Monstera Drooping (Easy Solutions)

Monstera is an amazing plant that deserves to be popular with everyone. More and more people choose this plant for their homes, but sometimes something unpleasant can happen to it.

Lack of water, lack of sunlight, overwatering, and temperature stress are the main causes for monstera drooping. To prevent drooping water the monstera when the soil in the pot is about 50-60% dry and give it at least six hours of bright but indirect sunlight. Also, make sure that the temperature does not drop below 65°F (18°C) and that there are drainage holes in the pot.

Underwatering can cause monstera drooping

Dehydration is one of the most common causes of leaf drop in many plants, including monstera. When the soil remains dry for long periods, the plant is unable to maintain internal pressure, and the leaves, along with the stems, become soft. Depending on the degree of dehydration, only the leaves or the leaves and stems may droop.

Watering the monstera is quite ambiguous. On the one hand, monstera grows in tropical forests with high humidity and frequent rainfall. On the other hand, the roots of this plant are usually placed in the top layer of soil or on the bark of the tree. Therefore the roots in a humid environment rarely lack moisture but also do not rot.

Symptoms:

• Monstera leaves droop.
• The soil in the pot is completely dry.
• Yellowing or browning of the leaves is possible.

Solution:

• Water the monstera with plenty of water so that the excess can escape through the drainage holes.
• Water the monstera when the potting soil is about 50-60% dry. Do not let the potting soil dry out completely.
• Install a moisture meter to monitor the soil moisture. Or check the moisture in the pot regularly with your fingers.
• Use deep or bottom watering instead of frequent or surface watering.

Read also: 5 Best Hydroponic Growing Systems

Lack of light

In nature, the monstera grows its entire life in the shade. Large trees reliably protect it from the scorching sun. At the same time, quite a lot of filtered sun hits it.

If you place the monstera in a too dark place, it will not get enough light to thrive. It will start to use previously stored energy to grow and become very exhausted. In addition, the leaves will stretch out and not mature properly, all of which will cause the monstera to droop.

Another case is when the monstera is placed in direct sunlight. The sun will cause damage to the leaves in the form of burns. Severely burned leaves may also droop.

Symptoms:

• Monstera leaves stretch and droops from lack of sunlight.
• The plant looks weak and does not grow.
• Leaves are burned and drooping from direct sunlight.

Solution:

• Move monstera to a location with 6 hours of indirect but bright sunlight. This can be a southern room for example.
• Avoid placing the monstera in direct sun.
• If you don’t have enough natural light, install artificial lighting.

Root rot

The Monstera is a humidity-loving plant, but it does not tolerate wet feet. If you regularly overwater your plant, sooner or later the roots will suffer from a lack of air exchange. This will cause the root tissue to die off.

Dead roots and wet soil are the perfect environments for the development of rot. By occupying the rotten tissue, the rot will begin to migrate and destroy the living roots. The first symptoms of root rot are yellowing and drooping monstera leaves.

If you don’t do anything about it, the rot will spread to the crown. Crown rot almost always results in the loss of the plant.

Symptoms:

• Monstera leaves droop and turns yellow.
• The soil in the pot is constantly wet.
• Brown rotten tissue can be seen at the base of the stems.

Solution:

• Stop watering too often.
• Remove the monstera from the pot and check the roots.
• If the roots are mushy wash them with a stream of water.
• Remove the rot with a sterile tool.
• Treat the wounds with an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution. Dilute the hydrogen peroxide with water in the ratio of 1 part hydrogen peroxide: 10 parts water.
• Leave it to dry for several hours.
• Plant the monstera in a sterile aroid mix and a pot with drainage holes.
• Water the plant when the soil is about 50-60% dry.

Cold or heat damage

Monstera is a heat-loving plant and absolutely cannot tolerate low temperatures. For this reason, we all grow it only indoors.

But sometimes some owners take this plant outdoors in the summer, which is generally good for the plant. Often at night in the summer the temperature can drop below 50°F (10°C). This can cause the monstera to suffer and its leaves to droop. Another cause of hypothermia is proximity to a refrigerator or cold drafts.

Not only cold but also extreme heat can damage the monstera. Under native conditions, the trees protect the monstera not only from the sun but also create coolness. If the temperature rises above 95°F (35°C), the leaves may also droop.

Symptoms:

• Monstera leaves droop and change color to a darker color.
• The place where the monstera grows is cold (below 50°F) or hot (above 95°F).
• Monstera grows near a refrigerator or experiences constant cold drafts.

Solution:

• Provide monstera with a temperature of 65-80°F (18-26°C).
• Do not place monstera close to heat or cooling devices.
• Eliminate all drafts of cold.
• Remove severely damaged leaves.

Improper fertilization

The next cause of monstera leaf drooping is improper fertilization. Nature is generous and provides everything plants need, which is not the case with potted cultivation. If you don’t fertilize your monstera, it can become depleted from the lack of minerals in the soil and droop.

Leaf drooping is also possible from an overabundance of nutrients. Frequent fertilization will cause the plant to grow vigorously, but new stems and leaves will not mature in time and will become soft. As a result, the monstera will also droop.

Symptoms:

• Leaves and stems droop from lack of fertilizer. You have never fertilized your monstera.
• The plant is growing very vigorously due to frequent fertilizing. This causes the leaves and stems to droop.
• If you over-fertilize, the leaves can get brown spots.

Solution:

• If monstera is drooping due to a lack of fertilizer, fertilize it with a liquid multi-purpose fertilizer.
• Fertilize monstera an average of 2-3 times per growing season. Avoid fertilizing over the winter.
• If the monstera is over-fertilized, water it once with plenty of water to flush the fertilizer out of the soil through the drainage holes.

Drooping after repotting

Monstera is a relatively large and vigorous plant. After 1-2 years in one pot, the roots will become cramped and a root-bound may happen. As a result, the leaves may droop because the roots and soil in the pot will not be enough to provide for the water needs of the plant.

If you take care of monstera properly sooner or later it will need replanting. No matter how hard you try, you will damage the root system and this can also cause droopy leaves.

Over the years of working with plants, I have concluded that even a slight impact on the root system can stress the plant and cause it to droop.

Symptoms:

• Monstera leaves droop after transplanting.
• The roots were damaged during transplanting.
• The plant has not been transplanted for a long time and is rootbound.

Solution:

• Reduce the amount of light for the newly transplanted plant. When the plant has recovered, put it back the way it was.
• The next time you transplant, be careful not to damage the roots.
• Don’t repot the monstera in a pot much larger than the previous one.

Too heavy leaves

Monstera in native conditions has a climbing growth habit. It clings to the bark and branches of trees and grows upward. If it is growing in your pot it does not mean that its growth habit has changed. Monstera will always stretch upwards and if it doesn’t have something to hold on to it will droop under its own weight.

Another case is when the plant is getting enough water, light, and fertilizer. As a result, the leaves will become larger and heavier. The stems are not always able to withstand the heavy load and begin to bend downward.

Symptoms:

• The plant is stretched upward and drooping.
• Monstera leaves are very large and heavy and the stems cannot support their weight.
• The plant is too dense and the central leaves begin to crowd out those on the periphery.

Solution:

• Install support for the monstera. A moss pole does an excellent job.
• Or install a plant cage.
• If the monstera is too dense, thin it out a bit.