Want More Monsteras? Here’s How to Propagate Them Successfully

Monstera deliciosa, aka Swiss cheese plant, gives any space a tropical, modern look. If you want to expand your indoor jungle for free, this houseplant is easy to propagate into more plants. Here's how to create more plants from your monstera via stem cuttings or air layers. Keep the new plants for yourself or share with friends and family. And if you happen to have a rarer variety, perhaps you could even make a little money on the side.

Choosing the Right Plants for Propagation

Propagating your plants at home will have varying degrees of success. One thing is sure to boost your odds: choosing healthy, vigorous plants. As you might imagine, cutting pieces off your plant can be a traumatic experience for the plant. A robust plant has a better chance of both surviving the removal of leaves and stems, and also of producing successful cuttings that will grow into new plants.

Before attempting to propagate your monstera, look carefully at its overall health. Make sure the leaves aren't wilted, yellowed, or infected with plant diseases. Provide consistent water, adequate light, and a dose of fertilizer if necessary.

Propagating Monstera with Stem Cuttings

Taking stem cuttings is the easiest method to propagate monsteras. It relies on the plant’s natural ability to generate roots along the stem when the stems are cut or damaged. Along each stem is a bump or bulge where leaves previously attached to the stem. These bumps are known as nodes, and it is from these nodes that roots can form. Stem cuttings made with one to five nodes are likely to eventually grow roots, but they require some time before the plants form new leaves and continue growth as usual.

1. Monstera cuttings can be made from stem tips with a great success rate and by leafless stem cuttings with less success. Start with a stem end where at least one or two leaves are present. Move down from the end of the stem three to five nodes and locate any aerial roots and auxiliary buds (thickened, brown areas that have the potential to form roots).
2. Cut 1 to 2 inches below the selected node along with the internode (the space between nodes) and remove the cut section from the mother plant. You might have to dig out any aerial roots that were able to reach the soil.
3. Let the cutting dry for a couple of hours, and then apply a rooting hormone to the cut portion of the stem and along the internode to help speed up the rooting process.
4. Rooting can take place in potting soil or another medium, such as perlite. To cut down on the risk of rotting, use perlite and later transplant into potting soil after the plant resumes growth. In either case, wet the potting medium and make a hole before inserting the cutting. Plant the stem deep in the soil and water it in to remove any larger air pockets around it.
5. Place the cutting in a warm, moist location with bright, indirect light. A small greenhouse or plastic wrap can help keep the humidity high, and a horticultural heating pad can help keep the cuttings from rotting in cool soil. Adding a grow light can significantly help the plant grow through the process.
6. After one to four months, depending on light, warmth, and moisture, your plant should show signs of both root growth and new leaves. At this point, transplant cuttings from perlite to regular potting mix.

Air Layering Monsteras

Air layering is similar to stem cuttings, but instead of cutting the stems off the plant to root them, you wrap the intact stems with moss and plastic to produce a humid environment. This stimulates roots to grow before the stems are cut and divided. Air layering can take a bit longer to produce new plants, but with roots already firmly established, it can have much better success rates.

Caring for Your Cuttings

Monsteras grow best in bright, indirect light with plenty of humidity and warmth. However, in most houses, these conditions can be tricky. Locate a spot in your home where your monstera cuttings can get as much light as possible and keep the soil moist, with brief dry periods between watering.

Look out for premature dropping of leaves along the stem, brown leaf tips, and wilting, as these can all be signs of both low humidity and lack of soil moisture. Additionally, unhealthy plants are prone to pests such as mealybugs and spider mites.

As the plants grow, give them wooden stakes to climb and plenty of room for their eventually very large leaves to reach out. Heavy pots can be especially helpful, as these vining plants can become top-heavy and fall over.