Monstera adansonii Variegata are unique plants. They are rare to find but caring for them isn’t demanding. If you are a beginner, you need to purchase either a mature plant or a grown stem cutting. You can purchase from online sellers or visit a reputable plant sale outlet near you.
Like monstera deliciosa, adansonii are native to Central and South America’s tropical regions. Variegation in these houseplants had had an irresistible urge in me. So I just added them to my houseplant wishlist.
How to Propagate Monstera Adansonii
You can propagate this houseplant but the process requires patience. A more successful method is stem cutting.
This plant grows aerial kind of roots. So, first, stem quality selection is key. And secondly, is when to propagate. We usually have three node-cutting. You may want to have two leaves at the top nodes. That is okay.
Stem Cutting Propagation Steps
To successfully propagate your Monstera adansonii in water prepare the cuttings in spring.
What you need: water glasses, scissors, gardening gloves, potting mix, settled water
- Select mature stems from your spare houseplants with several leaves
- Use a pair of disinfected and clean scissors to take a cutting with 2 leaves
- Cut each stem leaving 3/4 – 1 inch internode below the lower nodes
- Then submerge the cuttings in glasses of water one in each
- Ensure that leaves don’t touch the water in glasses
- Lastly move your cutting to a location with bright, indirect light
Roots will start to form after week one or so. Thereafter, moisten your potting mix. Wear your gloves and carefully bury the rooted cuttings. Relocate your cuttings back to a warm and brightly lit room.
You can still take single leaf stem cuttings with aerial roots and directly shallowly burry them in potting mix.
Keep the potting mix moist but not wet or soggy. After 2 more weeks, the cutting will have grown more roots. It becomes clearer when tiny buds begin protruding off the nodes.
If you have a couple of the cuttings, scoop each with aid of a trowel and transfer them to pots immediately. These are now your next-generation plants. So continue giving care.
- Cover the plants with plastic bags from evening to early morning
- Keep the pots moist only
- Monitor their growth separately
You can grow new plants much quicker with a high success rate. So consider investing in grower formulations such as a houseplant propagation promoter.
Variegated Monstera Adansonii Care
Growing and caring for a variegated adansonii is easy and manageable.
1) Select a Quality Potting Mix
These variegated monsteras will thrive in porous potting or soil mix. You can purchase an indoor soil mix or buy ingredients and DIY. To find the right mix, know the number and size of your plants. Here is a sample ratio of ingredients to use:
- sphagnum peat moss (1 part)
- perlite (2 handfuls)
Select well-drained garden soil with slight acidity – if you’re growing your plants outdoors. Potting mix is the best for young monstera because it is sterile.
2) Optimize Light Requirements
Variegated houseplants need 6 – 8 hours of indirect and very bright light. They need the right amount of light energy to maintain good health for photosynthesis. This is due to the fact their leaves have much less chlorophyll.
An ideal location is one in front of a south-facing window. You may want to fix light filters if there is need to open windows. Alternatively, your window curtains are just as good.
Move your plant 3 feet closer to the south-facing window if you notice these signs.
- Stems getting weaker (leggy)
- Inactivity such as your plant refusing to grow new leaves
- The top few inches starts to take longer to dry out between watering
- Any mature leaves not splitting at all (fenestration)
Another option is growing lights. But are they a good substitute for natural light? If your home environment does not allow bright light, then consider purchasing grow lights. Besides them being consistent, they are affordable and easy to use.
Humidity variations and air circulation can affect or influence the absorption of light. So keep the living room moist much of the day. Where possible, use humidifiers during the colder nights especially the winter months. Elsewhere, to enhance absorption and light utilization, wipe your plants. Clean them weekly if you often mist them.
3) Find Ideal Humidity + Optimal Warmth Levels
For healthy and comfortable growth, variegated monstera prefers warmer indoor spaces. It is easy to create an indoor space that nearly mimics the natural environment. Nevertheless, your plants will survive in the normal living room warmth.
How warm and humid should your indoor gardening be? I still rely on humidity and temperature devices. Why? One, they help you get the readings on a true scale quite easily. Two, you make more accurate adjustments over time.
