Ok SO. You’ve got a Monstera with roots going absolutely everywhere and you have no idea what to do with them. Cut them? Bury them? Put them in water like that TikTok said? I’ve tried them all.
A lot.
So here’s the honest answer, from someone with too many plants and not enough time: you have a few options, the easiest of which is to direct the roots into the soil. Done.
Aerial roots are one of those things that I had NO idea about until I started collecting houseplants.
They can be so creepy! And grow SO fast!
Ok, we have a LOT to cover:
What is an aerial root?
An aerial root is a root that…grows in the air.
It’s a type of adventitious root, which is any root that doesn’t grow from the radicle.
The radicle is the root system that forms from the germinating seed, though I suppose in houseplants it’s the root system that forms from tissue culture or a propagated node.
All aerial roots are adventitious, but not all adventitious roots are aerial roots.
Kind of.
The line is a bit blurry around things like moth orchids because they're epiphytes and all their roots are aerial roots.
What’s the function of aerial roots?
Different plants use their aerial roots in different ways, but there are three main reasons a plant may produce aerial roots:
1. Aerial roots can be used to climb
Climbing is the primary reason plants produce aerial roots. It allows them to attach to trees or rocks and grow taller without risking falling over and snapping.
A lot of aroids have a juvenile form and a mature form, so their leaves change as they mature.
Common houseplants with very different juvenile and mature forms are Monstera deliciosa, Syngonium podophyllum, Epipremnum aureum (Golden Pothos), and Monstera dubia.
The switch in their genes that tells them to change leaf shape is activated by an increase in the amount of light they’re getting and the height that they’ve climbed to.
When aerial roots are growing they’re white and fuzzy, so they can stick to tree bark or rock (but not glass – my heartleaf Philodendron tried though).
As they age, they gradually turn brown, and weld to whatever they’re climbing so strongly that you can’t easily remove them without damaging them.
2. Aerial roots can help with stability
Stability is important for climbing plants, so they often produce more aerial roots the higher they climb. There can be a lot of tropical storms in the native habitats of climbing plants, so they need to be secure.
However, true epiphytes, like Phalaenopsis orchids don’t have any roots in the ground – they rely entirely on their aerial roots for stability. They spread their roots as far as they can, attaching to whatever they can find, to reduce the risk of being knocked down.
That’s why orchid aerial roots grow in every direction – they want to be as secure as possible.
3. Aerial roots can absorb water and nutrients
The extent to which plants can absorb water and nutrients through their aerial roots depends on a couple of things:
1 – The type of plant
Epiphytic orchids don’t have any roots in the ground, so their aerial roots are very good at absorbing nutrients and water – because it’s the only way for them to get them. Sustenance is the primary function of the roots.
Stability is great, but if the orchid is knocked out of a tree, it can survive on the ground. If it can’t absorb water, it’s toast.
Most aroids, on the other, hand don’t really need their aerial roots to absorb water and nutrients – they have subterranean roots to do that for them.
That being said, there are situations when aerial roots can be called upon to take more of an active role in keeping their host alive.
2 – Whether the roots are needed to absorb nutrients and water
A lot of climbing aroids are hemi-epiphytes, which means they start off life in the ground and climb trees. In most cases, the aerial roots are used to climb, and the subterranean roots are used for water and food.
However, if something happens to the stem of the plant and the roots can no longer provide nutrients to it – for example, it’s severed or crushed – the aerial roots will become the breadwinner.
How far they're willing to go with this depends on the plant. Most climbing aroids live in very humid environments, so they can get enough moisture from the air and the bark of the tree they're climbing.
However, some aerial roots, for example, those on Monstera deliciosa, are attracted to water, so the aerial roots can grow down to the ground and become subterranean roots.
It's probably this habit of producing really long aerial roots and significantly increasing the size of their root ball over time that led to the success of Monstera deliciosa, not just as a houseplant but as a literal invasive species. Impressive stuff!
Are there different types of aerial roots?
