Monstera deliciosa grow quickly if you put them in a great environment and treat them well. They can grow leaves as often as every month
If you put them somewhere unsuitable, you might have to wait several months between new leaves.
There are also factors outside of your control, such as genetics that can influence how quickly your Monstera deliciosa grows.
Monstera deliciosa is slow-growing compared to other Monstera. If you want a Monstera that grows quickly, an adansonii or dubia might be more suitable OR you could go for something that just looks like a Monstera, like a Rhaphidophora tetrasperma or a mature golden Pothos.
How often do Monstera grow new leaves?
There is a huge amount of variation between individual specimens. Some Monstera deliciosa produce new leaves monthly, and others only produce three per year.
I have two Monstera next to each other in pretty much the same conditions: one has put out one new leaf this year, and the other has six.
Factors that impact how fast Monstera grow
There are a tonne of factors that influence how fast a Monstera grows:
- The amount of light it’s getting
- The amount of humidity it’s getting
- How healthy its roots are
- Whether it has pests/disease or not
- How warm it is
- How consistent its environment is
- Whether it’s climbing
These are all *technically* things you can control, but there are also factors that determine how often your Monstera will grow new leaves that you can’t really do anything about:
- Genetics
Monstera deliciosa are an incredibly popular houseplant, and they’re produced in labs and nurseries all over the world. Each grower will use different parent plants to produce their stock. Natural variations between plants mean that some will grow faster than others.
- Age
Monstera grow faster when they’re younger, and slow down when they’re old. They slow down further when they’re old and don’t have anything to climb, which I suspect is why one of my mime has slowed right down.
I direct the aerial roots into the soil so it is stable, but I think the stem (which is pretty thick) would prefer to be staked. I think it feels a bit exposed and vulnerable to snapping.
Does pruning Monstera slow growth?
NO. If you cut your Monstera back, it can actually give it more energy and start a growth spurt.
There might be an initial delay in growth, because when you cut off the apical bud (the growth point) the plant has to activate an axillary bud on a lower node, but once the new growth gets going, you can get a few new leaves in quick succession.
How to make your Monstera grow faster
There are three main ways to get Monstera to grow faster:
- Improve it’s environment
- Improve its care
- Stake it up
There are various different things you can do in each of the three categories to encourage your Monstera to grow faster.
Improve its environment
- Give it more light
One of the most common mistakes I see people making with Monstera deliciosa is not giving them enough light.
The light requirements of Monstera deliciosa can be summed as ‘more is better (within reason)’, yet they’re commonly sold as plants that can live in low light.
Monstera can live in low light, but they won’t grow very fast, if at all, and they’ll be much more at risk from pests and root rot than they would be if they were kept in brighter light.
My Monstera thrive (well, one of them does) in a big, south-facing window. I sometimes put them outside in summer for a bit of additional light. If that’s not an option for you, you could try adding some grow lights.
Increasing the light to Monstera deliciosa is the closest thing to a cheat code in the houseplant world. I put my Monstera right in front of the window and use it to shade my other plants.
- Give it higher humidity
Monstera deliciosa don’t have super high humidity requirements BUT increasing the humidity temporarily can give it a temporary boost to kick out some new growth.
To be perfectly honest I have no idea why it works, but it does – it can also encourage splits in the leaves.
It’s fine to mist Monstera, but misting is not the same as providing high humidity. You’ll either need a humidifier or you could try keeping your Monstera in a clear plastic box for a couple of months (if you can find a box big enough).
- Keep it warm
Monstera aren’t particularly picky about temperature, and they can survive surprisingly cold and hot weather. A guy in England managed to revive a Monstera that had been outside in -6˚C/21˚F, and they grow wild in Florida which can reach temperatures of 42˚C/109˚F.
However, surviving is not thriving, and regularly exposing your Monstera to temperatures it can’t grow in can slow growth. Not only can they not grow in low/high temperatures, but they need time to recover once the temperatures are in a comfortable range.
- Keep conditions constant
This is both the key to getting Monstera deliciosa to grow quickly AND the hardest thing to control.
Plants don’t move in their natural habitat, so they find change quite stressful. Monstera deal with stress well BUT it still slows their growth.
One of the biggest obstacles to Monstera growth is winter. Caring for Monstera in winter isn’t difficult – as long as you water them sparingly and don’t let them get too cold they won’t suffer BUT those cold months where they lie pretty much dormant will slow their growth.
