Monstera plants are one of those plants that many people love to grow in their homes or offices. The beauty of this plant is its lush green leaves and unique textures. The process of propagating Monstera plants is also extremely simple. Therefore, many people often choose this plant to propagate and plant them around the house to create a green space.
In the process of propagating Monstera plants, transferring monstera from water to soil is one of the most important steps. Whether the young plant can grow and continue to grow depends on this step. So, let’s learn about the propagation process of Monstera plants and how to do it successfully.
Transferring Monstera From Water To Soil: 4 Basic Propagation Steps
The process of propagating Monstera plants will include four basic steps. Therefore, you need to learn the details and technical requirements in each step to be able to carry out the entire breeding process successfully. Here are four basic steps that you need to practice in the process of propagating Monstera plants.
Step 1: Choose A Seedling To Cut Into The Water
You need to select seedlings on an adult Monstera plant, in good health and free from leaf, stem, or stunting diseases. It has great significance and determines the success of the seedling when growing in water. If the seedlings are not healthy, they will quickly rot in the water or be unable to grow new roots.
In seedlings, you need to make sure there are at least 1 to 2 sprouts or nodes. Nodes or sprouts often appear at an ‘intersection’ of two branches, which is another easy way to find them. The nodes or sprouts need to be healthy and light green for a new stem to grow from. The ideal seedling is 5-6 inches long, containing at least 1 to 2 nodes or sprouts. You need to remove all leaves on the seedlings because they can cause leaf rot when grown in water.
The tools you need to prepare such as scissors, knives, or gloves need to be disinfected before cutting the seedlings. Make sure the cut is fast and neat and does not create too large an open wound. You also need to clean the open wound with an antiseptic solution to prevent harmful bacteria and fungi from attacking it.
Step 2: Place The Cuttings In The Water
After you have cleaned the seedlings of Monstera plants, let them dry naturally for 10 minutes. Then, prepare a cup or glass jar of the right size for the seedling and fill it with water so that it completely covers the nodes or sprouts by a few inches. Make sure the nodes or sprouts are completely submerged in the water and observe their growth.
Also, you need to make sure the cut can lie naturally in the water without touching the wall or bottom of the jar because it will rot quickly. You should choose a glass jar with a wider bottom than the mouth of the jar. Because the root system of the seedling can grow freely while the small mouth of the pot can still keep the seedling upright.
You should change the water at least once a week to keep the plants healthy and growing as quickly as possible. However, you can also change the water depending on the actual condition of the water quickly becoming dirty, scaled or moss appears. During the water change, you also need to clean the newly sprouted roots and cuts to avoid rotting plants clinging to the seedlings. Finally, place the glass jar in a place with warm indirect sunlight and good air circulation. You can also observe the growth of the root system in water easily with a glass jar.
Step 3: Wait For The Growth Of New Roots
The average time for the new root system of Monstera plants to grow is about 4-6 weeks. However, you should wait at least 2-3 months to ensure a solid root system has formed. Therefore, seedlings will have a higher chance of survival when planted in the soil environment.
Monstera plants can completely live in water for several months or years. However, you need to change the water regularly to avoid rotting and change the glass jars suitable for their size.
Once the clusters of white roots have appeared and reached about 5 inches in length, you can plant the seedling in the ground. During the observation of the new root system, you need to remove weak, thin, or rotten root branches to avoid affecting other root clusters.
Step 4: Transferring Monstera From Water To Soil
You can transfer your Monstera seedlings from water to soil after a few months when some of the roots have grown to be at least 5-6 inches long. Make sure a pot has a bottom that is inches wider than the roots so they can comfortably grow in that space.
One of the most important factors in the process of transferring seedlings from water to soil is soil quality. Monstera plants need soil that is light, airy, and easy to breathe. So you need to prepare good quality potting soil with some ingredients like shredded orchid bark, coir, perlite, and some organic matter (worm manure is best). These ingredients will create more crevices in the soil to help remove excess water and better exchange oxygen for plants.