So, the internet claims that there are four different types of aerial roots:
- Strangler roots
- Pneumataphores
- Haustorial roots
- Propagative roots
However, I propose that there are seven types of aerial roots:
- Climbing roots
- Epiphytic roots
- Panic roots
- Strangler roots
- Pneumatophores
- Haustorial roots
- Propagative roots
We’re unlikely to come across pneumatophores or haustorial roots in the houseplant world.
Pneumataphores are really only found in specific mangrove species. The plant basically uses aerial roots as snorkels so the roots can get oxygen in waterlogged soil.
Haustorial roots are parasitic roots (e.g. bird’s nest orchids) that invade another plant’s roots to steal its nutrients. I can’t think of any houseplants with haustorial roots – even ivy roots aren’t parasitic, they’re just destructive.
Ficus have strangler roots – they begin life as epiphytes living in trees and send aerial roots down to the ground, giving the effect that the host tree has been strangled (ironically, the trunk’s fine, the issue is that the Ficus is now taking all the nutrients and moisture from the soil).
I have a couple of huge Ficus, and I’ve never had an issue with them throwing their aerial roots around, so again, this isn’t an aerial root type we have to worry about.
There is an aerial root growing on my little Ficus shivereana, but I’m not sure if it’s just a normal root that’s got lost.
A few houseplants have propagative roots, so they send out runners which then root in the ground – ferns, some Monstera, and spider plants. Sometimes they just grow that way, like crawling Philodendrons, rooting themselves as they go.
Houseplant aerial roots, such as those used for climbing, or that are found on epiphytes like orchids, don’t fit into any of the four aerial root types.
I suspect this is probably due to a general lack of research into aroids.
Instead, botanists just call them adventitious aerial roots and go and research mangroves. AND there’s no special term for the aerial roots that succulents grow when they’re panicking about lack of moisture.
Which houseplants have aerial roots?
Loads of houseplants produce aerial roots.
Some produce them routinely and we all know about them, like Monstera deliciosa, some don’t really need them in captivity so they don’t often bother growing them, like rubber plants.
Climbing aroids
Climbing Philodendrons, Rhapidophora, Monstera, Epipremnum, Syngonium, Scindapsus, climbing anthuriums, Amydrium…I’ve probably missed some.
Anyway, all of these aroids have aerial roots, but the rate at which these roots grow when kept as houseplants varies a LOT. Some just don’t like growing aerial roots (not mentioning any names, but also…P. verrucosum), some need high humidity, and some just want something to climb.
Some won’t grow an aerial root for years, then a metre-long one will grow seemingly overnight, and for no apparent reason.
(Monstera deliciosa, I’m talking about you. In fact, you need your own section):
What to do with Monstera aerial roots specifically
Bury them
Just redirect them back into the soil. Monstera grow longer and more pliable aerial roots than most other aroids. If you aren’t a fan of moss poles then redirecting the aerial roots back into the soil is a solid way of helping your Monstera support itself.
The aerial roots will then start to develop their own root system.
Use them to grow a Monster Monstera with a moss pole or stake
Attaching aerial roots to moss poles can be a bit tedious, but it’s best to do it when you’re repotting your Monstera because you can arrange everything so it’s how you like it.
Make sure that you’ve picked the right moss pole for you.
I like Kratiste poles because they don’t need any maintenance and the roots attach by themselves.
A lot of people like coir poles because they’re cheap, but the aerial roots only attach if they’re damp (or you have VERY high humidity, like 70%+) and they’re basically impossible to keep damp because they’re…just naturally dry. It’s like trying to keep sand wet.
Moss poles are pretty cheap (though only if you’re making a few) but you need to keep them watered.
You can always physically attach the plant to the moss pole by tying the stem to it using plant ties – don’t tie the aerial roots or the leaf petioles to the pole because you can easily damage them.
If you keep the moss pole damp (or use a Kratiste one) then over time they'll start to attach to the pole themselves.
Also, don’t use string like in the photo above because it can damage the stem if it’s too tight.
