Discover the following details about repotting Monstera plants.
· The best time to repot monstera deliciosa
· The steps to repot a large monstera plant
· The steps to repot a monstera with a pole
· Signs to identifying when to repot Monstera
What Time of the Year Should I Repot a Monstera?
A young Monstera plant needs frequent repotting to replenish the soil and encourage growth. You can keep going up a container size until you reach the largest pot size you desire. The best time to repot a Monstera is early spring, just before the new growth appears.
Is Repotting in Summer Okay?
Monstera plants experience an active growth burst in the spring after returning from dormancy in the winter. This growth burst helps them recover from transplant shock and injuries quickly. Hence, spring is an ideal time to move your plants to a new home.
Monsteras also grow throughout the summer season, so you can repot your Monstera anytime in the summer too.
Plants repotted in summer may take longer to recover from transplantation wounds and stress than those repotted in the spring, but they can still settle in and start growing again soon.
Is Repotting in Winter Okay?
Repotting a Monstera plant in the winter is not recommended unless an urgent issue is affecting its health, like poor drainage or root rot. Even if there is a serious issue, you can take other measures to bring your plant back to health and hold back your repotting decision until spring when the plant resumes new growth.
How Do I Know If My Monstera Is Root Bound?
Since young Monstera plants can grow huge quickly, you may need to repot them and refresh their soil more frequently to provide enough space and nutrients for healthy growth.
Older plants don’t require as much repotting as young ones. But each plant is different; you should keep this fact in mind while assessing how frequently your plant needs repotting.
The next section explains the signs that indicate it’s time to change your Monstera pot.
Roots Poking Out From the Drainage Holes
Just like humans, plants also need space as they grow. It’s unhealthy to keep a young Monstera plant with excessive root growth in the same pot for an extended period. One surefire way to tell that your Monstera needs repotting is to check the pot’s drainage holes.
If you see roots poking out from the bottom or growing along the edges of the drainage holes, it’s a clear sign that your Monstera has outgrown its current home.
You should move your plant to a slightly larger pot when it outgrows its current container. For instance, if your plant has outgrown a pot with a diameter of eight inches, move it to a 9 or 10-inch pot. This gives the roots enough room to breathe and grow healthy while allowing the potting mix to dry out within a reasonable time.
Slow or No Growth
Has your otherwise happy Monstera Deliciosa or the Swiss Cheese Plant stopped developing, despite the favorable conditions? This may signify that your plant is severely root-bound and needs a bigger pot to continue growing. Being root-bound means a plant’s roots fill up the pot so much that they leave little to no space for the soil.
But there can be numerous reasons for a Monstera plant’s slow or stunted growth, like inadequate water, insufficient light, low humidity, and lack of nutrients. You must properly inspect your plant to determine why it has stopped growing.
Check the roots to see if your plant has stopped growing due to being root-bound. If you see more roots than soil or the roots are seriously tangled, move your plant to a new pot.
While repotting a Monstera, gently untangle the roots as best as possible before planting them in the new pot. Tangled roots don’t severely damage the plant but affect its ability to absorb nutrients from the soil.
The Soil’s Degrading Moisture-Retention Ability
Once your Monstera’s pot fills up with roots completely, they will leave little or no room for the soil. The soil will not absorb enough water and dry up more quickly. This will require you to water the plant more frequently than usual to keep it well-hydrated.
Here are a few signs of the soil’s degrading moisture retention ability.
· You may see overgrown roots coming out of the drainage hole.
· The water you pour into the pot may run out of the drainage hole too quickly.
· The soil will start looking dry and dusty.
· The water will release from the drainage holes at the bottom if you press the soil firmly in one spot.
Yellowing Leaves
If your Monstera is pot-bound and you still follow a strict watering schedule, the lower leaves on the plant will start turning yellow. You may also notice the leaf tips getting crispy and brown. This happens because root-bound plants need more water than usual to stay hydrated.
You can trim off the yellow leaves and dead aerial roots and be more attentive to watering until you move the plant to a new pot.
You Haven’t Repotted for More Than 2-3 years
Although time alone isn’t a definitive factor in determining if a plant needs repotting, your Monstera most likely needs more room if it has stayed in the same pot for more than two to three years.
