How Fast Do Monstera Grow? (6 Tips To Make Monstera Grow Faster)
Want to know how fast do monstera grow? Continue reading. I will be sharing some actionable tips and tricks to make monstera grow faster.
If you just got a small monstera plant and wondering how fast they grow, then this article is just for you.
After all, most people want to make their monstera grow faster so that they can show off it on their Instagram.
And if that sounds like you, continue reading.
I will be covering everything you need to know regarding the monstera growth rate. Additionally, I will be sharing multiple tips and tricks to make monstera grow faster and reach its full potential as fast as possible.
To be precise, the topics include,
- How Fast Do Monstera Grow?
- Does Monstera Grow Faster In Soil Or Water?
- Which Monstera Grows Faster?
- How Often Monstera Grow New Leaves?
- 6 Tips To Make Monstera Grow Faster
- Lot’s more.
So, let’s get started.
How Fast Do Monstera Grow?
Monstera growth rate varies depending on the type of variety you have. There are around 45 types of monstera plants and not all of them grows at the same pace. With that being said, the most commonly seen Monstera Deliciosa grows approximately 1 to 2 feet (12 to 24 inches) in a year.
Even though monsteras can grow 2ft a year, only a small minority of houseplant owners will be able to achieve the feat.
Based on a Facebook community poll, approximately 86% of monstera plant owners experienced growth of fewer than 1.5 feet in a year.
So, if you are not able to achieve 2 feet growth then you don’t have to panic unless your monstera is not healthy.
Another thing to note is, out of the 1 to 2 feet of total growth, 90% will be achieved in their active growing season, which starts in spring and ends in fall.
That means, you will not be seeing much growth in the winter months and that’s totally fine and don’t overfeed or stress your plant.
And, this 1 feet growth is based on the assumption that your monstera is getting the average care most of the beginner houseplant owners give.
If, on the other hand, your monstera plant isn’t growing at least 1ft a year, there’s a problem that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
Does Monstera Grow Faster In Water or Soil?
A lot of houseplant owners grow their monstera plants in water alone without any soil or potting media.
This has led to me thinking about the growth rate in these two mediums. Does monstera grow faster in water or soil medium?
Upon researching, I found that Monstera plants are known to grow faster in soil than water. And the reason is pretty simple.
When your monstera is always in water, the roots of the plant have to extract dissolved oxygen from the water to breathe. Extracting dissolved oxygen from water is an energy-consuming activity and as a result, the plant grows slower.
On the other hand, when your monstera is in soil, oxygen is readily available and your plant will use all of its energy to grow which results in faster growth.
Water grown monsteras will not only have a slower growth rate, but it also has smaller leaves than same-aged soil-grown monstera.
So, if you want to grow monstera faster, then growing them completely in water is not an option. But, if you like to have a compact monstera plant, then growing them in water is a good option.
Which Monstera Grow Fastest?
Monstera is a large genus with 45 varieties, and each one has quite a unique appearance and growth rate.
Out of these 45 species, the commonly grown houseplant variants are monstera deliciosa, monstera adansonii, monstera dubia and monstera peru.
Also, there are a couple of variegated varieties available which are really rare.
The general fact is that variegated monsteras grow slower than their non-variegated counterparts. It is because the plant needs to spend a lot of energy on producing variegation in the leaves which results in slower growth.
Another reason for slower growth in variegated monstera is the fewer quantity of chlorophyll in their leaves.
If you don’t know, chlorophyll is the green pigment in monstera leaves that are responsible for photosynthesis. More variegation means less chlorophyll which will lead to slower photosynthesis and growth.
Also, monstera varieties with larger leaves are known to be slow growers. Maintaining larger leaves is more energy-consuming than slower leaf counterparts.
Just for your reference, I’m classifying commonly seen monstera varieties into three groups.
Fast Growing Monsteras (Greater than 2 ft a year):
- Monstera Peru
- Monstera Mini
- Monstera Siltepecana
Average Growers (1 – 2 ft a year):
- Monstera Deliciosa
- Monstera Adansonii
- Monstera Punctulata
- Monstera Standleyana
Slow Growers (<1 ft a year):
- Monstera Dubia
- Monstera Esqueleto
- Variegated varieties like Monstera Albo, Monstera Thai Constellation, etc.