Stick them in water
This was a TikTok thing a while ago.
There is a LOT of anecdotal evidence that suggests that putting aerial roots in water does help them to grow faster, and also a bit of science.
HOWEVER
This isn’t really going to change your Monstera dramatically in the long term.
When you put an aerial root in water, it develops the ability to uptake water, and increase the pressure in your plant (called turgor pressure).
It’s a bit like inflating bike tyres – they look rounder when they’re full, and can operate more efficiently, but it’s also not going to make the bike/plant perform significantly better than it was meant to. You’re just getting the pressure right.
If your Monstera is very big, and the new growth is very far away, increasing the turgor pressure can really help you out, especially if you have low humidity so the aerial roots can’t absorb much moisture from the air.
However, if you then take the water away,it’ll just droop again.
From a purely practical standpoint, this is a nightmare. Your chances of knocking a glass of water on the floor have increased exponentially (maybe).
It’s a fun experiment that won’t harm your plant, but it’s not worth the faff.
Cut them off
Your Monstera doesn’t need it’s aerial roots for anything other than climbing. It won’t care if you snip them off. You are *slightly* increasing the risk of disease entering the plant, but as long as you use clean scissors, you’ll be fine.
What to do with aerial roots when repotting
When you’re repotting other plants, just try not to snap their aerial roots and you’re golden. With Monstera, you can manipulate (physically, not emotionally) their aerial roots to help you out and keep them looking *a bit* tidier.
As you can see, I let the one in the picture below do his own thing for too long, and now we have this looped situation. I could chop it, but I like wild roots.
If you look just above where the aerial root reaches the soil, another aerial root has popped out of the soil for reasons best known to itself.
If you're in the market for one, I have a complete guide to Monstera deliciosa here.
Can you put aerial roots back in the soil?
You absolutely can, in fact I recommend that you do. It’s an easy way to add stability to your Monstera without having to deal with either an ugly coir pole or the maintenance of a moss pole.
Root rot is a small risk, but Monstera aerial roots are generally really good at adapting themselves to subterranean conditions.
We’re still not quite sure how. There’s a link between aerial roots switching to subterranean roots, and the production of raphide crystals in the plant (in that submerged aerial roots have fewer raphide crystals present than aerial roots.
We’re not quite sure if fewer raphides turn the plant into a subterranean root, or the turning of the aerial root into a subterranean root causes raphide production to slow, but there is a link there.
Tl;dr it works.
Don’t worry about them rotting unless you’re an underwaterer (in which case, spray the top of the soil regularly until they’re established). Aerial roots are pretty sturdy.
Do cuttings need an aerial root?
Ok, technically no HOWEVER if you select a cutting with an aerial we have two benefits:
- You know there’s a node because aerial roots grow from nodes. If you’re like ‘what the heck is node’ I got you.
- It takes less energy for the plant to keep growing a root that it already has than it does to produce the root from scratch.
For best results, put cuttings in a clear plastic prop box in either moss or water.
Other houseplants with aerial roots
Hoya
Not Hoya are epiphytes, but a lot of the ones in the houseplant trade are.
They also don’t all grow aerial roots, but many do. Don’t worry if your Hoya doesn’t have aerial roots – they’re definitely surplus to requirement when they’re kept as houseplants.
Hoya are epiphytes and primarily use their aerial roots to secure themselves to whatever they’ve climbed.
They climb by sending out vines, whipping their vines around until they hit something they can climb, and then wrap around it.
Then leaves will grow. Aerial roots will form when the Hoya hits something solid (like a tree branch). Or also sometimes just because they want to.
Rubber plants
Rubber plants are known for their aerial roots in their natural habitat.
They were used for making ropes, and an important part of the local economy. However, they’re less likely to grow them when they’re kept as houseplants, BUT the roots are quite happy to grow out of the soil.
Orchid
Epiphytic orchids are ALL aerial roots – that’s why we tend to keep them in orchid bark, not soil.
