Hi everyone,
I recently inherited this Monstera from my grandma, who passed away a few days ago. This plant has been in her home for many years, and I would really love to keep it alive and healthy as a way to hold onto something from her.
Right now, it’s clearly not doing great and I’m honestly scared of making things worse. I’ve attached photos so you can see the current condition.
Some things I’ve noticed:
– Very long, stretched stem with lots of aerial roots
– Leaves have brown, crispy edges and some yellowing
– Only a few healthy leaves left at the top
– Soil looks quite dry/compact (not sure when it was last repotted)
– It’s leaning and tied to a support, but not very stable
I’m not sure what the biggest issue is – light, watering, soil, or just age/neglect.
What I’d really appreciate help with:
– What are the main problems you see?
– Should I repot it, cut it back, or leave it as is for now?
– Is it worth propagating parts of it as a backup? What parts?
– Any immediate “don’t do this or you’ll kill it” advice
I’m willing to put in the work, I just don’t want to make a wrong move with something that has a lot of emotional value to me.
Thank you so much ❤️
by Electronic-Boss7726
2 Comments
First of all, I‘m really sorry for your loss ♥️ i‘m glad that you have this monstera to – literally – keep the memory of your grandma alive.
There are probably people who know much more about monstera care than I do, bit I want to give my two cents just in case it’s useful to you:
I assume that you just took the plant to your place. Let it sit for 2-3 weeks without really doing anything apart from watering it when the top of the soil gets dry. It‘s important to let the plant acclimate to its new home before doing anything drastic. I sometimes skip this step and it mostly turns out fine, but in your case I‘d say it‘s better to be safe than sorry.
Monsteras like to get a lot of light, but try to avoid too much direct sun because it could burn the leaves.
After a couple of weeks you should definitely repot and change the soil to a chunkier mix (for example: 50% regular soil, 25% orchid bark, 25% perlite). Not sure if you need to size up the pot, that probably depends on how the roots look. If you‘re not sure, you can post a picture of the roots ball here and ask for help 🙂
And yes, the plant needs a better support. It looks like it‘s loosely tied to a metal pole? People usually recommend moss poles, but personally I find them to be too time consuming (and ugly). I use a wooden plank for my monstera. Again, if you‘re not sure how to stake them, just post a picture with your plant and the support you chose and people here will help. But the general rule is to tie the big stem, not the petioles (the smaller stems that the leaves grow from) to the support.
If you choose to get a moss pole, you can direct the aerial roots into the pole. That will give the plant extra support and nutrients. If you choose something else, you can try to put the aerial roots directly into the soil. They will become regular roots and supply the plant with extra nutrients as well 🙂 don’t worry if it doesn’t work out or the roots break off or anything. Monsteras are pretty resilient when it comes to that and some people prefer to cut them off because they don’t like the look of them.
I think that‘s all I have for now. Good luck with taking care of your plant!
So sorry for your loss, I hope you’re doing okay ❤️Support is definitely needed for this baby, such as a wooden plank or moss pole.
I also think a repot with a different potting medium (a more aroid chunky mix including perlite) would be required.
Knowing when to do this would be dictated on how long you’ve already had it and if the browning/yellowing of leaves has continued since you’ve received it.
I would be cautious of sending it into shock if done too soon, however repotting it means you can check the roots and see how healthy those are to rule out root rot and other issues. If the leaves continue to brown yet the roots and stem are healthy, chop and prop her.
It does also seem quite leggy, meaning it actually needs more sun, but once again I would be cautious about sending it into shock and would gradually increase the sun. A north facing window would be perfect compared to an west facing window so it doesn’t get burnt by the sun setting