Monstera adansonii, commonly known as the “Swiss cheese plant,” is a fast-growing houseplant. Known for its heart-shaped leaves, lacy holes, and its ability to climb walls, trellises, and moss poles, this plant can quickly spread to fill a space with beautiful foliage. If you have a plant that is still on the small side, you may be wondering what you can do to speed up its growth.
How can you encourage faster growth from a Monstera adansonii? Make sure that you are providing your plant with the proper water, light, and care. Monsteras exposed to ideal conditions and environments can put out as much as two feet of new growth in a single growing season.
If you’re ready to help your Monstera adansonii grow to its full potential, you’ve come to the right place! Keep reading for our seven helpful tips to keep your Swiss Cheese plant growing and thriving for years to come!
What To Expect From a Monstera Adansonii
A tropical plant native to the forests in Mexico and Panama, Monstera adansonii is hardy and easy-to-grow. One of the distinctive traits of Monstera adansonii is its ability to grow as both a climbing and trailing plant.
If given the proper structure to climb indoors, you can expect a plant to eventually reach up to ten feet tall. These speedy plants can grow up to two feet in a single season. Whether trailing or climbing, with a little TLC, you will find this plant can fill your home or office with its beautiful and unique foliage.
A Quick Note About Growing Seasons
The Monstera adansonii plant has a long growing period, which spans spring to early fall. During this time, you can expect your plant to grow quickly, and you may see growth of over two feet during this period.
During the growing season, a Monstera Adansonii focuses energy on its leaves and stems. The start of the growing season is the ideal time for repotting or pruning as your plant will have plenty of energy to help them recover from this minor stress.
However, like many plants, Monstera adansonii plants go dormant in the winter. During dormant periods, plants stop focusing energy on their stems and leaves and instead focus energy on protecting their roots from the cold, dry winter months ahead. This means that you will not see much growth in the winter and may see some occasional leaf drop.
Dormancy is a critical period for your plant, and while you may not see any new growth, that doesn’t mean that your plant isn’t doing anything. This type of hibernation is vital for plants as they spend time to shore up their roots and store nutrients for the coming spring.
Most plants require less water during this time and should not be fertilized. If you’re reading this article in the colder months of the year, you may want to bookmark it and come back in the spring. Most of the tips below will yield the best results when your plant is in a state of active growth.
Tips to Encourage Monstera Adansonii Growth
The best thing you can do to encourage your Monstera Adansonii to grow quickly is to make sure you are providing it with the best care possible. Adjusting the basics can go a long way in upping the growth speed of your favorite indoor plant. So let’s get started.
Tip #1 Make Sure You Have Proper Soil and Drainage
The quickest way to kill your Monstera adansonii (or any houseplant for that matter) is to overwater it. Roots that are exposed to soil that is always saturated will turn soft and eventually begin to rot. Soggy soil is no friend to Monsteras.
You may think of overwatering plants as simply giving them too much water too frequently, but it often has more to do with the plant’s ability to drain and dry out between waterings. Soil that stays wet can be a breeding ground for bacteria and pests and will stunt your plant’s growth rather than help it thrive.
If you want your Swiss cheese plant to grow fast, you will need to ensure that it doesn’t become waterlogged and unhealthy. The very best thing you can do to keep this from happening is to select a pot with drainage holes. A suitable planter must have at least one hole, but more are preferred. This allows water that your plant doesn’t need to run out of the container and keeps the soil from staying saturated.
Also, make sure to pick a pot that is not too large for your Monstera adansonii. While it might seem that this will give the water more places to go, it actually allows it to accumulate in the bottom of the pot, resulting in moisture retention, muddy soil, and root rot.
When it comes to drainage, choosing the right soil can also help prevent overwatering and help your Monstera adansonii grow more quickly. When repotting, select a soil that is labeled as well-draining, but not one that is sandy in texture. Avoid potting mixes that are labeled for succulents, since they will not allow for enough moisture, but also resist the temptation to use soils that incorporate clay since they have the opposite problem. The goal is to find a happy medium.