Their roots are designed to be out in the open air because they can photosynthesise. If you struggle keeping orchids alive I highly recommend you try keeping them in no substrate and just soaking the roots weekly.
Succulents
Succulent aerial roots aren’t quite the same as the other types of roots, in that they’re not meant to be there – they grow as a response to adverse conditions. That’s why I proposed the name ‘panic roots’.
They’re usually pink or white and grow on the stem of your succulent. They’re a way of your plant getting more water, so it’s a sign that you’re not watering often enough. They can also crop up when your succulent deems its environment to be too humid.
Succulent aerial roots aren’t harmful, but they are a sign that your succulent isn’t getting what it needs.
Ivy
Ivy aerial roots need their own section because they’re so voracious.
I don’t recommend keeping ivy as an indoor plant, because they’re basically spider mite factories. If botanists discover that ivy produces spider mites I wouldn’t be at all surprised.
My views aside, if you have an indoor ivy, try to keep it away from your walls.
Their aerial roots are sticky and great at clinging to things, and they can cause damage, both by exploiting cracks in walls and causing structural damage or by sticking to your wall and ruining paint or wallpaper.
Ferns
Ferns produce propagative roots. They’re not looking for something to climb, they’re putting out a runner and if you lay the aerial root (it’s actually a stolon, or horizontal stem, but I appreciate that it looks like a root) on the ground, it’ll root and produce a pup.
Do houseplants need aerial roots?
Epiphytes like orchids obviously do. All their roots are aerial roots.
But if we’re talking about aerials in addition to subterranean (or, you know, normal) roots, then no.
Especially climbing plants like Philodendron and Monstera. We make sure they’re hydrated and fed, and even if they snap and need a new root system, they don’t need their aerial roots for that, because we can propagate them from their node.
An aerial root is helpful, but not necessary.
However, I like to encourage my plants to grow aerial roots, because if I have them growing vertically, rather than leaning all over the place, I can fit more plants in my house.
Do aerial roots grow new plants?
No, you can’t grow new plants from aerial roots.
If we’re talking propagative roots, then once the new plantlets have reached a certain size you can sever them from the mother plant and grow them on.
But if we’re talking climbing aerial roots, like those on a Monstera or Philodendron, they can’t grow new plants. If you cut them off, they’ll just die. It’s the equivalent of cutting off someone’s arm.
Cuttings with aerial roots do root more quickly, because an aerial root can switch to an underground root.
Research into this is in the early stages, but it's thought that when aerial roots hit the ground, the plant reduces the amount of raphides (these are the calcium oxalate crystals that plants use to make themselves toxic and therefore less attractive to herbivores) in the roots. This signals to the plant that the aerial root is now an underground root and it starts splitting and diving into a whole new root system.
Advantages of aerial roots
- A plant with healthy aerial roots is easier to train to grow nicely
- A healthy aerial root system can encourage the plant to grow bigger, more mature leaves
- Aerial roots provide stability, so your plant is less likely to fall over and snap
- Rooting cuttings with an aerial root is quicker
- If something does happen to your plant’s root system, like root rot, a plant with a healthy aerial root system may take less damage – so you might not get so many sad-looking leaves
Disadvantages of aerial roots
- They can look messy if they’re not tamed
- Sometimes plants devote more time and energy to growing aerial roots when you’d really prefer a few more leaves
What causes aerial roots to grow?
In the wild, aerial roots just grow. I used to assume that they started to form when the plant reached a certain age or size, which might be true in their natural habitat, but I have a baby Monstera with an aerial root that it does NOT need.
Houseplants also grow aerial roots as and when they feel they need them, but there are things you can do to stimulate their growth.
Different things work for different plants, and there is also variation between different plants of the same species. However, if you have a plant that you think should have aerial roots, and it doesn’t, it could be one of several issues.
I’m going to assume that the plant is growing and otherwise healthy. If it isn’t, you need to sort out that first.
Light
Plants produce aerial roots so that they can climb towards the light. If the plants is healthy and already propped up on a pole or stake of some sort, increasing the light it gets can kick-start aerial root growth.