Keep in mind that these values are aggregated based on a lot of research, personal experience and inputs from other houseplant owners.
Whatever variety you have, if it’s not growing at the specified lower value in the range then you may have to look for other symptoms and see if your monstera is facing any issue.
How Often Do Monstera Grow New Leaves?
When you provide proper conditions for your monstera plant, then you can expect one new leaf every month. If your plant is moved to a new location, then growing 2 leaves in three months is also considered a good growth rate.
As the plant grows more branches, the number of growth nodes will increase and the new leaf count will increase.
But all these new growths happen only during its growing season which starts in spring and ends in fall. Monstera plants are known to be dormant during the winter months without any growth.
If your monstera is not growing new leaves for months even in the growing season, then there is something wrong. Maybe you’re not providing proper care or your plant is already having some disease that needs to be fixed as soon as possible.
How To Make Monstera Grow Faster?
In order to grow monstera faster, you must provide a growing environment that is very similar to what it gets in their natural habitat. It includes indirect bright light, high humidity, well-aerated nutrient-dense soil mix, etc.
If you can provide exceptional care to your monstera, then you can easily make it grow at a rate of 2 feet in a year which only very few houseplant owners are achieving currently.
Let me briefly describe all the care guidelines you have to follow religiously so that you can grow monstera faster.
1. Grow monstera faster by providing indirect bright light
According to several studies, Monstera plants likes to be in indirect bright light.
In fact, they flourish in low to moderate light environments. So, it is recommended that you give low to medium light for at least 10 hours a day for optimal growth.
When you place your monsteras near a window, always make sure that it gets indirect sunlight and not the direct sun rays. In their natural habitat, monstera plants grow underneath a canopy of trees so they get filtered light all the time.
Direct sunlight may cause sunburn to monstera leaves and dry up the plant in long run. So, it is necessary that you add some kind of light filtration product like a diffuser or UV screen.
Apart from sunburn, direct sunlight may scorch your monstera plant and turn its leaves yellow and brown.
But, not just too much light, even too little light can fade your monstera leaves. Variegated monstera plants will lose their variegation in very low light conditions.
Also, too little light will have an impact on the photosynthesis process and as a result, the overall growth rate will be reduced.
If your room does not have enough windows or openings that can give an indirect bright light to your monstera plant, then try to add a good full spectrum grow light directly adobe your monstera plant.
If you know exactly which spot you’re going to put your monstera in, then the next step is to figure out the perfect potting medium for it to thrive.
2. Grow monstera faster by planting it in nutritious soil
If you are reading this article from the start, then you probably know that monstera can grow well in water alone without soil mix similar to the pothos plant.
But, with just water alone you cannot expect to grow a monstera faster. It needs a lot more than that.
And, choosing the right soil mix for your monstera should be among the top priorities for growing a plant.
Based on a research paper published in the Journal of Florida State Horticultural Society, monstera plants thrive in a soil mix that has very good aeration, organic matter and water holding capability.
The study also compares different mixes and found that the best results were seen when the soil mix had perlite, bark, organic compost and peat moss.
The result from the study makes sense because monstera plants grow above huge layers of leaf mould and other organic matter in their natural environment.
Not just monstera, any tropical plant will thrive in this soil mix. Due to the same reason, there are many brands that make soil mixes including these ingredients. But, always try to choose the mixture with the highest concentration of peat moss.
Also, keep in mind that monstera plants like to be in a slightly acidic soil environment. So, check the pH level of your monstera soil and try to keep ii in the range of 5.5 to 7.
3. Grow monstera faster by providing high humidity
If you ask me, what is the one important piece of advice I have for beginner houseplant owners?
Well, I would say give your plants the humidity it deserves.
On many occasions, I’ve seen houseplant owners just completely neglect humidity. I understand humidity is not something that can be easily controlled.
But, if you want your monstera to grow 2 feet a year, then you have to do beyond what most others are willing to do.
So, what is the best humidity for monstera plants?
Monsteras are native to tropical forests, where the humidity is consistently above 60% throughout the year. And multiple greenhouse studies also found out that monstera plants thrive when humidity levels are between 50 and 70 per cent.
As I already said, it’s not easy to measure humidity and provide the ideal range for your monstera plant. I highly recommend you buy a hygrometer and monitor the humidity in your room for a week before making any changes.