The warmth of the tropical environment normally varies from 65 °F – 80 °F. But you want to maintain warmth optimal good for your health and the plant’s. If you have a separate room, it becomes easier to regulate warmth in your home. From 70 °F to 72.8 °F of household temperatures, your plants will grow happily. If you are a beginner, always maintain the warmth indoors at nothing less than 60 °F.
Avoid any spots and sources of heat or cold drafts. Move your houseplant away from open windows and air conditioning vents. Use a humidifier during the winter cold months. A medium-high in your home/indoor garden is just the right humidity level.
4) Fix Watering Issues
Water your Monstera adansonii only when the top inch of soil has dried out but not completely. Poke your finger into the top part of the soil to detect the moisture status.
Stop watering Monstera adansoniis if you notice these signs:
- When leaves start drooping
- Plant starts wilting
- Excess water stops dripping from the drainage holes
- If a majority of your plant leaves turn yellow with persistence
Find out if you are overwatering your monstera and how to can save it.
Besides water quality, frequency is another crucial factor. During the summer, relative humidity decreases. Similarly, the temperature in summer increases. This means you water your monstera adansonii more often during the summer.
During the winter, humidity increases as the temperature drops. The growth rate slows down naturally. Therefore, increase the duration between watering from weekly to monthly.
To avoid flooding your potted plant, observe these DOs and DON’Ts keenly:
- Don’t follow or stick to a watering scheme blindly
- Use a single container to keep with the right amount of water
- Water your pot ensuring it receives on every side
5) Meet your Houseplant’s Feeding Needs
Variegated monstera needs simple nutrition since they are not heavy feeders. Food selection and growing season are the key basis to proper feeding. To help your variegated monstera benefit and vigor, feed them regularly. Use the right doses too.
The best way to meet the feeding requirements is to create a handy, easy feeding program. Buy a general houseplant fertilizer for your plant needs.
You don’t need to feed them throughout on any kind of plant of plant food.
Go for balanced houseplant fertilizer for your Monstera adansonii. For young ones, apply once a month in the late spring through early fall. For those entering their mature phases, feed after two weeks. Feed/fertilize them in the growing season (spring and summer).
6) How-to Repotting Tips for Variegated Monstera
Repotting is more of taking into consideration the type of potting soil, signs and correct timing. You can do these so easily if you have a caring hand.
Being pretty slow growers, you need patience. There is no exact duration to wait before repotting. However, you can’t do it often so. Here are signs to notice over time.
- You’ll easily understand if your plant is outgrowing its current pot
Drainage holes fail to function properly The stem and roots together start to reject the pot The plant itself seems to stop growing Soils start to show signs of compaction
When it is time to repot, here are our guide tips for beginner gardeners.
- Go for a new plastic container that is a few inches larger 1.2 – 1.8 inches
- A well-draining indoor plant potting mix
- Select a blend without compost
If you are interested in growing them outdoors, consider the hardiness zone of the place you live in.
7) Pruning – How to Trim Monstera Adansonii
Variegated monsteras require light pruning. If you neglect them, your houseplants will grow large the way you won’t like. Pruning only requires simple executions. Just snip off the lower yellow leaves. Cut the base of those older or dried stems. Always wear gloves and use a pair of sharp and sanitized shears.
TIP: Do not prune these plants during the winter as they may take longer or fail to bloom.
Prune spurts of growth from the mid-spring. You will encourage them to get new growths. Besides, it is an opportunity to control the size of growth you want. Additionally, you can make good use of cut-off stems as propagation material.
Common Growing Problems
A handful of issues can hamper growth, delay blooming or kill your houseplant. These include the following.
Root Rot
Root rot is can kill your houseplant. Both variegated and non-variegated monstera can easily develop root rot. Overwatering is the main culprit that leads to it. The good thing is you can diagnose, treat and save monstera in case they have signs of root rot.
Yellowing Leaves
With the above care tips, a change in leaf color is normally rare. However, yellow leaves can signify a problem including:
- Monstera plants receiving low light or situating them in poorly lit rooms
- Your houseplant are dehydrated
- They’re infested with pests
Leaves Turning Brown or Black
As a sign, brown leaves on variegated monstera adansonii are an indication of a fertilizer, extreme temperature or flooded pots. A disease (leaf blight) is responsible for leaves turning black.
Final Remarks
It is never likely that your variegated monstera can mutate again. As such they won’t go back to be green plants