Humidity
Humidity can convince even the most reticent aerial root-growers to start producing them. Be warned though – aerial roots that have been grown as a direct response to very high humidity are extremely creepy-looking.
I got a heartleaf fern to grow these freaks by keeping it in a terrarium, but a grow cabinet or something similar (like a clear plastic box) will work well.
You’d probably struggle to get these results using just a humidifier unless you’re willing to live in 85% humidity (which I don’t recommend).
You’ll also need to keep the environment warm (above 18˚C/65˚F) otherwise you risk rot.
It wants something to climb
Some plants won’t produce aerial roots until they have something to climb – this is usually the case with vining plants like Monstera adansonii and Golden pothos. They just get little brown nubs when left to trail.
Not all climbing apparatus are made the same.
- Cheap coir poles, bamboo canes, trellis
Great if you just want something to keep the plant neat, but the aerial roots won’t really grow unless the humidity is super high. Sometimes they will grow if you have awesome conditions, but its unlikely without humidifiers and grow lights and a perfect care regime.
- Moss poles
Moss poles filled with real moss are great for encouraging aerial roots, but those aerial roots will grow into a subterranean root system. You’re basically layering the plant as you grow it. It does make propagating super easy and the plants grow much bigger much faster BUT you do need to make sure to keep your moss fed and watered.
- Kratiste poles, wooden stakes
Kratiste poles seem to work in ambient humidity, and wooden stakes/planks should but you might need to tape the stem to the wood to make the plant realise that it’s there and start producing aerial roots.
The aerial roots will work as aerial roots, so they’ll keep the plant in place and help it climb. They will encourage bigger leaves but not to the extent that a moss pole would. They don’t need any maintenance though.
Genetics
As far as I’m aware, most Philodendron species have aerial roots. It seems likely that the formation of aerial roots on Philodendron predates their climbing preference on their evolutionary timeline.
However, climbing Philodendrons tend to produce more aerial roots than self-heading or crawling species, and they tend to be longer.
Climbing Philodendron
I have a list of crawling vs. climbing Philodendrons here, but most easily available Philodendrons are climbers. All of the heartleaf Philodendron are, such as:
- Philodendron brasil
- Philodendron micans
- Philodendron hederaceum (the regular green one)
- Philodendron lemon lime
I have many Philodendron, and they’re ALL climbers, except one (my Gloriosum). They all have quite different aerial roots.
My Florida green will grow aerial roots if it’s climbing – even if it’s just on a coir pole.
My Philodendron golden dragon goes through seemingly random stages of growing long, cream aerial roots, which then just shrivel up to strings.
My Philodendron verrucosum cannot be convinced to grow aerial roots for anything.
They’re all climbing Philodendrons, and they’re all growing well (and within a foot of one another) and yet their aerial root systems are radically different.
Crawling Philodendron
I state in my crawling vs climbing Philodendron article that crawling Philodendrons don’t have aerial roots, but that actually isn’t *strictly* true. Whilst they don’t have long traditional aerial roots, they do have…something.
However they don’t *seem* to be able to develop them – or at least they need to be in contact with the soil.
With climbing Philodendrons, if they sense that there’s something nearby for them to climb, they’ll send energy to their aerial roots so they can grow and cling to whatever it is. This provides them with extra stability.
On crawling Philodendron, even an aerial root less than a quarter inch from the soil doesn’t grow into it. If you twisted the stem so that the aerial root was in contact with the soil it probably would grow, as rooting each node into the soil is how crawlers stay upright.
Examples of crawling Philodendron:
- Gloriosum
- Plowmanii
- Mamei
- Pastazanum
Self-heading Philodendron
Like crawling Philodendron, self-heading Philodendron, like Philodendron birkin, do have aerial roots, but they don’t tend to be very developed, and they stay quite close to the surface of the soil.
You can’t really do anything with them, as they tend to root directly into the soil. They’re physiologically the same as the aerial roots on a climbing Philodendron, but they behave more like subterranean roots.
