Only a few plants have their hashtag on Instagram. One of these is the Monstera – the houseplant, which has been kept in the limelight for years and is making its way into modern and stylish interiors. On social media, you can find it under the hashtag #MonsteraMonday.
But it will win your favour even if you don’t crave beautiful photos on social media. In fact, it is very easy to grow and, with proper care, pay off with typically ornamental leaves. It grows to almost monstrous proportions over the years.
It is originally a liana from South American tropical forests. It can grow up to five metres tall, though it will not reach that height in an apartment. When mature, one of its leaves can be up to half a metre across, so clearly, the plant needs plenty of space around it.
Any plant needs the right conditions to thrive. Monsteras will thrive at a room temperature between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. Note that the higher the temperature, the quicker the Monstera will grow. Even though the plant likes plenty of light, be careful of the sun’s rays. If too much, the plant will burn its leaves. However, if there is not enough, Monstera will not have its typical leaves. They will remain undivided, only heart-shaped with no holes cut through them.
The Monstera loves high humidity – after all, this is a plant native to the rainforest. It thrives if you sprinkle the leaves from time to time. Remember to keep the humidity even in winter, when the rooms heat up, and the moisture naturally drops.
Make sure you don’t leave the Monstera near a heater; it will dry out its leaves. Remember to clean the leaves thoroughly and wipe them clean of dust with a damp sponge. Moreover, the dusty leaves look unkempt, and you certainly don’t want that with a plant this big.
Discussion about this post