How Big Does Monstera Adansonii Grow? (ANSWERED)

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The Monstera Adansonii is also known as the Swiss cheese plant because of its heart-shaped and fenestrated leaves. The fenestration makes the leaves resemble Swiss cheese. A tropical plant, the Monstera is native to Central and South America, where it grows in largely tropical settings.

Other names for the plant include Five Holes Plant, Monkey Mask Monstera, Monstera friedrichsthalii, and Adanson’s Monstera.

Other names for the plant include Five Holes Plant, Monkey Mask Monstera, Monstera friedrichsthalii, and Adanson’s Monstera.

While the Monstera adansonii does not grow as big as the Monstera deliciosa, it can still grow big enough. Read here to learn everything you need about Monstera adansonii growth.

How Big Does Monstera Adansonii Grow?

climbing Monstera Adansonii plants

As a vining plant, Monstera adansonii can do both climbing and trailing. The plant can reach a height of 12 feet in its natural environment.

And if the conditions are perfect, the jungle plants can reach up to 55 feet in the tropical rainforest of South America.

But you don’t have to worry about your Monstera growing to such exaggerated heights; this only occurs in the wild.

In an indoor environment, the adansonii plant tends to reach a height of about 6 ft to 8 ft when grown indoors. It also grows to a width of 1 ft to 3 ft, with mature houseplants reaching a width of about 13 feet. If adansonii is grown on a fence, its leaves grow wider.

To understand how big your adansonii tends to grow, we must first understand its growth pattern in the wild and compare it with an indoor environment.

The wild Swiss cheese plant is a vining plant that trails on other plants. It plants roots in the ground to search for nutrients and uses aerial roots to latch onto another plant (usually a tree).

The plant’s growth habit is to seek height. However, despite its best efforts, the plant is often kept in the shade because of the thick jungle canopy.

Compare this in an indoor environment with restricted access to nutrition, surface area, light, and often unfavorable temperature conditions.

Moreover, a potted rooting system doesn’t mimic the natural growing conditions of a wild Monstera.

Read Next: Monstera Varieties Chart

Does Monstera Adansonii grow fast?

Those with a green thumb have reported growth rates of up to 2 feet per year. And if you allow the Monstera to climb, it may grow bigger leaves.

The overall growth rate of the adansonii comes decreases in the winter months, and the plant goes into dormancy.

Make sure to mimic the plant’s natural habitat so it can grow steadily throughout the year, especially in the summer months.

You will have to repot the plant once its leaves grow sufficiently large. As a rule, the adansonii plant requires repotting once every two years in a pot the next size up from its current pot.

While some prefer showing off the cascading beauty of these Swiss cheese plants as hanging plants, it grows best as a climber.

Many gardeners use trellises to train climbing plants like Monstera adansonii. Make sure to choose a thicker trellis for the best possible results.

You can buy trellises in various designs, including traditional wood lattice or even more extravagant designs that make your houseplants stand out even more.

You can also use a moss pole to encourage new growth; however, the Swiss cheese vine plant takes more easily to trellises.

How big does a Monstera Adansonii leaf grow?

Monstera Monkey Mask leaf closeup

You can expect the leaves to grow around 1 to 2 feet wide as indoor houseplants. While they can get incredibly wide in the wild, exceeding 2 feet will likely never occur for an indoor Monstera adansonii.

Big leaves on Monstera are mostly a matter of age. Only a fully mature Monstera adansonii plant can grow giant leaves.

During this time, you’ll have to provide plenty of nutrients, water, and sunlight to encourage the growth of mature leaves.

Missing any of these elements, providing them in excess, or being forgetful too often can result in stunted growth.

Young Swiss cheese plants will start with tinier leaves. The first few leaves will only be a few inches wide at most.

However, as the plant produces aerial roots, it will reach larger over time. You will know that your Monstera adansonii is growing mature once it starts undergoing fenestration.

When Does the Swiss Cheese Plant Produce Giant Leaves?

Monstera adansonii plants can put out their showy leaves at around two to three years old. However, It is hard to predict the exact timeline for Monstera adansonii plants to put out large leaves.

This is because of the large variability in the environment that indoor plants are provided.

You’ll know that your Monstera adansonii has reached the maturity when its leaves aren’t as vulnerable to fluctuations in environmental conditions.

A juvenile Monstera may go through several ups and downs when the environment changes.

Mature adansonii plants also tend to have many leaves, some with fenestrations with new growth at each node.

Another way to tell that your Monstera has reached maturity is by looking at the number of aerial roots. Mature Monsteras have several aerial roots compared to the few found on younger plants.