If you can keep conditions constant year-round, you’ll be able to grow Monstera faster than those of us who get like five hours of grey light in December if we’re lucky. You can throw grow lights, heat mats, and humidifiers at the problem, but it can be a costly exercise.
I’ve also found that Monstera grow fine in bathrooms, but they don’t grow as quickly as they might elsewhere. Bathrooms tend to fluctuate quite a lot temperature-wise, which isn’t ideal if you want a fast-growing Monstera.
Improve its care
- Make sure its roots are healthy
Root health is determined by a few different things. You need to ensure that you’re watering your Monstera correctly – not too much and not too little. A big part of adequate hydration is ensuring your Monstera is in a suitable substrate.
The pot size also needs to be correct.
Unfortunately, there’s no right answer to getting these things right, because how often you water, the substrate you use, and the size of the pot all depend on both the environment your Monstera lives in and the care you give it.
- Keep it well fed
We don’t really know much about aroids to know their ideal fertilising regime. Most of the research we have around feeding plants comes from studies on crops.
However, last year I changed up my fertilising regimen a lot, and I found that my Monstera grew fastest if I added nutrients every other time I watered them.
Interestingly, my Thai Constellation and bathroom Monstera responded really well to increased feedings. The big, old one was entirely unmoved EXCEPT it grew a two-foot-long aerial root.
Check out my resources page if you want to know which fertiliser I use.
Stake it up
I think I’ve convinced myself my big Monstera needs a support. This is annoying because it’s perfectly capable of standing up perfectly solidly on its aerial roots. Perhaps it is just old? I’ll add a pole and report back.
The reason it’s so important to grow a Monstera vertically is that growing them up makes them think they’re climbing a tree and getting more light as they climb towards the sun (they don’t know they’re in a house).
This is true of most, if not all climbing plants. If you get two Pothos, one trailing and one climbing, and keep them in the exact same conditions, the climbing one will grow faster and bigger.
The reason I used Pothos in that example is you can't have trailing Monstera - their leaves are too big and heavy and you'll be forever running the risk of it snapping. Monstera deliciosa also don't crawl (not even the small-form ones) - they all want to climb.
There are a few different options when it comes to supporting Monstera:
- A moss pole
Moss poles are plastic or mesh poles stuffed with damp sphagnum moss. They’re great for staking climbing plants because as they grow, their aerial roots bury into the moss and change into a proper subterranean root system.
This is great for all climbing aroids, but it’s particularly good for Monstera because it negates the problem of them growing very tall and then getting droopy at the top due to lack of turgor pressure.
I don’t use moss poles (well, I have a couple) because you have to keep them hydrated and I’m terrible at remembering to water moss poles. I can barely remember to do my plants, never mind poles.
- Kratiste poles
I have a Kratiste review here, but they’re bark-like poles made from elephant grass and potato peels. You don’t need to wet them and the aerial roots attach by themselves BUT they don’t develop into another root system – they just grow and attach to the pole.
- Bamboo canes
Bamboo canes work fine, though they can be a bit flimsy for large Monstera. You’ll have to tie the stem to your Monstera yourself because the aerial roots won’t attach to bamboo.
- Coir pole
A solid, budget-friendly option, though I know a lot of people don’t like the way they look. Coir poles get a lot of flack because the aerial roots can’t attach by themselves (coir just isn’t attractive to aerial roots) but there’s nothing wrong with attaching the stem to the pole with garden ties or greening pins.
Don’t bother trying to keep coir wet. You’re fighting a losing battle. Get a moss pole instead.
- Directing the aerial roots back into the soil
I have four Monstera and none of them have a moss pole. Monstera grow long aerial roots that you can direct into the soil and they’re sturdy enough to support them.
As far as I’m aware, that’s perfectly sufficient to support them. Mine is incredibly solid in the pot and doesn’t lean or anything, but now I’m wondering if it would prefer something to climb.
Before I started writing this article I was 99% sure the reason one of my Monstera grows at a snail’s pace is because it’s incredibly old. Now I’m 85% sure it’s old age and 15% sure it needs a pole. Ugh.
- How to stake your Monstera – includes all the pros and cons
How long does it take to grow a Monstera from seed?
Growing Monstera deliciosa from seed isn’t a very efficient way of growing a Monstera quickly.
For one thing, unless you manage to get your Monstera to produce a fruit, it’s pretty difficult to get your hands on seeds – 99% of the posts I see on eBay and Etsy are scams.
It can take a year for the fruit to ripen, and then it can about 8 months to grow a Monstera from a seed to it’s first few leaves. Then it’s another year or two before you get fenestrated leaves IF you provide it with the correct environment and care.
