Monstera care: the complete guide

2026-06-23 · Monstera care guide

Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Monstera deliciosa, commonly known as the Swiss cheese plant, has become one of the most popular houseplants in the UK for good reason. Its glossy, fenestrated leaves bring a lush, tropical feel to any room, and with a little consistent care it is a remarkably forgiving and long-lived plant. Whether you have just brought your first Monstera home or you are trying to revive a struggling specimen, this guide covers everything you need to know to help it thrive.

Light and position

Monstera deliciosa does best in bright, indirect light. A spot a metre or two back from a south- or east-facing window is ideal in most UK homes. Direct summer sun through glass will scorch the leaves, leaving dry, bleached patches that are permanent. In lower-light positions the plant will survive but growth slows considerably and the characteristic leaf splits, called fenestrations, may not develop fully on new leaves. If your only option is a north-facing room, consider a full-spectrum grow light on a timer set to 12 hours a day to compensate during the short British winter.

Watering and humidity

The most common mistake with Monstera is overwatering. Allow the top 5 to 7 centimetres of compost to dry out before watering again, then water thoroughly until it drains freely from the bottom of the pot. Empty the saucer after 30 minutes so the roots never sit in standing water. In a warm centrally heated home this may mean watering every 7 to 10 days in summer and every 14 to 21 days in winter. Always use the weight of the pot and a finger-test rather than a fixed schedule, as conditions vary enormously between homes.

Feeding and seasonal growth

Feed your Monstera once a month from March to September with a balanced liquid fertiliser diluted to the recommended strength, or slightly weaker. A feed with an NPK ratio around 3-1-2 suits foliage plants well. Do not feed in autumn or winter when the plant is growing slowly; unused nutrients accumulate as salts in the compost and can damage roots. If you notice a white crust on the compost surface, flush the pot through with plain water to clear any salt build-up before resuming feeding in spring.

Support, repotting, and compost

Monstera naturally climbs trees in the wild, and providing a moss pole or coir pole encourages larger, more fenestrated leaves because the plant mimics its natural upward growth habit. Secure stems to the pole loosely with soft plant ties and mist the pole occasionally to encourage aerial roots to attach. Without support the plant will sprawl outwards, which is fine aesthetically but tends to produce smaller leaves over time.

Propagation

Monstera is one of the easiest houseplants to propagate from stem cuttings. Take a cutting that includes at least one node (the bumpy joint on the stem where a leaf and aerial root emerge) and ideally one leaf. Remove any leaves that would sit below water. Place the cutting in a jar of water on a warm, bright windowsill, changing the water every few days. Roots typically appear within two to four weeks. Once roots are 3 to 5 centimetres long, pot the cutting into moist compost and keep it somewhere warm and humid while it establishes over the following few weeks.

Common problems and how to fix them

Yellowing leaves are most often caused by overwatering or waterlogged roots; check that your drainage is working and allow the compost to dry more between waterings. Brown, crispy leaf edges usually indicate low humidity or the plant sitting too close to a radiator. Brown, wet-looking patches can signal root rot; if so, remove the plant from its pot, trim any soft, dark roots with clean scissors, and repot into fresh, dry compost. Leggy, pale growth with no fenestrations nearly always means insufficient light.