How to Ensure Your Monstera adansonii Grows Healthy

There are several factors to keep in mind when growing the swiss cheese plant to ensure healthy growth. Some of these factors include:

  • Soil: Soil ph and type are essential factors in growing the five-holes plant. The plant prefers fresh soil with an acidic pH. Moreover, the soil should be well-draining abilities. You can use a commercially available potting mix for the monkey mask plant.
  • Light: Tropical plants prefer indirect light. Keep the plant away from direct sunlight, which can damage more than a few leaves. Direct light causes leaf burning and dehydration, but placing the plant in the morning sun for a few hours is fine as long as it does not get too much light.
  • Watering frequency: Overwatering can lead to soggy soil and root rot, while underwatering could lead to dehydration. Check the soil before watering to ensure good growth.
  • Potting: Use a pot with adequate drainage holes and fill it with a peat-based potting mix.
  • Pests: The rare species have no defense against pests such as spider mites, as they are not prevalent in tropical rainforests. Use pesticidal soap or neem oil to prevent an infestation from pests.
  • Temperature and humidity: Provide more than 50 degrees Fahrenheit temperature and above 60% humidity for healthy growth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Better to Propagate Swiss Cheese Vine in Water or Soil?

You can propagate Swiss Cheese Vine in both water and soil. However, your Monstera plant will thrive and flourish in soil because it has access to more nutrients.

Like the Monstera deliciosa, the adansonii will do just fine in water as long as it has a fully developed root system.

How do I propagate Monstera Adansonii?

Monstera adansonii propagation is relatively easy because it’s a vining plant. The swiss cheese plant belongs to the Araceae plant family and can propagate easily.

You can do this in water or soil. It is also possible to leave the plant in water indefinitely if you want, although it will not grow as tall as it would in soil.

Here’s how to propagate Monstera adansonii in soil:

  • Use sterile scissors to snip off a section of vine with at least two nodes from the mother plant. These nodes will allow new roots to take hold.
  • Discard the bottom leaves from the stem
  • Place the cutting in moist soil with the node buried. Do not bury any leaves.
  • Provide the cutting with bright indirect light and keep its soil moist (avoid extended periods of direct sun)
  • Monstera adansonii does well in fresh potting mix well-draining soil that also holds moisture.
  • Keep the soil mix at a slightly acidic pH in the range of 5.5 to 6.5 pH (this can be done with a soil mix containing 1 part perlite, 4 part pine bark fines, 1 part peat moss, and some orchid bark).
  • It is generally advisable to place a plastic bag over the plant to lock in some humidity, always removing it once a day to allow fresh air.
  • You’ll have to wait a few weeks before the root system fully develops and produces new leaves.
  • You’ll know the roots by giving the cutting a gentle tug. Any resistance from the plant is an indication of fully developed rots. Now you can focus on providing the plant with the ideal growth conditions so that it may produce fuller leaves.

How do I repot a Monstera Adansonii?

Monstera Adansonii in white plastic pot

It is recommended to repot the Monkey mask plant once every one or two years. Choose a pot one size larger or about one to two inches bigger.

Ensure that the new pot has drainage holes to prevent the risk of root rot. You’ll know it’s time to repot your Swiss cheese plant when you see roots emerging from the bottom of the plant.

Stunted growth is another sign that your plant needs a larger pot. You should routinely perform a visual inspection of the roots to determine if the plant is rootbound.

A rootbound plant will have roots that have become so entangled that they can no longer absorb nutrients from the soil.

This leads to starvation which leads to the death of your Monstera adansonii.

What is the Difference Between Monstera obliqua and Monstera Adansonii?

It can be hard for an untrained person to tell the subtle differences between Monstera obliqua and adansonii.

However, the leaves of Obliqua plants are very thin and will have more prominent holes. Adansonii plants usually have more leaf than hole and have a slightly textured appearance.

Why is My Monstera Plant Not Growing?

There are several reasons why your swiss cheese plant has stopped growing. The most common causes include underwatering, overwatering, pest infestations, inadequate lighting, and a lack of nutrients.

Make sure to thoroughly review all aspects of your plant to identify the culprit and ensure proper Monstera adansonii care.

watering a Monstera Adansonii plant

Conclusion

So there you have it, the Monstera adansonii can grow up to 8 feet as a houseplant if you provide them with ideal growing conditions.

In the wild, Monstera plants can grow up to 50 feet tall. Try to mimic the natural environment of Monstera plants to maximize their growth potential.