Ok, I’m done. That’s everything I know about getting Monstera to grow faster.. I’m gonna go and give my Monstera a pole. I just bought a new one and everything.
Before you go, these articles might be of interest to you:
- The Ultimate Guide to Monstera Deliciosa (this covers EVERYTHING from toxicity to distribution etc etc)
- How to Care For Monstera deliciosa (this is care only)
- How to Propagate Monstera deliciosa
I loved reading your article! I recently got both a monstera and a variegated one, and I’ve been anxious to know how often they usually produce leaves. And I like your style of writing
Thanks so much! I have noticed that not only do variegated monstera go much more slowly than regular ones, but they take longer to get established in your home too, so don’t be surprised if you don’t see any new growth for a while. As long as your plant isn’t actively declining, it’ll be fine.
Putting my regular Monstera outside had a MASSIVE impact on its rate of growth – I put it in the shade for a few hours whenever the weather’s good (not often in the UK tbh) and it really made a difference.
Good luck with your Monstera!
Hi, I live in England, and Ive3 just seen these plants in my local Aldi, I’m going back to buy one, after reading your article, Many thanks,
Keep safe, best wishes, from the UK.
Yesss go Edina! Mine has been growing like mad because I had it outside, but since it’s done nowt but rain for the past week, he’s back in again.
I bought a large and possibly old, monstera delicious several months ago but it hasn’t produced any new leaves. I have followed every piece of advice I can find (especially yours) to encourage new growth but without success. Is there a possibility that the plant is a lost cause? Please help!
Noooo! Some plants really, really hate being moved, and can take a while to get established in a new place. As long as it’s not declining, I’d leave it be. I bought a lot of plants early last year that haven’t started growing until this month, nearly a year later. Now they’re growing really quickly. I assume they were concentrating their energy on growing roots, or supporting existing growth.
You could try taking a cutting or two – it can encourage new growth to emerge from where you cut.
Your article is ever so helpful! Thank you! My Monstera Albo seems to be growing a new growth point from near the soil level and I wasn’t sure if it was an aerial root at first. I’m new to plant parenting and I Didn’t know it’s possible for this plant to have multiple growth point until reading your article. I’m so excited now!
You’re welcome, I’m glad it helped! and more growth points can mean more cuttings. Maybe you can make the money back on the albo! Plants are awesome.
My 15 year old monstera has loads of new very small leaves growing but they quickly die off. Any idea why this might be?
First off, check for pests. Thrips and aphids both love new growth, and they can hamper growth.
The small leaves could be due to lack of light or lack of nutrition.
Over time, the larger leaves block out light from new growth – that’s thought to be why Monstera grow fenestrated leaves over time – it allows light to get to the lower leaves.
Train it up a pole or move it to brighter area. Grow lights would work too, but I’ve found putting mine outside in the shade for a couple of hours works wonders.
If you haven’t fertilised, do so, but dampen the soil first and dilute the fertiliser so it’s half as strong as the manufacturer recommends. Go for either a balanced one or ones that’s higher in nitrogen.
Check the roots too – I’d be surprised if a 15 year old plant has suddenly developed root rot, but you never know! It may be time for a repot too.
Great article, very helpful. I have a Monstera that is almost 3 years old and has grown big through every spring summer however over the past year it has not grown a single new leaf. Recently a few of the very old leaves turned yellow and died off but other than that it looks good but it just doesn’t grow. Any advice? Thanks
I’d check to see if it’s rootbound first, and repot if so. If there’s plenty of room in the pot try adding fertilizer. Mixing in a few worm castings will do fine, but you can use a regular fertiliser if you’d like – just be sure to dampen the soil first.
If that doesn’t work but the plant looks healthy, then take a cutting or two. This can often kick a plant in grow mode.
My monstera is fairly new and young (no fenestrations yet) but it has a bunch of smaller leaves towards the bottom of the plant. I’m wondering if I should trim those back to help it put more energy into bigger leaves?
I personally wouldn’t – leaves absorb light so more leaves = more photosynthesis = more energy. To be honest though, I don’t think either cutting them off or leaving them on would result in a noticeable growth rate increase.
If you want your monstera to grow quickly, give it more light – I noticed a difference literally overnight when I moved mine.
Thank you for this! We have four monstera plants, and only one of them is producing leaves right now. And to think we live in Fiji! I will take your advice and let the other three have more light. Although I do have them by the windows, maybe it’s not enough. I hope it works!
