How Often to Water Monstera in Winter? (ANSWERED)

Disclosure: As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you.

Please note that while we always strive to provide 100% up to date and accurate information, there is always the small possibility of error. Therefore, we advise conducting further research and due diligence before consuming any plants or exposing pets to anything mentioned on this site. Kindly refer to the full disclaimer for more details here.

Sharing is caring!

The Monstera Deliciosa plant can thrive indoors and outdoors as long as you understand its growth conditions.

One of the most crucial conditions is watering the Monstera. This knowledge becomes even more important during the cold months.

Keep reading below to learn about your Monstera plants’ watering schedule that you need to be mindful of during the winter season.

Introduction to Monstera Watering Needs

Although the Monstera plants do not need a lot of water, they need some moisture to maintain their stunning dark green foliage and a healthy growth rate.

Fortunately, the Monstera plant or the Swiss Cheese Plant is an excellent beginner-friendly plant that is pretty easy to grow and keep alive.

As long as you understand the perfect water balance for these tropical plants, keeping them tall and evergreen during the colder months shall be no problem.

The tropical plant absorbs water from the soil and the air through its aerial roots. Water helps regulate Monstera’s temperature and is crucial to photosynthesis and growth.

However, too much water can adversely affect the plant and lead to disease. Therefore, it is essential to know everything about watering Monstera.

watering juvenile Monstera

How Much Water Do Tropical Plants Like the Monstera Need?

The Monstera Deliciosa is a tall, dark green tropical plant native to the Central American rainforests. Although different types of Monstera plants thrive in a moderately humid environment, they do not need too much water.

Moreover, the watering frequency depends on whether the plant is potted indoors or planted outside. Only water a Monstera plant when the top few inches of the soil have thoroughly dried up.

You can dip in a porous wooden stick or use highly accurate moisture meters to check the soil. If your fingers or the wooden stick come up moist or wet, or if the moisture meter indicates high soil moisture content, there is no need to water the Monstera plant.

Whenever you add excess water to your growing Monstera, you expose the entire plant to a possible fungal infection, which can lead to root rot. This disease can gravely impact root health, which affects the plant’s hydration, appearance, and expected lifespan.

Monstera by the window

How Does Excess Soil Moisture Cause Root Rot?

In general, most indoor plants usually do not require frequent watering. Instead, these plants thrive in low to moderate amounts of soil moisture.

Unfortunately, many inexperienced or uninformed plant caretakers are not aware of this.

When they add excess water to their Monstera plant’s soil without paying attention to active drainage, the extra water begins to accumulate inside the plant’s soil. The overly moist environments attract airborne fungal spores that can settle on the soil and feed on the present nutrients.

Eventually, the fungus can reproduce and grow to the Monstera plant’s healthy roots. Once the fungus grows over the root’s surface, it causes them to decay and die. This disease is called root rot.

Unless you notice the early signs of root rot and take the necessary action, the entire Monstera plant dehydrates and loses its freshness and pigment, causing yellowing leaves and the indoor plants to die prematurely.

Furthermore, Monstera plants’ watering needs and the possibility of a root rot infection vary with the changing season. Hence, remember to follow a different watering schedule once the hot summer days are over.

Monstera in the living room

What Happens to Monstera Plants During the Winter?

Overwatering is always bad for Monstera plants, regardless of what season it is. Any time the Monstera plants are grown in wet soil for too long, the soil becomes an easy target for fungal growth, and the plant’s roots begin to rot and die.

Although this can happen during the hot summer months, the likeliness of this happening significantly increases during the cold winter season.

If you have spent $50 or more on fancy Monstera plants, know that watering your Monstera is no joke.

When the weather is hot, the soil dries up sooner. The indirect or direct heat from the sun can evaporate most of the excess water from the soil, preventing a fungal infection.

Moreover, hot or warmer temperatures can also increase an actively growing Monstera plant’s inner body temperature. When this happens, the Monstera’s leaves begin to transpire water to reduce the plant’s temperature.

Although this brilliant coping mechanism helps cool down the plant and prevent it from scorching, it can lead to significant water loss.

This causes the thirsty Monstera plants to suck and absorb the moisture from the soil. As a result, the soil dries up sooner, and you can prevent root rot.