A vital point to remember here is that repotting every two to three years is a general rule of thumb for large and mature plants. It allows you to refresh their soil, check their roots, and change the pots. However, juvenile plants grow more aggressively; they may need more frequent repotting than two years.
The Need to Control Growth
Providing plants with enough space to grow isn’t the only reason to repot them. If your Monstera has reached the desired height, you can prune the roots and repot the plant to slow down its growth.
To control the growth of a Monstera, prune away one-third of the root length and repot the plant in the same-sized plant pot as before.
How Long Should Monstera Roots Be Before I Repot?
Don’t worry about the length of the roots; just know that your plant needs repotting if the roots become too large for their container. You should repot if the roots of your Monstera plant become so long that they start poking out from the drainage holes or growing around the edges.
If you don’t repot, the roots of the plant coil around the root ball and get entangled so much that they can’t easily absorb nutrients from the soil. Your plant may even fall prey to root rot.
What Size Pot Should I Use for Repotting Monstera Plants?
When re-potting, select a pot with a 2 inches (5 cm) bigger diameter than your current pot. This gives the roots enough space to grow and expand.
If you switch the plant to a too large pot than its current one, the potting mix will get waterlogged soon.
You can get a pot of any depth because Monsteras are usually not affected much by the depth of the pot they stay in.
How Do I Repot a Large Monstera With a Pole?
Removing a Monstera from its old container by the roots and moving it to a new pot can be very stressful. You must be very gentle and careful not to cause injuries while repotting.
Below are the steps you can follow to repot a large Monstera.
· Choose an appropriate new pot, preferably just two to four inches larger than the current size, to provide enough space for the plant to grow over the next year. Make sure your plant’s pot has good drainage.
· Water your Monstera a day before repotting to soften the soil and nourish the plant, preventing it from going into transplant shock.
· Check the soil before repotting to see if it’s loose enough to remove from the pot easily. Squeezing the pot from the sides or running any thin flat object around the pot’s inner edges can help you loosen the soil.
· Repotting a large Monstera requires more than one person. Decide who will hold the pot, guide the roots, and support the plant along with the plant.
· Lay the pot on the side and gently remove the plant without tugging or pulling. Be careful not to damage the roots or pull the plant free from the pole.
· If your plant suffers from root rot, remove any old compost mix accumulated around the root ball and cut off the discolored or mushy roots with a sharp knife. Healthy roots are tan or whitish with the smell of the potting mix.
· Choose a well-draining potting soil with a good ratio of compost mix, sphagnum moss, coco fiber or peat moss. Add a layer to the bottom of the new container. Place the plant into the middle of the new pot, allowing new roots to grow in all directions. Fill the pot with fresh soil around the roots.
· Compress the fresh potting mix around the roots and the base with your hands to secure the plant and the moss pole into the new pot properly.
· Keep your plant erect by using soft plant ties to reattach the vines that come loose from the moss pole.
· Water the plant with room-temperature water slowly to let it seep into the potting mix. Wait for the top few inches to dry out before watering again. Keeping the soil moist for the first few weeks will help the plants recover from the transplant shock faster.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do Monsteras need to be repotted?
The main reason is to provide enough room for the plant to grow larger.
Once Monstera’s roots meet the pot’s edges, they start wrapping around each other. This makes it difficult for them to absorb the water and nutrients from the soil, affecting the plant’s health and growth.
Another reason is to replace the old potting mix with fresh soil full of nutrients.
How often should you repot a Monstera?
We don’t have an exact number on how often you should repot a Monstera. Just know that your plant needs more room to grow if it stops growing despite favorable conditions or if you see roots growing out of the pot.
Once your Monstera reaches the desired size, repotting it every two or three years with nutrient-dense soil is usually enough.
When should you stop repotting a Monstera plant?
You can stop repotting your Monstera into a larger pot when it reaches the height limits of your home, and you don’t want it to grow taller. Repotting the plant into the same pot with fresh potting soil and occasional root pruning will keep it healthy.
My name is Daniel Elrod, and I have been houseplant love ever since I was 17. I love how much joy they bring to any room in the home. I’ve always been amazed at how a few pots of flowing leaves can turn a drab and sterile office into an inviting place where people love to work at.
