole to let the water out.
Aroid plants like Monstera require light, need airy, breathable soil ’cause they gotta breathe.
The simplest way to do this is to mix regular planting soil with some natural stuff, coco fiber, perlite, and some crumbled up orchid bark chips (worm poop is the best).
Please don’t go buying Miracle Grow. It’s been a big headache for plant lovers over the last year ’cause it’s made in bulk and isn’t great.
To keep it easy, I say go for the best indoor planting soil you can get your hands on.
Then, toss in some of this coco and perlite mix that you’ve got ready in a bag.
Step #5: Follow up on your new plant
Your baby Monstera might act a little shocked when you first put it in soil.
It’s been chilling in water for the past few months, so getting used to living in soil might take a bit.
You’ll have to keep the soil kinda damp on the regular for the next few weeks because of that. To water the plant, we like to use the water from the jar where the piece was hanging out.
Since the roots are used to being wet all the time, dry soil might freak them out too much. Give the soil a little water every few days instead of keeping it soaking wet.
If the soil stays too wet for too long, you might end up with tiny bugs called fungus gnats, and that makes it more likely the roots will rot.
The stems and leaves might look a bit saggy for the first week or two, but that’s cool. It just means it’s getting used to the new digs and will perk up soon.
You should start seeing new leaves popping up in a few weeks!
After a few weeks, if your new Monstera doesn’t look like it’s happy, check out the leaves. They might give you some clues about what’s going wrong.
How to propagate monstera cuttings in soil?
Getting Monstera cuttings to grow in soil is a piece of cake. Here’s what you gotta do:
- Pick a good stem: Go for a stem that’s at least 6 inches long, has a couple of leaves, and has those climbing roots called aerial roots. Aerial roots are the ones that come out of the stem and help the plant climb and grab onto stuff.
- Get the soil ready: Use soil that drains well and is loaded with natural stuff. You can whip up your own mix by throwing together equal parts of peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite.
- Snip the stem: Grab a sharp, clean pair of scissors or pruning shears and make a nice clean cut just below a node. A node is that spot where a leaf or aerial root sticks to the stem.
- Stick the cutting in the soil: Poke a little hole in the soil with your finger or a pencil and carefully tuck the stem in there. Make sure the node is covered up with soil.
- Give it some water: Soak the cutting good but don’t drown it. You want the soil damp but not like a swamp.
- Set up the light and warmth: Monstera cuttings dig bright, but not direct, light and like it warm, somewhere between 65°F to 80°F (18°C to 26°C). Keep ’em out of the sun so the leaves don’t get fried.
- Hang on for the roots to pop up: In about a month or so, the cutting should sprout roots and start to grow. Once the cutting has roots that are doing their thing, you can ease up on the water and treat it like a grown-up Monstera plant.
How to Propagate Monstera through Air Layering
Air layering’s another way to get Monstera plants to grow, and it works great for big ones. Here’s what you’ve gotta do:
- Find a good stem: Pick out a stem that’s grown up and at least 1/2 inch thick. Find a part of the stem that’s got those climbing roots.
- Get the stem ready: Strip any leaves and branches from where you’re gonna make the air layer.
- Make a little cut: Slice about 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep around the stem with a sharp, clean knife. The cut should be just below those climbing roots.
- Slap on some rooting hormone: Rub some rooting hormone on the cut spot to get those roots growing.
- Wrap it up: Grab a wad of sphagnum moss and wrap it around the cut. Then wrap that moss with plastic wrap, making sure it’s good and sealed around the stem.
- Hang tight for roots: Keep an eye on the moss and make sure it stays wet. In about a month or two, you should see roots popping up.
- Chop off the air layer: Once the roots are doing their thing, cut the stem just under the moss and get rid of the plastic wrap and moss.
- Plant your new buddy: Stick the new plant in some soil that drains well, keeping the soil damp till it’s settled in.
Just follow these easy steps, and you’ll be growing your own Monstera plants in no time. They’ll make any room look cooler and livelier. Ever tried getting Monstera to grow? What tips would you add about how to propagate monstera? Share your thoughts with FamiPlants.
