Houseplant · Araceae
Swiss Cheese Plant
Monstera deliciosa
Give it bright indirect light and a pole to climb, and the Swiss cheese plant rewards you with big, hole-punched leaves.
Bright indirect
Every 7–14 days
61–84°F · 16–29°C
USDA 10–12
Overview
Few houseplants are as recognizable as the Swiss cheese plant. Native to the rainforests of Central America, it climbs tree trunks in the wild and brings that same jungle look indoors, where its huge leaves split into the holes and ribbons that gave it its name. It belongs to the arum family, alongside philodendrons and peace lilies, and shares their easy, forgiving nature.
The leaves change as the plant grows up. A young monstera puts out plain, solid hearts, and only once it matures and gets enough light do the famous fenestrations appear. Those holes are thought to help the leaves shrug off heavy rain and let light filter down to the foliage below, a clever trick for a plant that lives under a forest canopy.
It grows fast and stays easy, which is why it suits a first-time plant owner. Set it in bright indirect light, give it a moss pole to climb, and it can stretch to 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3 m) tall indoors. The main thing to remember is that every part except the ripe fruit is an irritant, so place it out of reach of pets and small children.
Care
The short version: bright indirect light, a moss pole to climb, and water only once the top of the soil dries out. Keep it warm, give it humidity, and feed it through spring and summer.
Light
Give it bright, indirect light near a window but out of the harsh midday sun, which scorches the leaves. It puts up with medium light and some shade, but dim spots leave you with small, solid leaves and no splits.
Water
Let the top inch or so of soil dry out before you water again, roughly every 7 to 14 days. Ease off through fall and winter when growth slows. Soggy soil is the fastest way to rot the roots, so err on the dry side.
Soil
Plant it in a rich, well-drained mix with peat and plenty of structure so water runs through freely. A pH between 5.5 and 7.0 suits it, and an airy mix keeps the roots from sitting wet.
Temperature
Keep it between 61°F and 84°F (16°C to 29°C), the warm range of an ordinary home. It dislikes cold drafts and won't take frost, so move it away from chilly windows in winter.
Humidity
This is a rainforest plant that likes high humidity, and dry indoor air leaves the leaf edges brown and crisp. Group it with other plants, set it near a humidifier, or stand it on a pebble tray to lift the moisture around it.
Feeding
Feed it monthly through spring and summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer while it's actively growing. Stop in fall and winter when it rests, since feeding a dormant plant only builds up salt in the soil.
Pruning
Prune in spring to shape the plant or cut it back to size. The aerial roots can be trained onto a moss pole, tucked into the soil, or trimmed off cleanly, whichever look you prefer.
Repotting
Repot every 1 to 2 years in spring, moving up one pot size when roots circle the bottom or push out the drainage holes. Slowed growth and water that drains straight through are the other signs it's outgrown its home.
Size & spacing
Indoors it climbs to 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3 m) tall and spreads 3 to 8 feet (90 to 250 cm) wide, so give it real room. A sturdy moss pole keeps that growth upright and the heavy stems from snapping.
Troubleshooting
Most monstera problems trace back to watering or light, and the plant tells you early if you watch the leaves. Match what you see below to the likely cause, then fix it before it spreads.
Wilting plant with dark, mushy roots
A monstera that wilts even though its soil is wet is showing root rot, brought on by overwatering or a mix that holds too much water. Slide the plant out, cut away any soft, blackened roots, and repot into fresh, free-draining soil. From there, water less often and the plant can recover.
Fix:
- Unpot and trim rotten roots
- Repot in fresh draining mix
- Reduce watering
Lower leaves turning yellow
When several of the older, lower leaves go yellow at once and the soil feels soggy, the cause is almost always overwatering or a pot that drains too slowly. Let the top of the soil dry out before you water again, and make sure the pot can actually drain. A plant left sitting in wet soil heads toward root rot.
Fix:
- Reduce watering frequency
- Let top soil dry
- Ensure pot drains freely
Fine webbing and speckled leaves
Faint webbing and a dusty, stippled look on the leaves point to spider mites, which thrive when the air turns hot and dry. Rinse the foliage off, raise the humidity to make the plant a poor host, and treat with insecticidal soap if they hang on. Checking the undersides of leaves often catches them early.
Fix:
- Rinse foliage
- Raise humidity
- Apply insecticidal soap
Brown bumps and sticky residue on the stems
Small brown bumps clinging to the stems, often with a sticky film below them, are scale insects feeding on the sap. Scrape or wipe them off, then coat the plant with horticultural oil to smother any you missed. Most arrive on a new plant, so look any newcomer over before it joins the rest.
Fix:
- Wipe off scale
- Apply horticultural oil
Stems sprawling sideways instead of climbing
Out in the wild a monstera climbs, so indoors it flops and sprawls when it has nothing to hold onto. Set a moss pole or trellis in the pot and guide the aerial roots onto it. Doing this early keeps the stems upright and saves them from snapping under their own weight.
Fix:
- Add moss pole or trellis
- Train aerial roots onto support
Cottony masses or sticky film on the leaves
White cottony tufts or a sticky residue mean mealybugs, aphids, or thrips have moved in. Wipe the leaves clean and follow up with insecticidal soap, repeating until the pests are gone. Keep any new plant apart for a couple of weeks and check it over, since that is how most infestations start.
