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Monstera deliciosa are very cheap. Prices vary wildly, but this is how much you can expect to pay for one:
Baby plant – £3.99
Small plant (3 – 14 leaves) – £10
Medium plant (15-30 leaves) £40
Large – £90+
Individual specimens vary depending on the level of fenestration in the leaves and the way the growth has been managed, but don’t be scammed into spending £40 on three Monstera leaves that have been labelled rare.
What influences the price of Monstera deliciosa?
There are various different factors that can influence the price of a Monstera deliciosa. When buying Monstera deliciosa, please remember that they’re incredibly common plants, and there’s no need to spend more than £20. They’re literally an invasive species, but because they’re popular houseplants, they erroneously get labelled as rare. It’s scammy, but it’s super common practice.
Cultivar
The word cultivar is a pot manteau of the words cultivated and variety. It’s variety of plant that’s been cultivated, i.e. bred by humans.
Cultivars are NOT the same as species.
There are several different Monstera cultivars and they all command different prices.
Green Monstera are the bog standard ‘normal’ Monstera, and then there are a few different types of variegated Monstera which are more expensive.
Monstera albo variagata tend to be more expensive than Monstera Thai Constellation, because Albo’s can’t (yet) be reliably cloned via tissue culture, so they’re more costly to produce. Thai Constellations are pretty much all made via tissue culture and are relatively cheaper.
Small Thai Constellation cost around £100, BUT they grow big and slow so the large specimens are several hundreds of pounds.
Albos vary a LOT in price, depending on supply and demand.
Location
In most parts of Europe, North America, South-east Asia, and Australia, Monstera are plentiful and cheap. However, outside of those zones the prices fluctuate wildly.
Size
Large Monstera with fenestrated leaves command a higher price than smaller ones. Makes sense.
Growth pattern/aesthetics
A great way to get big plants for less money is to buy the ones that have clearly never had any kind of discipline. If you want a Monstera to grow neatly, you have to train it from a young age. A large, well-trained Monstera can command a much higher price than one that’s been left to droop and ramble.
However, the weird ones can be chopped and propped, and you can get several smaller plants for a fraction of the cost of buying them individually. Train them all properly, and you can sell them and easily make your money back.
Don’t pay more for a Monstera because it’s large-form. The size of a Monstera is dictated by the conditions it’s kept in far more than its genetics. So-called small-form Monstera can still grow freaking huge, and large-form won’t grow large unless they’re cared for extremely well.
Vendor
Supermarkets often sell Monstera deliciosa pretty cheaply, and they’re often pretty big. Garden centres are a little more expensive but the plants are usually better cared for. Plant shops are the most expensive place to get plants from but you can also get tips and advice.
Generally speaking, there’s rarely a difference in quality between supermarket houseplants and more expensive ones.
With Monstera, the difference is negligible – they’re extremely hardy plants regardless of where you get them. If you see a nice-looking Monstera in a supermarket the quality is basically the same as a garden centre specimen.
How much is my Monstera worth?
It really depends on the size and shape (i.e fenestrations in the leaves).
It’s almost impossible to accurately price a Monstera without seeing it, but as a very basic guide, we’re looking at £2 per non-fenestrated leaf, and up to £20 per fenestrated leaf depending on the number of splits and holes.
The quickest, easiest way to get a quick valuation/guesstimate on how much you can sell your Monstera for is to put a photo in a Monstera subreddit and see what everyone says.
One thing I will caution against is trying to become a millionaire by sport hunting. There’s a world of difference between a Monstera with a variegated stem and one with a small patch of white on a random leaf.
Those people making money sport hunting during in the pandemic were either lying, scamming, or incredibly lucky.
Common scams to watch out for when buying Monstera deliciosa
Monstera seeds
Variegated Monstera don’t grow from seeds with any kind of reliability. You’d have to spend about 60 grand on seeds to definitely get a variegated one, and that might not be viable.
You can buy Monstera seeds, and it can be fun to buy them, but so many people are passing off herb and grass seeds as Monstera seeds so be careful.
Wet sticks
If you’re after a regular green Monstera, there’s no point buying a wet stick. It’s probably a similar price for a whole plant.
If you’re looking for a variegated Monstera and want to try buying wet sticks, make sure you buy from verified sources. Golden Pothos wet sticks look a lot like Monstera to the untrained eye. In fact, Golden Pothos themselves look pretty Monstera-ish when grown to maturity.
Unusual colours
Pink Monstera don’t exist. Neither do black or purple ones.
Monstera deliciosa come in green, with yellow, white, or green variegation.
There’s a very professional-looking website purporting to sell Miss Piggy Monstera that have pink variegation. Tis a SCAM.
If you’re after a pink plant, go for a pink aglaonema or a Philodendron Pink Princess.
Unusual names
A very common way sellers jack the prices of houseplants (especially Monstera) up is to give them a weird name and claim that they’re a rare cultivar.
A common word that confuses people is ‘borsigiana’. It means nothing. Ignore it. Also, beware of people selling cultivars with different leaf shapes. There are cultivars with slightly different leaf shapes (like sierrana) BUT there are tonnes of scammers that have a regular Monstera with weird leaves and sell them for four times what they’re worth.
This is a regular Monstera, but I’ve seen similar ones being sold as Sierrana because the leaf shape is a *bit* off.
In conclusion, Monstera are incredibly common and their price should reflect that.
Before you go, you might be interested in these articles:
- Monstera deliciosa – the ultimate guide
- Rhaphidophora tetrasperma vs Monstera deliciosa
- Do Pothos have fenestrations?
Omg please can I beg beg beg a cutting off you PLEASE.
Haha I see what you did there!