I’m sorry if these aren’t the best pictures. My mom gave me this monstera she bought from Trader Joe’s. I repotted it but some of the new leaves are starting to yellow. I used soil meant for tropical plants. This spot probably gets the best sunlight in the house (where my cats will also not mess with it), I do have a plant light if that is needed. I have a plant watering bulb in it at the moment.
I need help! What did I do wrong? Do I need to report it again?
by quiquinaa
4 Comments
Here are my plant care tips that I give to friends when I give them props. That soil needs to be a lot chunkier and will cause problems if you leave it like that.
Soil: (chunky 1:1:1 ratio) – best for monstera, but you can change the ratios for various plants in your collection – • Perlite or pumice • Orchid bark/pine bark nuggets; • Cactus/succulent soil
To interrupt fungus gnat cycle: sterilize soil before mixing with amendments by baking at 180° for 30 minutes in a 4” deep baking dish covered with foil. No deeper than 4” because you want the center to bake also.) **Note: wear PPE (to include mask & eye protection) when mixing perlite into soil mix, as it will irritate your eyes and lungs**
Pot: Well-draining pots *with drainage holes*!!; Removable inner pot inside planter (clear nursery pots are good so you can see roots and moisture level) if you want to put it in something without holes.
Watering: • Allow soil to dry out before watering to avoid root rot • Water thoroughly until it drains from the bottom of the pot, to ensure all roots receive adequate water • Till/mix top 2” of soil when moist to promote aeration & avoid fungal growth • Elevate so water can completely drain • Don’t let it sit on a full drainage tray • Check moisture with a wooden chopstick and water when top 1-2” are dry (don’t trust those cheap hydrometers)
Support: Moss pole with PVC base to avoid rot; Gardening Velcro (not zip ties!)
Light: Lots of light in a south-facing window for Monstera and succulents; Move into light gradually to avoid burns or shocking the plant; Wipe down leaves with a soft damp cloth to remove dust & encourage photosynthesis
Pest control: • Systemic granules; • Mosquito Dunks; • Sticky insect traps; • Do not mist leaves
A couple things from first glance:
– there seems to be a lot of stems in the pot? Or is it just very thicc? I recommend 2-3 max per pot to avoid it getting rootbound too fast
— If there are several stems you can usually separate them without needing to chop roots, just wiggle and shake, help out with your hands to detangle, and then suddenly you got more than 1 plant ☺️
– Yellowing leaves is a normal sign of stress from eg. Moving, repotting, changed conditions, could also indicate overwatering / underwatering and root problems
– That soil mix looks way too dense for a monstera, it’s not the best for the plant but I would 100% repot it again into something more suitable. They like very chunky mixes, I’ll attach some pictures in this thread of mine 🙂
Go for a good mix of bark, leca, pumice and a little soil/coco coir to hold in some moisture
– I haven’t had a look at the roots, but did they smell stinky? Look mushy? If yes, that’s root rot and you need to cut away all the infected parts and treat the rest with a spray/dip(40 seconds) in 1% H2O2 and then wash off after about 1-2 minutes of drying.
– Also definitely could use some more light, but not direct sunlight 🙂
I can’t think of anything else as it doesn’t look like pests. Keep me updated! I love a little rescue project 🥰
Give it more water and fertilise often enough (max. every two weeks tho) monsteras are VERY forgiving.
Also think about investing in a grow light (available on Amazon from 10€ up) and spraying the plant with water if the humidity is low
Good luck ☘️
It looks to me like it’s getting too much water, and not enough light. More light means the plant can process more water. A self-watering bulb is not a good idea. The soil is going to soak up as much water as it can, regardless of the plants needs.
There are multiple plants in that pot, which isn’t ideal. They would be better off separated, but be very careful not to damage the roots. The big thick roots aren’t the concern. There are very fine, tiny, hair like roots which do the work to take up water. If you separate make sure you only very gently pull them apart and don’t endeavor to remove the soil from the roots.