Matt's Plants & Co – Australia

The Monstera deliciosa is great for those new to taking care of indoor plants.

Their popularity stems from their looks and hardiness. The variegated ones are the most popular, with a cutting on offer for $650 back in 2019 – though they’ve since come down in price and you can generally pick up a variegated plant for between $200 and $300.

And while they’re a tropical plant, native to Central America and Mexico, you don’t need to clone their conditions from back home for it to thrive.

I have two inside; both of them sit next to each other in a shady corner.

I occasionally bring them out for some sunshine to encourage a new leaf to come through. However, they definitely don’t want to be in full sun on a hot summer’s day in Victoria.

I placed the first Monstera I had in a pot outside, in a sunny area, but it only took a few weeks of hot weather before what was left of it went into the organics bin.

As for the current (alive) inside plants, they love a decent bottom-watering when the soil on the top few centimetres is dry – similar to how I water a Rubber fig.

Monsteras don’t mind being a little root bound, but when there are more roots than soil, it’s time to give them more room to breathe and repot them into a larger home. It’s best to repot them at the start of Spring to promote new growth.

I’ve never had a Monstera which produces fruit and it’s unlikely one would fruit in Melbourne. But if you’re lucky enough to have one that eventually does, you can sow the seed. Given our cold climate, I would be growing it in a greenhouse. If successful, you can sell your excess plants or give them to friends and family as gifts.

Lastly, I would keep them in pots and not plant them directly in the ground unless you want them to take over.

They are classified as a weed in some areas, too. Because the Monstera uses its aerial roots to climb trees, it can block access to an animal’s food. For example, in the Gold Coast hinterland, they stop koalas from accessing their main source of food – eucalyptus leaves.

In the above video, Fesi Djojo takes a cutting from the highly sought after Variegated Monstera (Monstera deliciosa ‘Albo’).

The plant expert and stylist uses a clean pair of secateurs to take a cutting a few centimetres under a node (check out this handy guide to the different parts of a plant stem).

Fesi then dips it into a rooting hormone before potting it up into a mix of moss and perlite, placing it in a well-lit spot while ensuring the moss is always moist but not wet.

After three months, it should be ready to be properly potted up!

Updated: May 20, 2023

Originally published: August 21, 2022