Monstera Subpinnata Care – The Ultimate Plant Care Guide

If you want to add variety to your houseplant collection with an unusual monstera, then monstera subpinnata is an ideal choice.

When all of your existing monstera varieties have fenestrations or holes, this majestic beauty does not have.

Sounds interesting?

Well, continue reading. We got all the information you need to grow this beauty in your home.

The topics include,

• Monstera Subpinnata At A Glance
• Monstera Subpinnata Care
• Monstera Subpinnata Propagation
• Pruning Monstera Subpinnata
• Lot’s more.

That’s a lot of details to cover. Let’s get started.

Monstera Subpinnata At A Glance

Monstera subpinnata is an unusual variety of monstera plants. It doesn’t have the exact appearance you’ll expect in the regular monstera family. 

Unlike most monstera varieties, like the monstera pinnatipartita or the impressive monstera deliciosa which feature fenestrated leaves, the leaves of Monstera subpinnata are not fenestrated. 

However, you’ll surely love the symmetrical arrangement of the pairs of detached leaflets on either side of the stem of this gorgeous plant.  

This variety of monstera is native to Ecuador. Monstera subpinnata is a tropical climbing plant that can get up to 30 ft tall in its natural habitat. However, it can only get around 6 ft when grown indoors. 

Another striking feature of this monstera variety is its foliage. This plant has exotic, frond-like, deep green, leaves. When mature, the leaves can grow up to 1 foot long and 8 inches wide. 

The leaves create a stunning look that’ll stand out in your space.  If you are looking out for a decor plant that would give your space an even better tropical touch than the regularly fenestrated monstera, this variety is an amazing choice! 

If you’ve grown other varieties of monstera, taking care of this plant shouldn’t be much of a problem. Discover all you need to know to grow healthy monstera subpinnata below. 

Monstera Subpinnata Care – Ideal Conditions

It is one thing to buy a house plant, especially a tropical plant and it is another thing to maintain and care for the plant. 

Monstera subpinnata is an excellent plant that can be grown nicely in pots, but it’s a climber so totems or trellis would help keep your plant in shape. Taking good care of your monstera subpinnata isn’t such a hard task, you can do it! 

First, you need to understand your plant’s light needs, ideal watering schedule, temperature, humidity, and soil requirements. This would help you keep your plant beautiful and healthy. 

Light Needs

One of the things you’ll need to take very seriously when it comes to caring for your monstera subpinnata is lighting. You must provide it with the adequate and appropriate light it needs to grow healthily.

Monstera subpinnata does well in a place where it receives indirect, medium sunlight; not too harsh and not too mild. It is therefore necessary that you place your monstera subpinnata at a corner where it can receive bright but indirect light.

An east-facing window is the most suitable position for this plant, it’ll receive adequate light all day. But south or west-facing windows can also work for this plant. However, a north-facing window may not provide adequate light conditions for your plant. 

And if monstera subpinnata does not receive enough light, it may have growth defects as photosynthesis is obstructed. If you must place your plant facing the north, a grow light may come in very handy to help provide adequate light. 

Either way, make sure to keep your plant a few feet away from your window to avoid receiving harsh direct sunlight. If you expose your monstera subpinnata to harsh direct light, you’ll have to deal with leaf discoloration, dry soil, and root rot.

Soil Requirements

The soil is the growing media of your plant. For monstera subpinnata to grow well, provide nutrient-filled soil that’ll keep it healthy.

This plant thrives in moist, well-draining soil, it needs a light and airy aroid mixed soil. This would mean preparing a mix of moss and perlite majorly. 

To prepare this type of soil mix, sort out important ingredients like perlite, pine bark fines, and sphagnum peat moss. You’ll want to make sure these ingredients are in similar quantities. 

Now, add them all into a container. The next thing is to water it until it is moist and then mix thoroughly. The next thing is to put the mixture in your growing pot or container, make sure it has enough drainage holes. And with this, your monstera subpinnata soil mix is ready!

Even if you can’t do all of this, there’s no need to be worried. You can easily get this type of soil at a local gardening store nearby. The good thing is that they come ready to use right out of the bag, so you won’t have to figure anything out!

Watering Schedule

The monstera subpinnata must be watered properly if it must continue to grow healthily. This plant requires a medium level of watering. 

This means; not too much to cause overwatering or too scarcely to cause underwatering as both can have adverse effects on your plant. Your watering schedule must allow the soil to dry slightly in-between watering.

Your monstera subpinnata loves moist, not soggy soil. When your monstera sits on very wet soil, it is prone to root rot. Therefore to adequately water your monstera subpinnata, it is advisable to water the plant when you notice that the top 2-3 inches of your monstera subpinnata’s potting soil feel dry.

You can do this once in a few days or once every week during the nursery stages of the plant, especially in spring and summer but in winter, just once in a week or two is fine.

So many people don’t know how to water houseplants very well. To effectively water your monstera subpinnata, you will need to gradually water it until there is excess coming from drainage holes. Always make sure to discard any water that collects on the saucer after some time.

Temperature Requirements

Temperature is very crucial to the healthy growth of any plant. And monstera subpinnata is no exception, it is a tropical plant, hence it enjoys warm temperatures. 

This plant does very well in temperatures between 65 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit which is approximately 18 to 21° C. It can also survive in temperatures ranging from 55 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

However, you must note that any temperature above 95° or below 50° is a big problem for the plant. So you want to keep this monstera variety away from drafts and heaters that can severely harm the leaves.

If you want to keep this plant happy, provide it with warm temperatures consistently. 

Humidity Requirements

The monstera subpinnata just like every other monstera loves humid areas. This plant has delicate, slender leaves, so it’ll need even extra humidity to stay lush and soft. 