Examples of self-heading Philodendrons:
- Philodendron birkin
- Philodendron imperial green
- Philodendron Prince of Orange
Hybrid Philodendron
There are loads of hybrid Philodendrons available in the houseplant world. These are plants that have been specially bred to exhibit certain characteristics.
The most famous is probably Philodendron Pink Princess, though it has unknown parentage. There are also plants like Philodendron glorious, which is a hybrid between Philodendron Gloriosum and Philodendron melanchrysum.
If the hybrid has two parents with the same growth pattern, the offspring will inherit it – so two climbers will produce a climber. However, if one of the parents is a climber, the offspring will be a climber.
Climbing is the dominant trait, which further backs up the idea that Philodendrons are a climbing species, hence the aerial roots.
Crawlers and self-heading Philodendrons likely evolved later.
Hybridising houseplants often isn’t as simple as crossing two plants. Often the parentage is the result of a few generations of crossing certain plants – it’s incredible what can be done with tissue culture nowadays.
So what if a hybrid plant has several parents, all with different growth patterns?
Well, you end up with reluctant climbers, Philodendron Pink Princess being a prime example.
Now, not all PPPs are bad climbers – some are fine. The same with White Wizard, White Princess, and White Knight. It very much depends on the lab they came from, and the environment they’re kept in.
However, they’re renowned for being reluctant to climb – they don’t like growing aerial roots or attaching to stakes unless the conditions are perfect, and if, for example, a moss pole is *slightly* too dry, they’ll release their grip and you’ll have to start again.
Why are my aerial roots shrivelling or dying?
Aerial roots are adventitious roots (i.e. a root that’s growing somewhere other than underground) that many climbing aroids produce to help them attach to the tree that they’re climbing up.
They’re not really necessary for houseplants.
Sure, it’s easier if they attach to moss poles themselves, but often that’s more work than it’s worth (I have enough plants to water, I don’t need to be watering moss poles too).
If your aerial roots aren’t growing, it’s rarely a reason to panic about your plant’s health (unless there are other symptoms too).
But what if you want your plant to climb by itself and it’s refusing to grow aerial roots? Or, it’s growing them, but they shrivel up into brown stubby nubs.
Basically, aerial roots will only grow if they’re needed. The plant will prioritise most other things over aerial root growth, so make sure these things are sorted:
Light
If your plant doesn’t have enough light, it is unlikely to grow longer aerial roots than are strictly needed UNLESS it’s something like a succulent that will produce them when stressed. If you need to, get a grow light.
Humidity
Humidity (and temperature actually) can really supercharge aerial root growth specifically, but only if all other needs are being met. It won’t replace good light or ample watering.
Watering
Incongruent watering can cause plants to sacrifice their aerial roots. You have been warned.
Pest free
Pests are one of the things that will really inhibit growth. One of the best houseplant tips I can give you is to assume your plant has pests if there’s ever an issue and treat it accordingly (i.e. keep it clean and make sure it’s not stressed)
Something to climb
Particularly a ‘proper’ moss pole with damp moss, because root love to grow towards the light.
Also, check you haven’t got an aerial root deficient plant
See the genetics section above.
Here’s a brief overview of your aerial root options:
- Leave them be. They won’t hurt anyone (except possibly the paint on your walls)
- Poke them back into the soil. That’s my move
- Give the Monstera something to climb, and use the aerial roots to attach it
- Put the aerial roots in water – this is largely pointless and a bit of a faff, but it is fun
- Cut them off – it doesn’t really need them, unless you’ve directed them back into the soil and it’s using them for support
In summary
- Most houseplants with aerial roots use them for climbing
- They probably don’t need them in a houseplant situation
- Your rubber plants definitely don’t need their aerial roots
- Your succulent with aerial roots is crying out for water
- Your phalaenopsis definitely needs its aerial roots – they’re the only roots it has
- Keep an eye on your ivy – it will destroy your paintwork, given half a chance