Based on the readings, if you find that your room has less than 50% humidity throughout the day, then you must increase the humidity so that it can grow faster.
Here are some of the suggestions to increase the humidity for your monstera,
- Add a humidifier next to your monstera plant
- Keep your monstera in a pebble tray
- Misting monstera leaves
- Keep more plants together with less space between them
On the other hand, if your hygrometer shows more than 70% humidity then you have to reduce it for your monstera plant to thrive.
You can decrease humidity by,
- Increase the distance between plants
- Watering more often
- Add a dehumidifier
Aside from humidity, the temperature of your monstera’s surroundings has a big impact on how well your monstera plant grows. A monstera plant thrives in temperatures ranging from 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (15 to 25 0C).
4. Water your monstera regularly to grow it faster
Monstera plants like to be watered once a week during their growing season and once in two weeks during winter dormant months.
This is a general case scenario considering you live in a moderately hot and humid region. We cannot set a universally accepted watering schedule for monstera plants because a plant’s water requirements are totally dependent on the type of climatic conditions it is in.
The best approach to water your monstera is by analyzing the potting soil. Poke your index finger into the soil and if the top one inch feels dry, then it’s time to water your monstera.
For a more accurate measurement, you can buy a moisture meter to measure the moisture content in your monstera soil mix. If the moisture meter reading falls between 2 and 3, then you have to deeply water your monstera right away.
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5. Fertilize your monstera only when it’s required
Generally, fertilizer use is a controversial topic in gardening.
The entire community is divided on the type of fertilizer to use, some say organic gardening is better while others say chemical fertilizers are better.
From a moral standpoint, organic farming or gardening seems to be a better option. But, if you want your monstera to grow faster, then you have to add a balanced chemical NPK fertilizer.
Instead of chemical fertilizer, you can use worm castings as a natural alternative. But, in many places, getting access to work castings is very hard while a good NPK fertilizer is easily available.
Regarding the frequency of fertilization, aim to fertilize your monstera once every month during their growing season. During dormant months, it is not recommended to fertilize your plant.
6. Eliminate the chances of pest ruing your monstera’s growth
Pests are really a problem for any kind of houseplant owner. It doesn’t matter whether someone is an experienced gardener or an amateur, pests will continue loving you.
To make monstera plants grow faster and achieve an exceptional growth rate, you have to spend some time checking for pests. Generally, mealybugs, aphids, caterpillars, etc are the commonly seen pests in monstera plants.
If the infestation isn’t too bad, you can just splash water on the leaves where they’re breeding to get rid of them.
If, on the other hand, the infection is serious, you may need to personally eliminate each bug with natural or chemical pesticides.
How Fast Do Monstera Grow? Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
In this section, I’ll answer some of the most commonly asked questions related to monstera’s growth rate.
Do monstera grow quickly?
Generally, monsteras are fast growers. But a monstera plant’s growth rate is highly dependent on its living environment and how much care it’s receiving. If you provide an environment that is close to its natural habitat, a monstera deliciosa can grow more than 1.5 feet per year.
How do you encourage leaf growth in monstera?
You can encourage leaf growth in the monstera plant by placing it in a location where it gets bright indirect light. Growing new leaves require everything including watering and fertilizer, but getting the right amount of light is considered to be the most important factor.
How do I make my monstera taller?
In order to make your monstera taller, you have to provide a support system for your plant so that it can climb easily. The support systems can be a moss pole, bamboo pole or metal pole depending on your budget and preference. Also, it is recommended to place a bright grow light above the support pole because monstera plants always grow towards the light source.
Why is my monstera not growing new leaves?
If your monstera is not growing new leaves, the most commonly seen reason is your plant is not getting enough bright light. Try to move it to a better place where it can get enough bright indirect light. If the light is not an issue, then check whether your plant has root rot or any other bacterial diseases.
Wrapping Up
So, now you know everything about the monstera growth rate.
The question, “How fast do monstera grow?” is really a subjective question and the answer totally depends on how much care a monstera plant is receiving.
If a monstera plant (deliciosa or adansonii) is getting proper light and other conditions, then it will grow about 1 to 2 feet in a year.
If your plant is not growing at least 1 foot a year, then there is some problem with your plant and you might have to check for some symptoms like brown leaves, root rot, etc and fix the issue as soon as possible.
