Monstera Peru Care Guide

Monstera Peru is one of the most interesting plants among other tropical plants. Here you will find out everything you need to know if you want to have it in your home.

Monstera Peru care tips

• Place Monstera Peru near an east-facing window so it gets 4-6 hours of the indirect morning sun
• Water Monstera Peru when the top 2-3 inches of potting soil are dry
• Keep the air around your plant at 65-75% humidity
• Plant Monstera Peru in loose, easy-draining soil with a pH of 6.3-7.0
• Provide a temperature around it of 65-80°F
• Fertilize Monstera Peru once every 1-2 months with a water-soluble balanced fertilizer
• Set up a moss pole to support your Monstera
• Spray the leaves with neem oil if pests are present

Light

Monstera Peru is most often found in nature under large tropical trees. In this way, the plant uses a live canopy to protect itself from the scorching sun. All the plant gets is scattered but the very bright sun.

To make your Monstera thrive you need to recreate its native environment. Place it in an eastern or western room near a window. This will give the plant about 6 hours of bright light.

Try to keep direct sunlight away from the leaves. But as practice shows, 2-3 hours of direct sun this plant is quite able to withstand. Immediately I want to take into account that by the direct sun I mean the rays that passed through the glass and part of the UV is filtered. If you place it in direct afternoon sun outside it will get burnt.

You should also avoid too dark places, like the north room or the bathroom. If there is not enough light, the Monstera will stretch out and become exhausted. If you don’t have a place with the right amount of light, install artificial lighting.

Watering

As for watering, Monstera Peru is not much different from other aroids, water it when the top layer of soil is 2-3 inches dry. For better control of soil moisture, buy and install a moisture meter.

Avoid watering Monstera Peru a schedule as you will inevitably overwater the soil. A constantly humid environment will cause the roots to rot. As a result, you will have to remove the rot and repot the plant in new soil. Symptoms of overwatering are yellowing of the leaves.

When planting, always use pots with drainage holes only 1 to 2 inches larger than the plant’s root ball. The soil should be loose and well-drained.

Monstera Peru has thick leaves that can hold a certain amount of moisture, so it can tolerate a slight drought. But this does not mean that it can be left without water for a long time. This is especially true in the summer, as a lack of water during this period will certainly cause the leaves to droop.

You must reduce watering during the winter months because this is when the plant is dormant and extra water can be harmful to it. In winter, allow the soil to dry out to half the depth of the pot before watering. As spring approaches, keep a close eye on the plant, and if you see new leaves appear, slowly increase the watering to its normal level.

Soil

Monstera Peru grows best in loose and light substrate because it imitates its native soil. In addition, the light organic-based soil stays moist but not wet for a relatively long time. So you do not have to worry about stagnant water and root rot as well as underwatering.

To get such a soil mix you have to combine one part potting soil with one part good quality compost and add some perlite. The result will be soil that is nutritious and slightly acidic due to the presence of organic matter. You will need to feed Monstera a little less often in such soil.

Another option is to use ready-made mixes for aroids or bark for orchids. In some cases, it is even more convenient than making your own substrate. But remember that you have to transplant Monstera into the fresh substrate on average once every 2 years. As for the bark, you have to stick to a different way of watering.

Humidity

Monstera Peru grows in tropical forests in high humidity, but at the same time with excellent ventilation. For this reason, normal room humidity is not fully suitable for it.

Of course, Monstera will tolerate dry air for a while, but if it lasts long enough it will not have enough time to moisten the surface of the leaves. As a result, large dry spots will appear on the leaves and the leaves may split from the edge.

The first thing to do to increase the humidity is to install an air moisture meter. Next, place a tray of pebbles and water near the plant. You need to keep the humidity at 65-75%. You can also place a few plants close to each other and this will increase the humidity even more.

But the most effective way is to buy and install a quality humidifier in a room where Monstera Peru is growing. It is not cheap but the result will be excellent.

Avoid wetting the leaves with a sprayer, as this can easily lead to leaf disease. Also avoid putting Monstera in the bathroom, because although the humidity is high there, it can be poorly ventilated and the light may not be bright enough.

Temperature

Monstera Peru is a heat-loving plant, which is why we can’t grow it outside. The only exception is in summer when you can take it out into the garden. Still, it needs a temperature of 65-80°F to thrive.

Very often summer nights can be cold and if the temperature drops below 50°F Monstera can get damaged. Symptoms will be the reddening of the leaves. If the cold was very severe or there were frosts, the leaves will turn black and die.

To avoid cold damage, be vigilant when moving Monstera outdoors in the summer. As soon as the temperature drops low enough, move it back inside.

Also avoid placing it near cooling appliances (refrigerator, air conditioner, etc.). Even brief exposure to the cold can damage the leaves. The same applies to heaters, if Monstera is placed close to them, the leaves can get burnt.

Another problem is cold drafts. This is especially true during the cold season. If the Monstera is placed in the path of cold airflow, it will suffer. Therefore, remove any cold drafts from your home.

Fertilization

If you listened to my advice above and prepared the right soil, you are halfway there. Slightly acidic soil with compost is nutritious enough for most plants. But for a potted Monstera Peru, a little more fertilizer is needed.

Fertilize it every 1-2 months during the growing season. Use a multi-purpose fertilizer with a balanced NPC formula to be successful. A water-soluble fertilizer works best in this particular case.

Sometimes you may notice that the Monstera Peru leaves turn yellow or light green, but the veins remain dark green. This indicates a lack of iron or magnesium in the soil. To correct this, add a fertilizer that contains these elements.

Avoid fertilizing your Monstera more than once a month because too much fertilizer can lead to a build-up of salts in the soil and damage the roots. You should also avoid fertilizing at the end of autumn and over the winter because the plant has to remain dormant during the winter.

Pests and diseases

Unfortunately with Monstera Peru, things sometimes go wrong. First of all, it is about pests. Aphids, thrips, mealybugs, and scales most often affect Monstera Peru leaves. All of them attach to the leaves and stems and feed on the sap of the plant.

To get rid of the insects you need to spray the plant with horticultural oil. Dilute one teaspoon of dish soap in half a gallon of water, then add three tablespoons of horticultural oil and mix it well. Spray the entire plant (leaves, stems, and other parts).

Repeat the spraying if necessary. If garden oil does not help, use systemic pesticides.

The second problem is a disease. Leaf blight is one of the most serious diseases of Monstera. Infected leaves will begin to rot and die. To remedy the situation, tear off any diseased leaves and throw them away. Provide good ventilation and moderate watering.

Another disease is the leaf spot. It results in brown spots on the leaves. To get rid of this, you need to spray the plant with a copper fungicide.

Propagation

Monstera Peru is propagated quite easily by cuttings. This method is called vegetative propagation. You can be sure that all the varietal characteristics will be transferred to the new plant.

All you have to do is tear the stem and leaf off the plant. Choose a stem that is not old but not too young either. Tear it off the plant very carefully, trying to keep the ‘foot’ on it.

Then insert the cuttings into sterile seedling soil. Keep the soil moist at all times. After a while roots will begin to appear. A sign that the cutting is rooted will be the appearance of new leaves on it.

Monstera is also propagated by daughter plants, which it produces constantly. Separate the young plant and plant it in a nutritious and draining substrate. In 1-2 months the plant will develop its roots.