Monstera Deliciosa, also called Swiss cheese plant, is a beautiful houseplant and doesn’t take much hard work to keep alive. Big showy, dark green leaves, reaching up to 1 meter in length, makes it a popular choice for home interiors. But do you want to know the best part? It’s easy to propagate! Gardeners of all skill levels can do it easily, especially once they are done reading this guide. So if you love having it around, you can make more of them!
Let’s learn how to propagate Monstera Deliciosa and get a family going.
Necessities:
Potting soil
Watering can
Pruner
Propagation station
Propagation pots
Spaghnum moss
Plastic wrap
When To Propagate Monstera Deliciosa?
The best time to propagate this monster is in the seasons that it’s actively growing. You can take the cuttings anywhere during spring or summer. Roots will develop quickly during these seasons and the cutting will soon thrive as a new plant.
Propagating Monstera Deliciosa By Seeds
Monstera Deliciosa can be propagated by seeds. However, this is not the prefered way to do it. Seeds will take a few weeks to germinate. The seedlings that sprout are extremely slow to develop. It will take a patient gardener to nurture them and watch them turn into mature plants. Also, the seeds for this species are very difficult to source and have a short shelf-life.
If you grow Monstera Deliciosa from seeds, plant it in light, rich potting soil, covering the seeds with only a thin layer of soil. Keep the soil moist and place the pot in low-light conditions. The plant prefers growing in shady conditions.
Propagating Monstera Deliciosa By Cuttings
The most popular approach to growing a new Monstera Deliciosa is by taking cuttings. They will root easily and develop into a new plant much sooner than by growing via seeds.
Propagating the Swiss cheese plant is a two-step process. First, you’ll take the cutting and next you will root it. Here’s how you will go about both the steps:
How To Take The Cuttings
Taking cuttings from Monstera Deliciosa isn’t as simple as snipping the stem. The trick is to cut directly below a leaf node. The node looks like a swollen stem and is the point from where the aerial roots grow.
The roots that grow from these nodes will help develop the new plant. If you see any leaf nodes with long aerial roots already growing, take the cutting from there. It will help develop the new plant even quicker. Also make sure that there are at least two healthy leaves above the node to support the photosynthesis of the new plant.
Reach about ½ inch below the leaf node and make an angled cut.
How To Root Cuttings
Once you’ve taken the cutting following the procedure in the first step, there are two ways to root it. You can either root the freshly taken cutting in water or in soil. Gardeners have varying opinions regarding which method works best. However, most of them will tell you to go with the water propagation.
Here’s how the two types of propagations work:
Propagating Monstera Deliciosa In Water
When you’ve taken the cutting from the mother plant, it’s time to root it in water. Fill a jar with water and place the cutting in it, node end facing downwards. Place the jar somewhere where it can receive plenty of indirect sunlight. If the location is warm and humid, that’s even better. Change water every few days.
Once you’ve placed the cutting in water, it will soon start developing new roots. Wait until the roots are around 3 inches long before transplanting it in soil. Fill a container with well-draining potting soil and plant the rooted cutting in the center. The circumference of the container should be at least 2 to 3 inches wider than the width of the root system.
Propagating Monstera Deliciosa In Soil
If you don’t want to root it in water, you can directly root the cutting in soil too. Take a container at least 6 inches wide and 2 inches deep. Fill it with well-drained, light potting soil. Most gardeners dip the node in rooting hormone before placing it in soil. Rooting hormone helps the plant develop roots faster, but it’s not absolutely necessary. You can also do without it.
Once planted, the stem should be around 1.5 inches under the soil level. Keep the plant pot in a warm humid place, where it gets plenty of indirect light. Keep the soil moist but not wet. A good rule of thumb is to check the soil each week, and only water it if the top few inches are dry.
Propagating Monstera Deliciosa By Air Layering
Like many other houseplants, you can also propagate Monstera Deliciosa using the air layering technique. Follow the steps:
- Identify the node where you would take the cutting from if using the methods highlighted above. Don’t just make the cut yet!
- Moisten sphagnum moss and wrap it around the node.
- Secure the sphagnum moss wrapping with plastic wrap.
- Keep checking the sphagnum moss in a week or so to see if it’s dry or not. Keep it moist by removing the plastic and adding some drops of water to it.
- In a few weeks, you’ll see roots develop through the plastic bag. At this point, remove the plastic bag and the sphagnum moss.
- Cut below the node to separate the cutting from the mother plant.
- Plant the rooted cutting in soil.
Conclusion
Propagating Monstera Deliciosa isn’t so hard after all. There are a bunch of ways to do it, each one just as successful. Choose whichever method suits you best and grow yourself an entire Swiss cheese plant family!