Finally, you just need to put the seedlings under the pot, cover the entire root system with soil, and water them. Make sure your pot has a drainage hole in the bottom to prevent waterlogging.
Step 5: Monitor The Adaptation Of Seedlings In The Soil Environment
Your seedlings will be slightly shocked for the first few days when you put them in the ground. The reason is that the seedlings are used to living in a water field for a few months, so they need time to adapt to the soil environment. In order for the seedlings to adapt as quickly as possible, you need to maintain constant moisture in the soil and not let the soil dry out. From there, the root system can gradually adapt to this sudden change.
You should remember that roots are used to living in wet conditions 24/7, so dry soil will be extremely shocked and stressed. Don’t keep the soil soggy, instead water it lightly every few days to maintain ideal moisture. If the soil is too wet, harmful fungi and bacteria will grow quickly and attack the seedling. Over-watering the plant can be detrimental to the plant’s health because soil that is too wet for too long will lead to root rot.
The first week or two will determine the survival of the seedling. Therefore, you should pay careful attention during this time. Then, when new leaves appeared, the propagation was successful. Remember to provide full indirect sunlight for Monstera plants and a location with good air circulation to avoid insect, fungal, and pest attacks on seedlings during this sensitive time.
You will need to monitor the seedlings carefully for the first eight weeks with a more frequent watering schedule. After eight weeks, you can take care of your Monstera plants just like any other houseplant without much fuss.
What Is The Best Time To Propagate Monstera Plants?
Spring is the best (and probably the only) time of year when you should propagate Monstera plants. This is because plants have gone through a long period of dormancy and are preparing to grow into a new growing season. Alternatively, you can also do the propagation in the fall, but this will take longer than in the spring.
Therefore, for successful propagation, you should choose the best time to be spring. When the temperature has warmed up again and Monstera plants begin to thrive again after months of hibernation.
Can I Propagate Monstera Plants From Leaves?
You cannot propagate Monstera plants from leaves because the leaves contain absolutely no nodes or sprouts. Meanwhile, new stems of Monstera plants will only grow from nodes or sprouts on mature stems.
Although many people can still put the leaves in a glass vase and keep it alive, new roots will not be able to form. You will have to find a node and this node will look like an intersection in the trunk with a brown bump.
Can Monstera Plants Last Forever In Water?
Monstera plants can completely live forever in water as long as you provide the ideal habitat for them. Many people love and feel relaxed watching the growth of white and delicate roots in the water. It is wonderful to wake up every morning and find that the root cluster has grown a little longer than it did yesterday. This wonderful feeling is like taking care of a pet dog in the house.
However, the aquatic environment can also give rise to many problems such as root rot, dirty water, moss clinging to the roots, or lack of nutrients. Therefore, you need to make sure to change the water regularly for the plants. With each water change, you should clean the roots from rotting plants and remove damaged or stunted roots. In addition, you also need to provide liquid fertilizer for Monstera plants because they still need nutrients to grow healthy.
However, if you keep your Monstera plants in water, they won’t reach their maximum size and resistance to pests as they would in soil. Because Monstera plants can absorb more nutrients in soil than in water. So, when the root system is healthy and long enough, you can transfer them to the soil medium to maintain stable plant health.
Summary
Monstera plants are completely easy to propagate and grow healthy afterward. The propagation process will take several months until new leaves appear. The most important factor in the propagation process is the selection of healthy and mature seedlings. The second important factor is determining the appropriate time to transfer seedlings from the aquatic environment to the soil environment.
Once the root system is healthy, clusters of white roots appear 5-6 inches long, which you can transfer to the ground. You need to choose good-quality potting soil with good drainage. Maintain regular watering to ensure ideal humidity for seedlings because they are used to living in the water.
The propagation process can take 2-3 months so you need to wait patiently and avoid cuttings when the root system is young and weak. Because they will not be able to adapt to the soil environment due to excessive stress. Do not forget to apply liquid fertilizer and stimulate the growth of young shoots during the propagation stage to have a healthy plant in the future.