Fix:
- Wipe leaves
- Apply insecticidal soap
Leaves stay whole with no holes or splits
Two things cause this, and the first is simply youth. A young monstera makes solid, heart-shaped leaves and only starts splitting once it matures, so give it time. The other cause is too little light, so move it somewhere bright but out of direct sun and give it a pole to climb, which speeds the splits along.
Fix:
- Move to bright indirect light
- Allow plant to mature
- Add climbing support
Brown, crispy edges along the leaves
Dry indoor air is the usual culprit here, and low humidity leaves the margins brittle and brown. Salt left behind by fertilizer can do the same. Raise the humidity around the plant, and flush the pot through with plenty of plain water now and then to wash those salts out.
Fix:
- Raise humidity
- Flush soil to leach salts
Toxicity
This is a plant to keep out of reach. Every part except the fully ripe fruit holds insoluble calcium oxalate crystals that burn the mouth and throat the moment they're chewed. Pets, livestock, and children can all be hurt by a bite, and even the sap can sting skin and eyes, so wash your hands after handling it.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Moderate
A cat that bites a leaf gets a fast, painful burning in the mouth, then drools, paws at its face, and may vomit. The tongue and lips can swell enough to make swallowing hard.
Dogs Moderate
Expect drooling, pawing at the mouth, and retching soon after a chew, since the crystals sting on contact. Swelling of the lips and tongue can follow.
Horses Moderate
The same crystals irritate a horse's mouth and gut, bringing on excess drool and discomfort. Most horses spit the bitter leaves out before eating much.
Rabbits Moderate
The sharp oxalate crystals make this a poor and risky nibble for a rabbit, with mouth pain and a refusal to eat afterward. Keep it well out of reach.
Livestock Moderate
Grazing animals that mouth the foliage get the burning irritation and the drooling that come with it. The harsh taste usually stops them after a single bite.
Birds Caution
A pet bird that chews the leaves can suffer the same mouth irritation, so treat the plant as off-limits. Keep cages and perches away from it.
People Caution
Every part except the fully ripe fruit burns the mouth and throat if chewed, and unripe fruit does the same. Only the ripe fruit is safe to eat, so keep leaves and green fruit away from children.
Sap may irritate skin and eyes; wash hands after handling
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Beyond the classic green species, a few prized variegated forms turn up in collections. These are the ones worth knowing by name.
'Thai Constellation'
Raised from tissue culture so its creamy white streaks stay stable, this cultivar splashes deep green leaves with constellation-like flecks and grows a touch slower than the plain species.
'Albo-Variegata'
Its bold white and cream patches come from an unstable chimera, so the markings shift leaf to leaf and the foliage runs a little smaller than the species.
'Variegata'
A catch-all for variegated forms, it carries patterned foliage on leaves that stay somewhat smaller than those of the species.
var. borsigiana
A smaller, more compact form that botanists now treat as just another name for Monstera deliciosa rather than a separate plant.
How to propagate
Monstera is simple to multiply, and a single healthy plant can give you several more for nothing. Two methods cover almost every case.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Spring to summer · 4-8 weeks to root
Cuttings are the easy way to make new plants, and spring through summer is the time to take them. Cut a section that includes at least one node, ideally just below an aerial root, then stand it in water or push it into a moist mix. Give it 4 to 8 weeks and fresh roots take hold.
Air layeringModerate
Growing season · 6-8 weeks
Air-layering takes more patience but works well during the growing season. Wrap a fistful of moist sphagnum moss around a node that has an aerial root and keep it damp until roots push into the moss, which takes about 6 to 8 weeks. Once they have formed, cut the rooted section free and pot it up.
Myths
The monstera is a kind of philodendron.
The old trade name split-leaf philodendron sticks around, but it's wrong. Monstera deliciosa belongs to the genus Monstera, not Philodendron, though both sit in the arum family Araceae and look alike at a glance.
Misting the leaves makes them split.
Spraying water on the foliage does nothing to bring on the famous holes. Those splits, called fenestrations, come with age and good light as the plant matures, not from any amount of misting.
Aerial roots should always be cut off.
Those thick roots reaching out from the stem are perfectly normal and the plant uses them to climb. Train them onto a moss pole or tuck them into the soil, or trim them back if you prefer, since removing them does no harm.
Monstera fruit is poisonous.
The fear is half right, which is what makes it confusing. Only the unripe fruit irritates the mouth because of calcium oxalate crystals, while the fully ripe fruit is safe and tastes of banana and pineapple.
More holes always mean a healthier plant.
Holes are a sign of age and light, not of good nutrition. A well-fed plant in dim light can stay solid-leaved, so judge its health by overall growth and color rather than counting splits.
Variegated monsteras need the same care as green ones.
The white parts of a variegated leaf hold no chlorophyll, so the plant has less to work with. Give it brighter light and expect slower growth, because it simply can't power itself the way an all-green plant can.
Sources
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control
- NC State Extension Plant Toolbox
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder
- Wisconsin Horticulture, UW-Madison Extension
- University of Florida IFAS Extension
- Hawaii-Pacific Weed Risk Assessment (CGAPS / Invasive Species Committees)
- Royal Horticultural Society
- Royal Horticultural Society