Look for soils that contain ingredients like peat, orchid bark, and perlite. These will help retain the right amount of moisture and nutrients to help your plant thrive during the growing season.
Tip #2 Water Your Plant Properly and Give It More Humidity
If you want your plant to grow fast, you will still need to master proper watering habits. Once you have your drainage figured out, the next best thing to concern yourself with is watering and humidity.
Many plant owners make the mistake of assuming that they need to water their plant once a week or once every other week. And while that seems to make sense, changes in temperature, lighting, and whether or not your plant is in growing season impact how much water your plant needs.
Instead, focus on checking your plant’s moisture level regularly by inserting a finger into the soil. If the soil is dry 1-2″ down, water your plant thoroughly, and don’t water again until the soil feels dry. Remember that your Swiss cheese plant will need less water in the winter since it is in a dormant period.
If you’re looking for a more scientific method of monitoring your soil’s moisture level, consider purchasing a
Humidity can play a huge part in helping Monsteras to thrive. And when Monsteras are thriving, they grow quickly! Remember that Monsteras are tropical plants, so humidity levels of at least 50% are ideal for these beauties. Consider grouping your plants together or misting your Monstera adansonii to raise the humidity level around your plant.
If you live in a particularly dry area or if you just really want to up your Monstera game, add a humidifier to the room to increase your humidity levels. I’ve written a large article about which humidifiers I love and use. For more information on humidifiers, click here.
Increasing humidity can do wonders for the health of your Monstera adansonii. Higher levels make a big difference in the plant’s foliage and keep it at its happiest, so your Monstera will quickly put out new growth.
Tip #3 Provide Your Monstera with Ideal Light
It’s a common thought that all plants should be placed on sunny windowsills or on porches for maximum light. But many plants, including Monstera adansonii, do not grow well in direct sunlight. Light that is too harsh can burn the foliage of your Monstera and leaves that have been damaged will harm your plant’s health and slow its growth.
Instead, Swiss cheese plants prefer bright but indirect light. This means that they are best suited for rooms with tons of bright light but thrive when they are far enough away from the window that the full strength of the direct light will not fall on its leaves. If you put your hand between the plant and the light source and you can feel the warmth of the sun, this light is too intense for your Monstera, and your plant should be moved further into the room.
On the other hand, if you live in a space that doesn’t have adequate light, you may notice that your plant is becoming leggy. This refers to a plant that is growing tall and has very few, small leaves and a spindly appearance. Legginess is the plant’s attempt to stretch out to seek sunlight and, while it is not fatal, it indicates that the plant is not receiving the light it needs to grow.
In these cases, you may wish to consider supplementing with a grow light. Grow lights make excellent additions for rooms without bright, south-facing windows or areas where sunlight is sparse in the wintertime. If you’d like to read about my favorite grow lights, click here.
Tip #4 Remove Debris from Monsteras
Occasionally leaves on your Monstera will turn yellow and drop from your plant. It is natural for leaves to age and drop with time, so unless you’re seeing lots and lots of yellowing leaves, there is usually no need to panic. However, trouble can arise when these leaves start to accumulate in the planter.
You might assume that this is not an issue since the leaves will eventually disintegrate, but they can contribute to your plant becoming sick. Leaves can trap moisture or bacteria against your plant, causing blight or rot. Make sure to keep the planter clear of fallen leaves, broken stems, or other organic matter. This can help keep your plant’s roots and stems healthy for maximum growth.
Tip #5 Repot Your Monstera Adansonii Once Every Other Year
If your faithful friend has been living in the same planter for more than a year, you may want to consider giving it a new and larger home. Repotting a plant is a great way to encourage growth for two main reasons.
First, it is typical for the nutrients in potting soil to deplete with time. While this can be offset with the use of fertilizer, repotting a plant with fresh soil introduces a mix of nutrients that can boost a plant’s health and vibrancy.
Second, as a plant grows inside its pot, it will eventually become root-bound. This means that the roots are densely packed into the planter and don’t have much room for growth. Often this will keep the plant from growing further. Repotting the plant into a slightly larger planter will allow the roots to expand and help the plant grow overall.