It’s really surprising how much more light there is outside (that sounds ridiculous but you know what I mean), so even shady spots are brighter than window sills.
I saw a difference in my monstera after a day, which is great because here in the UK there aren’t many days when it’s suitable to put tropical plants outside!
Great info, lots of much bedded info. My monastery is thriving!
Thanks! I’m glad they’re thriving!
GREAT article, thanks a bunch! I got Fergus, my monstera, a few months ago. I was afraid I wasn’t doing a good job, but I feel so much better after reading your article. His leaves are healthy, his soil has a few buggies that I’m treating, and I’ve adjusted his watering schedule bcuz I think I may have been overwatering. Lastly, I moved Fergus to a sunnier spot. Now I’ll patiently wait for him to get acclimated and GROW! Oh yeah, patience, ha!
Thanks again,
Pam
I’m glad I could help! Monstera are really responsive to increased light, so fingers crossed Fergus will start growing soon!
Hi Caroline
Thank you for a great article on how to care for Monty the Monster!
Monty seems happy and is growing up and up so I took three cuttings today to grow new plants.
Is there any way of getting the bottom bushier or will I just need to plant the rooted cuttings back in the mother pot to get a fuller look?
Thank you
You could definitely plant cuttings back in with Monty, BUT that could lead to an, ahem, monster monstera somewhere down the line – a lot of plant experts tell you not to do this. Their roots are enormous and you’ll either be repotting all the time or they’ll start outcompeting one another. They’re also very tangly roots and they’ll be a bugger to separate.
To make Monty bushier naturally you’d have to wait until he bushes out at the top then take one big cutting and hope he roots. Basically you’d be removing the barer bottom section.
However I have three cuttings in one (very big) pot and my monstera’s growing like a weed. It hasn’t smashed the terracotta yet, but I’ll be sure to let you know if it does!
Annoyingly, plants don’t go in for aesthetics in the wild, so monstera are pretty bare at the bottom.
I’m having a similar issue with philodendron hastatum – it didn’t have any leaves on the bottom FOOT of stem and I was debating cutting off the bit with leaves and hoping it rooted, running the risk of the cutting not rooting and the bottom dying because it didn’t have enough leaves to make energy.
‘Luckily’ it got spider mites so what have I got to lose?
If it does root, it’ll be super bushy on the bottom, which leads me to think that this is how growers get their monstera so bushy – they remove the original stem and prop the top. Risky, but I guess they know what they’re doing.
Thank you, that makes complete sense – I had a feeling it wouldn’t send out new leaves on the existing stem.
Waiting to see how the three cuttings go and will keep extracting sibling plants from Monty if they work (may need an extension to house them all eventually!)
I got a cutting with one leaf and one long root. The “stem” part of the cutting is about an inch long…should that part be completely covered by soil? Thank you!!
I’d lay the stem on top of the soil if possible, and submerge the root. The more the stem is under the soil the more likely it is to rot. Maybe try planting it in perlite or moss until it’s a bit more established?
Wow! This is the Best forum ever for Monstera Deliciosa! I have learned so much! I have 3 Monstera’s . My house has horrible lighting so I have Grow lights all over my home. I have 55 houseplants. The Biggest Monstera’s at my front door. It’s staked and Its probably 8 feet tall if not taller. The problem is its leggy. What advice to get it fuller. Should I take it off the stake somewhat?
Thanks so much!
Monstera do grow kinda leggy – the only thing you can do (other than keep cutting it back and putting the cuttings in the pot with the mother plant) is increase the light. I don’t think taking it of the stake would make a difference.
I’d recommend you put it outside for a few hours once a week, but moving an 8 foot plant isn’t that easy!
Hi,
Ive learned so much lol. I just got a Monstera from a lady who was selling it. Its in an average sized pot. Its only got one huge leaf… Its got a thick as stem. So i guess my question is the stem part looks like it needs to be under the soil am I correct? And will it grow more leaves? Or will it only be just that one?
https://leafandpaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Monstera-1-791×1024.jpg
I figured the stem was sticking out by seeing the above picture.
Thanks.
You want as little of the stem under the soil as possible, since it’ll most likely just rot. Take the plant out of the soil and check the roots – they’re the only bit that need to be under the soil (and don’t confuse soil roots with aerial roots – the roots in the pic are aerial). If there’s a decent amount of roots, it’ll grow a new leaf. If there aren’t many, it should still grow a new leaf, but it’ll take longer.