Your lovely tropical monstera subpinnata requires at least an average humidity level. But it’ll be happier in an above-average humidity level, say anything from 50% and above is great for this plant.

And although your monstera subpinnata can still survive in lower humidity, it wouldn’t be long before you start noticing brown edges on some of the leaves. So if you live in a really dry area or the humidity level in your space is much lower than 50%, it’ll be nice to set up a humidifier close to your plant. 

You can try misting the plant every day or find other ways to fix the humidity level. For instance, if your plant isn’t too large, you can set the pot on a humidity tray. There are ready-to-use humidity trays available in garden stores if creating one yourself is too much trouble for you. 

Another quick fix for humidity level is placing your plant in an area of your home that’s humid such as the bathroom. If you’ve got a spot in your bathroom that gets bright, indirect light, this could be really helpful. 

If monstera subpinnata isn’t getting enough humidity, you’ll tell from the leaves, they’ll start, dropping, curling, or wilting. There are a host of other signs to show low humidity levels.

Once you notice these symptoms, try raising the humidity level of your monstera subpinnata. You also need to be mindful of other factors like space heaters, air conditioners, vents, etc that could potentially affect the humidity level.

Monstera Subpinnata Propagation

Propagating your monstera subpinnata is worthwhile for two reasons. First, you can get monstera subpinnata plants cheaply and in large numbers, and secondly, you have the self-satisfaction of planting and nurturing the monstera subpinnata plants from the beginning.

The best time for this is spring, your stem cuttings will have enough time to grow. 

Monstera subpinnata can also be propagated when you notice that it is overgrowing its potting mix. There are two common methods of propagating this plant – stem cuttings and root division.

Root Division

To properly propagate your monstera subpinnata using the root division method, follow the described three steps below;

Step 1

You will need to remove the plant from its pot. You must do this carefully if you don’t want to lose your plant.

Try holding your plant upside down and then gently tap the base and side of your monstera subpinnata’s pot to loosen and remove the root balls.

While doing this, you may discover that your plant is outbound. If this is the case, break the pot carefully to free the plant.

Step 2

When you must have successfully freed your monstera subpinnata from its pot, place it on a surface that is secured then try using your fingers to loosen the root ball.

You may then need to take a knife that is sharp enough and cut the plant into sections. You must however ensure that each section has a few leaves and healthy root fragments.

Step 3

Prepare your growing media. If you’ll be using potting soil, mix up a well-draining soil as discussed above. Some gardeners use just sphagnum moss. 

If you’ll be doing this, soak it in water for at least 15 minutes and then, wring it thoroughly before placing it in your growing pot.

Step 4

You can then replant the divided roots as soon as you can in your fresh potting mix soil. Ensure that you do not plant them too deeply in the soil.

Then water the divisions and try to place them in a location that is not too cold with bright indirect sunlight.

Stem Cutting

You can also propagate your monstera subpinnata using the stem cutting method. This method is easier! 

Follow the steps below to successfully propagate your monstera supinate using the stem cutting method:

Step 1

Select a healthy stem and cut at least 6 inches with two nodes and a few leaves. Keep in mind that you can’t propagate this plant without a node.

Step 2

Now remove the lower leaves and dip the end cut off the stem into hormone rooting (this isn’t essential but it’ll help your plant root much faster)

Step 3

Using your finger, poke a hole in your soil mix, and put in your monstera subpinnata stem cutting. Gently tamp the soil mix so it holds the cuttings very well and then, make sure the soil covers a few nodes. It’s important that your container has good drainage holes.

Step 4

Mist the cuttings and wrap your container in a self-sealing plastic bag. After this, you can use toothpicks to create small holes that’ll let your plant breathe.

Step 5

Place your container in bright indirect sunlight. Your monstera subpinnata requires the right amount of bright indirect sunlight.

If you follow the 5 steps above carefully, your cuttings will be well-rooted say in about 4-6 weeks, you’ll still need to routinely mist the soil when dry. Then your monstera subpinnata will be able to produce new growth. When this happens, introduce them to individual potting soil containers.

Pruning Monstera Subpinnata

You will sometimes need to carefully remove curly, wilted, yellow, or discolored leaves to keep your plant healthy. Pruning will help you maintain your desired plant shape and size. It’ll also free up energy for newer growth and healthy leaves. 

And it’s pretty easy to prune monstera subpinnata, start by snipping off any old or diseased leaves at the base of the stem. If you are pruning to encourage growth, the best time for this in spring or summer. And you will need to make the cut where you want the plant to grow.

Use clean, sterilized, and sharp gardening tools in order to avoid destroying or infecting your plant. Keep in mind that this monstera variety can be harmful if ingested in any way, so you want to put on gloves while pruning. 

Finally, it is advisable to wipe the leaves gently after pruning using a damp cloth. This will help get rid of any dust or dirt.

Wrapping Up

Caring for monstera subpinnata is not as hard work as you may have envisaged it to be. With the right information, you can become an expert in the care of monstera subpinnata.

All you need to know to properly care for your tropical monstera subpinnata has been provided here. Ensure you give it the proper attention it requires and watch your monstera subpinnata blossom into a very beautiful and healthy plant giving your home that luxurious feel you desire.

Sources

To back up the information we provide in our articles, the Plantials team only uses high-quality sources published in peer-reviewed university or scientific research journals.

1. Abscission Like Leaflet Separation In Chamaedorea Seifrizii (Arecaceae), University Of Guelph
2. A Revision Of Monstera, Harvard University Herbaria
3. New Records Of Araceae For Costa Rica And Panama, University Of Costa Rica