How To Propagate Monstera Plants?

Propagating plants is the most cost-effective way to acquire additional plants or increase the number of your green companions.

It involves various techniques, including cuttings, seeds, separation, air layering, and any division to expand your collection.

Using these propagation methods, you can multiply your plant family without breaking the bank.

What Are Monstera Plants?

Monstera plants are popular, beautiful houseplants renowned for their large, distinctive leaves with natural fenestration. They are typically creepers or climbing plants.

The most common variety is the Monstera adansonii, popularly known as the Swiss cheese plant due to its leaves resembling Swiss cheese.

Next in popularity is the gorgeous Monstera borsigiana, Monstera deliciosa, and its laboratory-developed cultivar, the Monstera thai constellation, which originated from the deliciosa variety in Thailand.

Interestingly, while most popular monstera varieties exhibit fenestration, heavy creeper species like Monstera dubia, Monstera standleyana, and Monstera peru lack this characteristic.

monstera fenestration

A Monstera plant can also sprout up to 70-foot tall aerial roots. Aerial roots, which grow above the ground rather than in the soil, climb on other plants using these roots.

Benefits of Propagation

You can propagate monstera plants through two methods: sexual and asexual. Sexual propagation involves reproducing plants from seeds. Asexual propagation, on the other hand, utilizes vegetative portions of the plant, such as stems, roots, and leaves, to regenerate into a new plant or, in some cases, multiple plants.

Here are the benefits of propagating them:

  • For some species, it may be easier and faster to multiply them through sexual reproduction,
  • It could be the only option to keep specific cultivars alive,
  • It keeps particular cultivars’ juvenile or adult traits,
  • It enables the propagation of unusual growth patterns and
  • It may produce a vast plant more quickly (compared to one propagated by seed).

Ways To Propagate Monstera Plant

Monstera Propagation Via Stem Cuttings

monstera stem cutting

Here are the steps on how to propagate Monstera via stem cuttings:

  • Remove a lower leaf from your Monstera just below a node. When the plant is propagated, these nodes become new aerial roots.
  • Use a knife or pruning clean, disinfected, and sharp shears. This way, you’re preventing any infection that might result from any pathogen coming in contact with the plant’s wound.
  • The monstera cutting can then be planted directly in the soil or placed in a vase filled with filtered water.
  • Keep the vase or pot in a bright, warm location. Every few days, change the water and rinse the stem. You should then start to see new roots growing in no time. This usually takes 3-6 weeks.

Monstera Propagation Via Separation

separation propagation

Here’s how you can propagate Monstera via separation:

  • Before you begin, make sure your plant is well-watered.
  • Carefully remove your Monstera from the pot by tilting it on its side and gently pulling it out with your hands.
  • Then, cut the roots with a sharp knife or shears so that you have two or more plants. Make sure none of the stems or leaves are broken!
  • Repot each plant into a clean pot with drainage once you’ve separated them. Ensure the root balls are no more than 2-4 inches larger than the pots.

These outdoor plants should then be watered and kept in bright areas. In a month, you should see them showing new signs of new growth.

Monstera Propagation via Air Layering

monstera air layering

Here’s how you propagate a monstera via air-layering:

  • Sphagnum moss is required in this process. You get the mother plant’s aerial roots to grow before you remove your cutting.
  • Look for a node below the stem that you’ll want to propagate later. If there are already roots nearby, that’s fine.
  • Wrap the damp sphagnum moss over the node and cut and fasten it with string or a twist tie. Wrap everything in plastic wrap and secure it tightly, not too tightly, because the moss needs to be moist.
  • Remove the plastic wrap every two or three days and spritz the moss with filtered water in a spray bottle before re-wrapping.
  • After a few months, the stem in the wad of moss will have plenty of solid and healthy roots. After around two months, you can clip the stem from the node of the parent plant. Pot the air-layered portion in a separate container.

Monstera Propagation Via Water Propagation

monstera water propagation

Here’s how to propagate a Monster via water propagation:

  • Sharp shears and a disinfecting solution are required to take a cutting from a Monstera.
  • Fill the glass, jar, or vase halfway with water, add the cutting, and set it at room temperature with bright but indirect light.
  • The root formation of most cuttings begins after one or two weeks, but it can take much longer in rare circumstances.
  • While any section of the Monstera can be used to show in water, only cuttings with a leaf node can produce roots and grow into a larger plant. Put your clippings in a transparent container and store them somewhere bright.

Monstera Propagation via Seeds

propagation via seed

Here’s how to propagate Monstera via seeds:

  • Monstera seed is easy to get by but doesn’t have a long shelf life. So, plant it as soon as possible.
  • Soak the seeds in lukewarm water for 12 hours. It’s normal for the seeds to swell a little as they imbibe water.
  • Then, moisten the seed in a small amount of soil. It’s best to perform this in a warm area. But you don’t need much light, so avoid direct sunlight.
  • A tiny seedling will grow from the soil after 1 to 3 weeks. New shoots will take a long time to develop the typical fenestrated leaves.

Caring for your Propagated Monstera

May it be the Andasonii, thai constellation, parmigiana, Standley, deliciosa, or any other monstera? They all share similar techniques in propagation and even care.

Stem Cuttings in Water:

Change the water weekly to maintain freshness and prevent bacterial growth.

Please place it in a bright, indirect light spot in your house. Near a sunny window with a sheer curtain is ideal.

Once roots develop, transition the cutting to a well-draining potting mix, gradually introducing it to indirect bright light.

Stem Cuttings Directly in Soil:

Choose a well-draining potting mix and a well-draining pot.

Maintain slightly moist soil and provide bright, indirect light.

Mist the cutting regularly to keep the environment humid, encouraging root development.

Air Layering:

Once roots emerge from the moss, carefully separate the rooted section from the parent plant, transplant it into a pot with excellent drainage and a well-draining potting mix, and place it in a bright, indirect light location.

Separation:

Transplant the separated sections into their pots with fresh, well-draining potting mix.

Remember to provide your propagated monstera with bright, indirect light, well-draining soil, and consistent moisture. As they establish their root systems, gradually transition them to regular care and maintenance.

Whether you want to buy, sell or simply reach out to other plant enthusiasts, Plantly is the right place to be!

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