Monstera deliciosa grow and care – vine epiphyte of the genus Monstera also known as Swiss cheese plant or Cheese plant, Monstera deliciosa perennial evergreen plant, used for the edible fruits, mostly used as ornamental for the leaves, flowers and fruits, can grow in tropic, subtropical or mediterranean climate or indoor as houseplant and growing in hardiness zone 10b+ and with the right overwinter care in hardiness zone 10a.
Leaves color green or can be variegated green with white or yellow, size be 25-100+ cm, the leaves are in heart shape with holes this is the reason that the Monstera deliciosa is Swiss cheese plant,
Flower color white yellowish, the size 10-30 cm, the inside looks like beehive.
Fruits edible color green, looks like oval beehive and cover with hexagon scale, the fruit start to be ready when the fruit poke out from the cover, the fruit mostly not ripening in the same time, when the fruit eaten unripen is astringent, fruit tastes like jackfruit and pineapple banana.
Monstera deliciosa for sale – Seeds or Plants to Buy
How to grow Monstera deliciosa growing condition and care:
How to grow: Moist, warm climate, trellising if you want the plants as vine, rich soil, organic matter and better to add humus, compost, prefer temperature 15c +, in hardiness zone 10a need to grow it indoor until the leaves arrive to 50cm (20 inches).
How to care: Frost temperature need to protect the plant in the winter with mulch or even to cover the plant when it’s young, when the plant mature the plant become more cold tolerance.
What is the best way to start growing?
Plant / Seed / Vegetative Reproduction air layering or cutting
How to propagation: Air layering need to take air root and cover it with soil, keep the soil moist and cut it when there are new roots, cutting need to take stems at least with 2 leaves, better 3 and air roots and grow it in the same condition as fully mature plant
Is it necessary to graft or use vegetative reproduction? Yes, propagation by cutting it’s easier
Difficulties or problems when growing: Sensitive to cold and full sun, leaves burn in full sun
Planting season: Spring to autumn in hardiness zone 10b-11a, in tropical climate planting can be all year, after its stop to be cold more than 20C should be much more and in warmer climate all year
How to plant: Dig a hole as deep as the current root ball plus extra 30-70%, put in the hole organic matter, humus and dried leaves and mix it with some soil, put the plant and loos little bit the root ball above the hole, plant and cover it and don’t push the soil too much strong but not too much lightly because it won’t be stable, after this put a pile of mulch to keep moist on soil, put water, for the next two weeks put every day (better in the morning), better to take care that the plant will be stable, and if not support it with bamboo or a stick that it won’t fall.
Pests and diseases: Brown edge in the leaves
Pruning season: Before the winter
How to prune:
Old leaves, prune for design
Size of the plant: 1-20 m, 3-65 feet
Growth speed in optimal condition: Medium growing / Slow growing
Water requirement: Average amount of water / Big amount of water, better to spray on it in order to get humidity on the air roots
Light conditions in optimal condition for growing: Full Shade to almost full shade, the leaves burn in the sun, but filter the sun with the net or to grow it under trees give good result
Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant? Yes, it is a very popular indoor plant but bearing fruits indoor might be challenging
Indoor care requirements: To cover the air roots, keep high humidity and switch the soil every few years.
Growing is also possible in a planter /flowerpot / containers: Yes, when grow in container need to choose the desirable container if it’s small plant it directly if it’s a big container bigger than 30%-50% than the root ball, every time that the plant arrive to full capacity need to switch to bigger until arrives to desirable size, better to switch the soil once in few years soil lose the viability over time and it’s efficient of care for the plant, when it’s not possible to switch all the soil just part of the soil in the side of the roots (don’t afraid from root cutting), it will bear fruits also in 10gallon (40 liter) container (but bigger is better), drainage it’s important and need to make holes and to use peat soil and maybe some lava grit in the bottom or something like that, put a bottom for the container and when water the plant let it fill the bottom but also need to dry in the same day, be aware that will be also air roots that need to take care when grow outdoor a lot of time the roots absorb humidity from the air or rooting in the ground, so in a container growing try to cover the air root, when the plant start to climb need support of trellising.
What size pot: Size of the of the pot need to be bigger than the root ball and better to grow for ornamental enough 20L and bigger is better, won’t bear fruits in those condition and will stuck in the same size, for fruits minimum is 40L but need a lot of fertilizer
Blooming information
Bloom season: Late spring-summer
General information about the flower: Big white-yellowish flower, the inside look like beehive
Pollination is done by: Bees and other pollinator
Edible Fruits
Fruit harvest season: Mid – End of the summer to autumn and early winter, the fruits will be edible mostly few month after the flowers but might be edible only one year and few months after blooming
Fruits pests or diseases: Dry weather cause rotten in the fruit
What can be done with big quantities of Monstera deliciosa fruits? Eat fresh, juice, jam
Work requirements on the fruit: Warm, moist, collect in the right moment or put net under the fruits net
How long does it take for a Monstera deliciosa plant to bear fruit? 3 years from mature plant in hardiness zone 12+, 4-5 years in hardiness zone 10b-11, 5-6 year in hardiness zone 10a, from seeds might take above 7 years in tropical
Ripening of fruit: Fruit not ripening in the same time, for ripening in the same time need to do ripening
How to eat:
Need to eat the fruits when the peal fall possible to eat, just the part that the peal fall
Vegetative Reproduction
How to make Vegetative Reproduction? Cutting / twig with air layering
The best time for vegetative reproduction: Spring, when there is no fear from cold weather
How much time does it take to grow roots in vegetative reproduction? Depend on condition of the air layer can be few weeks until few month
What is the treatment for vegetative reproduction in Monstera deliciosa? Moist, warm weather, shadow
How to grow Monstera deliciosa from seeds
How to harvest seeds
Harvesting collect
Sowing requirement: Soak the seeds 24 in warm water (can be more need that the seeds swell), better to scratch the seeds cover it help to germinate
Saving seeds and care until sowing: Warm and dark location
Sowing season: Better to use fresh seeds, possible all year and better spring to summer
How to plant: Better to plant in mixed soil that keep the soil moist, vermiculite and peat soil
Planting spacing: Different pots, 5*5cm (2*2 inches)
Depth of Sowing: 0.5cm (0.25 inch)
Conditions for seeds germination: Moist soil, high humidity
Watering requires for Seeds: Average amount of water / Big amount of water
Germination time: 1-2 months
Condition of seedling: High humidity above 25C
Scientific name:
Monstera deliciosa
Alternative names: Swiss cheese plant, Fruit salad plant, Fruit salad tree, Split leaf philodendron, Ceriman, Monster fruit, Monsterio delicio, Monstereo, Mexican breadfruit, Windowleaf, Balazo, Penglai banana
