Are you wondering what is the right way of watering Monstera?
You should water Monstera plants when the topsoil is almost 60 percent dry. Make sure that you always discard the water that gets collected in the saucer. Misting the plant once a week will increase its lifespan.
In this article, we will guide you on how you can water Monstera plants easily in just seven simple steps at home!
Watering Monstera Plants in Containers (Step by Step)
1. Determine whether your plants need watering
It is a critical concern. Knowing when to water your Monstera is quite challenging because sometimes you will not be able to tell for sure. However, there are some signs and precautions that you can look out for and implement.
First of all, you should check the soil every few days if it is wet or dry. Doing this will indicate whether you need to water your Monstera plant or not. Poke your finger an inch into the soil to make sure it is dry below the surface.
If you determine a potted plant is dry, lift it to feel the weight. Doing this with various pots you’ll soon develop a feel for when to water, just by the weight of the pot. Alternatively, there are inexpensive watering gauges you can find at many hardware and home or online stores like Amazon that help you learn when a plant is dry.
Some of the more elaborate ones even include a computer chip and database of common plants, integrating a specific plant water needs with the current soil moisture.
When the Monstera plant is becoming dehydrated, the leaves will curl, indicating that you must water the plant immediately to prevent damage.
2. The best time for watering your Monstera plants
Most new gardeners get confused and start to what their plants are at unsuitable times during the day and night. However, doing this can be unhelpful for your plant.
Ideally, early morning or early evening is the optimal time to water your Monstera deliciosa as this will give them some time to take up the water before the heat of the day kicks in, but, will also allow excess water on the plant to evaporate quickly so that the plant is not vulnerable to fungus.
Furthermore, roots are more receptive to watering in the morning and the evening and less so in the midday sun.
However, it's not a good idea (if you can prevent it) to water in the evening, because when you let water sit on the leaves overnight, your plant is more likely to contract some plant diseases and fungus, like powdery mildew.
3. How much water do Monstera plants need?
While there’s no definite answer, it’s important to your plants until water comes out of the drainage holes.
This way, you will not have to worry about the plant's roots getting damaged because they will be getting enough amount of water regularly. But it would help if you also made sure that the soil is arid before you water it; otherwise, you will be giving it too much water.
Too much water can also be dangerous for the plant's health, and it can affect its growth and development.
Luckily, these plants will always indicate whether they’re getting enough water or not. For instance, when the leaves of the plant are sagging and drooping or you observe discoloration of the leaves, then you’ll know that the plants aren’t getting adequate water.
4. Actual Watering of the Plant
There are two possible ways to water your Monstera plant. You can either water from the top (top watering) or bottom (bottom watering). Bottom watering is a practice where the plant is set in and absorbs water from a saucer or container filled with water.
However, keep in mind that if you water your Monstera plants regularly from the bottom, occasionally you should water from the top to get rid of excess salts in the soil. Make sure plants don’t continually sit in water—just for a short time until some is absorbed by the soil.
Besides, try not to put the water on the leaves and crown, as rot diseases are more likely to occur if water is continually poured on the crown. This is a major problem with top watering.
You can also water your plants automatically if you can afford an automatic plant watering system.
5. The watering frequency
Ideally, you shouldn’t water your Monstera on schedule. But you can have a plant for checking to determine if the plants need water or not which should be weekly especially during the summer months.
However, during the autumn and winter season, you can slow down because your Monstera plant will not require as much water.
This means watering frequency isn’t a constant. Instead, the frequency keeps changing depending on the season. Other factors that affect watering frequency include; the potting media used to grow your Monstera, temperature, light, and relative humidity.
6. Check the relative humidity
No matter how careful you’re with watering if the relative humidity drops your plants will dry sooner than expected. Besides, Monstera plants enjoy medium to high humidity having originated from the tropics.
Therefore, if the atmospheric air feels dry, give your shiny Monstera leaves a nice mist early in the morning to raise the humidity to acceptable levels.
7. Regularly check the drainage
If not done properly, watering can cause more problems than you’d expect. For instance, apply too much water too frequently and your Monstera will begin to rot from the crown down to the roots. On the other hand, too little water for longer periods will cause dehydration, wilting, and even plant death.
While all these problems can be alleviated by following the outlined steps in this article, proper drainage can salvage the situation should you err on the side of too much water.
This means, regularly checking your pots to make sure the drainage holes aren’t blocked, using a porous potting mix, and getting rid of excess water on the saucer or floor.
Conclusion
There you have it. Watering Monstera is no rocket science. You just have to remember to check the soil every few days if it is wet or dry. Doing this will indicate whether you need to water your Monstera plant or not.
When it comes to watering frequency, make sure to put the prevailing conditions into consideration to avoid watering when the plant doesn’t necessarily need to be watered. Follow these easy steps for watering Monstera plants and will become extra-large quite fast before you know it!