Spring and summer are the best times to repot a Monstera adansonii, as this is during the peak of the growing season. Since repotting can cause some stress to the plant due to the change in environment and slight damage to the roots, it’s smart to repot when the plant is best able to recover.
One to two days before you want to repot your Monstera, water it thoroughly. This will help release your Monstera’s grip on its old pot and keep you from damaging dry and fragile roots. Be careful when removing your Monstera adansonii from the pot. Do not pull on the stems but instead, tip the planter on its side and run your finger between the soil and the edge of the planter. Then turn the plant upside down, and gently slide it out from the container.
Brush away old dirt from the roots and look at them carefully. Healthy roots should be light-colored and firm. Examine the roots and make sure none of them are slimy or spongy. If some roots appear to be dark or mushy, trim them away with sanitized pruning scissors.
Trimming roots can stress your plant and reduce growth in the short-term, but slimy roots are a sign of root rot – a condition that will spread throughout the root system of your plant. Cutting away rotting roots now may save your plant’s life in the long run.
When you replant your Monstera and cover the top of the roots with potting mix, be careful not to bury too much of the stem. Instead, gently press the dirt down, so that the plant’s base stands upright, and the stem is not covered.
Since repotting can cause some trauma to the plant, your Monstera adansonii may need a few weeks to recover. But once it becomes used to its new planter, it should have plenty of room to expand and grow. And if the plant is in its growing season, you may begin to see new growth in as little as one month.
Tip #6 Fertilize Your Monstera Adansonii
Some people think of fertilizer as food for your plants, but remember: all plants create their own energy (food) through the photosynthesis process. I like to think of fertilizer as more like the vitamins that your Monstera needs to thrive.
I usually recommend fertilizing your plant once per month during the growing season from spring through early fall and ceasing when your plant goes dormant for the winter. But go easy! Too much fertilizer is not good for a Monstera.
Always, always, always dilute fertilizer to half strength before putting it onto your Monstera. Plants that are fertilized too often or with mixes that are too strong have burned roots and damaged leaves. It is always best to start with a little fertilizer and add more later.
While there are ways to blend your own fertilizer for your plant, there are lots of reliable, balanced fertilizers, such as Jack’s All Purpose Houseplant Fertilizer, that you can use. Follow the instructions on these fertilizers carefully, and always go easy at first. Also, avoid getting any fertilizer directly on the stem or roots of your plant.
If you’ve recently repotted your plant into new soil, there is no need to fertilize for six months. Commercial potting mixes already have fertilizer included, and adding additional fertilizer right after a repotting may risk over-fertilizing your Monstera adansonii. The goal of fertilizer is to speed up plant growth, not to damage or harm the plant. When in doubt, go easy on the fertilizer.
Tip #7 Prune Your Monstera for New Growth
While it may be hard to believe that cutting your plant can make it grow faster, it absolutely can. Think of pruning your plant as removing dead or dying leaves, which steal energy from the plant overall. Trimming away these leaves will allow your plant to focus on growing healthier leaves, which will make the plant stronger.
Pruning also encourages the plant to grow taller and fuller by signaling to the plant that it needs to generate additional buds and shoots. And by reducing some of the leaves and stems, the roots have more energy to produce a focused burst of growth.
The time of year you choose to prune your plant will impact its ability to grow quickly. While you can remove dead or dying leaves anytime, it is a good idea to prune your Monstera adansonii in the spring. This allows your plant to recover throughout its growing period, which will result in faster, fuller growth.
The Secret Ingredient is Time
Even if you follow every tip in this article to a T, your Monstera adansonii will not grow noticeably overnight. Although Swiss cheese plants are known for growing faster than many indoor plants, it will take several months for you to see the dramatic change in height or length that you desire.
This is important to consider because patience is vital when caring for your plants. Applying too much fertilizer or introducing too much light to make the plant grow faster may only end up harming the health of your Monstera adansonii.
Instead, remember that a well-cared-for plant will naturally grow and that your job is to help encourage safe growth through proper habits. With the right light, food, and conditions, you will soon have a thriving Monstera adansonii to fill your home with lovely, distinctive foliage. Remember: good things come to those who wait!