On the other hand, the general environment lacks warmth during the cold months, and the air is drier. This usually keeps the soil moist and even causes the excess moisture to freeze in the air pockets inside the waterlogged soil mix.

When you water Monstera Deliciosa more than it requires, you increase the chances of water freezing around the Monstera plant’s roots. In such an instance, the chances of a root rot infection increase as there is no proper light or heat to melt and evaporate the excess moisture from the soggy soil,

Moreover, since the weather lacks sufficient heat, the Monstera plant’s internal temperature either remains normal or drops. This eliminates the chances of water evaporating out of the Monstera leaf.

Furthermore, when watering your Monstera plants during the winter, you must keep an eye on the pot’s drainage holes to help the excess water drain out of the soil.

Usually, the extra water settles and freezes at the bottom of the plant pot, causing a blockage in the drainage holes. Once again, this further increases the chances of root decay and exposes an otherwise healthy Monstera plant to stunted growth and early death.

Monstera beside a grey couch

What Are the Signs That My Monstera Plant Is Struggling in Winter?

Although the Monstera plants are generally pretty undemanding indoor plants, they need a revised watering schedule during the cold winter months.

If you continue to water Monstera plants the same way throughout the year, your plant will probably die much sooner.

Pay attention to the signs below to know when your tropical houseplants are struggling to stay alive in the cold and wet conditions:

Discolored or yellow leaves

Yellow leaves occur when the Monstera is not getting enough water, causing the leaf to lose pigmentation.

Crispy Leaves with Brown Edges

Monstera leaf with crispy edges

With less water, Monstera starts to dry out. Drying speeds up leaf burning, causing the leaf to turn brown at the edges.

Curling Leaves/Drooping Leaves

Monstera activates its defense mechanism when facing water stress, causing the leaves to wilt. Drooping leaves prevents excessive water loss. However, it also inhibits photosynthesis. In prolonged periods, it could lead to the death of the Monstera plant.

Stunted Plant growth

Growth slows down when there is too little water to allow the Monstera to conserve energy. You will notice that there is no new growth in your Monstera.

Top Tips to Care for a Monstera Plant During Cold Winters

A Monstera plant depends on proper watering to remain healthy, tall, and fast-growing. Hence, if winter is coming, you must list the vital tips below to keep your Monstera plants thriving, evergreen, and healthy.

  • Use a controllable spray bottle to water your Monstera plants.
  • While using a watering jug for other plants and even a Monstera during warm temperatures is alright, it is best to use a spray bottle in winter.
  • If you accidentally add too much water, mix in a batch of new dry soil to spread and reduce the overall wetness.
  • Moreover, tropical plants like the Deliciosa depend on proper drainage. Apart from watering your Monstera plant less frequently, invest in improving the soil and pot drainage.
  • Use a well-draining potting soil such as orchid bark, and pot your Monstera inside a terracotta pot.
  • Also, ensure that the pot has adequate drainage holes that expel any excess or accumulated water.
  • Even if the sun is not out, ensure that your growing Monstera plant gets enough light.
  • For this, it is best to invest in an infra-red or a solar lamp that can provide the growing Monstera sufficient indirect light.
  • Moreover, shifting from distilled water to tap water as the higher mineral content will help the yellowing leaves regain their deep green pigment.
  • If the air is too dry, increase humidity levels by installing an indoor humidifier. However, since the humid air will add enough moisture to the soil mix, water your Monstera even less frequently.
  • Furthermore, invest in fresh soil and a large pot if your Monstera plant has brown leaves and shows slow growth or rot.
  • Finally, prune any crispy or yellow leaves, and cut off all dead and decaying root bits.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.      Can I mist my Monstera in winter?

misting juvenile Monstera

Yes, as long as you keep the atmospheric humidity in mind. If the air is too humid, avoid frequent watering or misting.

2.      How often should I water my Monstera?

Generally, you should water Monstera once every one to two weeks during the summer and once or twice every month during the winter. However, check the soil to ensure your Monstera has enough water.

3.      How do I know if my Monstera Plant needs water?

When the soil is dry, the Monstera leaves lose pigment and curl inwards. Other signs include brown or yellowing leaves, stunted growth, and crispy edges.

4.      How do I check the moisture level in my Monstera’s soil?

You can check soil dryness using your finger. However, a more accurate method is to use a porous wooden stick or a moisture meter.