Monstera like to be snug in their pots, so it’ll take it’s time to fill the pot with roots before bothering with a new leaf. This isn’t a problem in itself, but it may test your patience! You’ll have to be extra careful when watering too, because if you have a lot of wet soil and not a lot of root, it can lead to overwatering. Underwatering is better than overwatering.
Also be aware than monstera seem to be very aware of seasonal changes – mine WILL NOT grow between October and March, even though other ‘softer’ plants like alocasia grow year-round. You may not see new growth till next year, but it’ll have had time to get established so should spit out new leaves quickly.
Hi! Thank you for all that info! My monstera is putting out a new leaf at the moment and has started unwrapping, but today I noticed what looks like another leaf growing off this new one, is that possible or am I misreading the interesting growth it has…
Sounds like you just have an overachiever! Could be weird growth, but most likely your plant has grown a new node and is shooting out two leaves at once.
I live in the UK too and my monstera was fine for ages but recently started turning a yellowy green colour and the leaves have brown spots! Is this a sign of overwatering?? I only water every other week but I think I accidentally put too much water. I need that moisture meter!
Yeah, most likely! I probably water mine monthly, but it depends on where it is. Mines right next to a south-facing window so gets a decent amount of light. If yours is in a darker spot it’ll use less water take much longer to dry out
Hi! I just got into plants and I must say I LOVE your website! I got a Monstera three days ago (I’m not sure what kind it is, but it looks like a Deliciosa). It’s not very big, about three inches. How long does it take before the leaves fenestrate? She’s got 3 big ones and let’s say 10 small, but they’re all full leaves.
Thank you so much! There isn’t a hard and fast rule about when Monstera start to fenestrate, BUT you can speed up the process by making the plant believe it needs to start. Monstera develop fenestrations to allow light to penetrate to the lower leaves, and possibly to help them remain upright in windy weather.
The easiest way to convince a Monstera to fenestrate is to increase the light – a couple of hours outside (in the shade, or at least protected from super bright light) or by an open window will really help.
Other than that, all you can do is look after it well – water when needed, keep the leaves clean (lint roller for the win!) and feed every month or so.
Some plants really respond to being grown up a moss pole or plank of wood, but my Monstera is intent on growing horizontally across the floor and she has fenestrations, so that isn’t a hard and fast rule.
Great blog.! I’ve got a monstera named Dave, recently propagated it and have grown the cuttings in water – now repotted in soil. I was wondering if there’s anything I should do to encourage growth for the cuttings? How long till new growth can be seen? (There’s already a point growing on one of the cuttings but not on the others, just growth on the roots).
Thanks :))
There isn’t a specific timeline here but Monstera do have a habit of concentrating on growing a tonne of roots before any new growth, so it can take a while. Like, several months. The good news is that once they do eventually start growing foliage, they grow pretty quickly.
Making sure the roots are quite snug in their pots (go down a pot size if you’re impatient) can encourage leaves to grow faster, but it isn’t a guarantee.
Hello, I nearly lost my big 6 year-old monstera over the winter in a really bad January cold snap in the conservatory in Northumberland UK. I was distraught! I had to remove a lot of dead leaves and now it just has one big healthy leaf remaining and a lot of stumpy arms. I have checked the roots and they look fine and have had it in a warmer part of the house for the past few months. I now hope to stimulate some rapid leaf growth. I’m wondering how much water/food to give it as the soil is fairly dry at the moment, but the spring is coming & the days will hopefully be warmer soon. Should I start to feed it each week? I’m buying a humidifier too!
Monstera are super resistant so if you put it back in the conservatory over spring/summer it should grow quickly. You don’t need to feed every week – monthly is plenty. Water throughly so the soil is evenly moist (but make sure any excess can drain away) then wait until it’s fairly dry again.
Don’t repot unless it’s absolutely necessary (I have an article on that here) because monstera like to be snug in their pots – if you give them too much room they’ll concentrate on growing roots not leaves.
So, summer has started here in Malta (very strong sunlight – right on the equator) and I took my monstera, that had already been sitting outside in a shaded spot for a year, and put it in a sunnier spot under my yucca. It gets an hour of direct sunlight a day. It’s only been 2 days and the leaves are already turning pale and the centers of some have turned brown.
How literally did you mean to whack it outside and let it burn to a crisp? Should I leave it in its new spot or move it back and hope for the best?
If you want to keep the old leaves, move it back into the shade – it’s still better light then it would have inside. If you leave it where it if, new leaves should be able to handle the higher light so they won’t burn, but the old ones will die off. If you keep it hydrated and we’ll field it should grow quickly though.