Have you ever wondered how fast a Monstera plant can grow? Monsteras are beautiful and very popular plants, and if you are thinking of growing them, it’s important to look at their growth rate and get a feel for how quickly they will turn into big plants.
Monstera plants can grow one to two feet in a year and should produce a leaf every month or two. They are reasonably quick growers and will gain height fairly swiftly when they are in good conditions, especially if they have something to climb. You can increase the speed with which your Monstera grows by providing ideal growing conditions.
How Fast Do Monstera Plants Grow?
Monstera plants are reasonably quick growers, although they certainly aren’t the fastest out there. The plant can reach some extremely impressive proportions, gaining height and spreading its huge leaves wide to collect as much sunlight as possible.
The plants will also sprout aerial roots, which are long, brown stems that protrude from the main stalk of the Monstera. These roots, in nature, would support the plant as it gained height and reached for the canopy.
Many Monsteras have evolved to climb up other plants, and they try to gain height quickly so that they can reach the light. The faster they can climb and the wider they can spread their leaves, the more quickly and efficiently they can gather sunlight. That is why they are quite quick growers.
You might feel like your Monstera never seems to grow, however. If that is the case, it may be lacking one of the conditions that it needs to grow effectively, so you may need to make some alterations to its environment. With improved growing conditions, it should start to put out more shoots and leaves, and gain more height.
Wild Monstera plants can grow to an astonishing sixty-six feet tall, and a single leaf can be over three feet wide. However, an indoor Monstera will not get that big. In general, they only reach about six to ten feet tall, and their leaves will be significantly smaller.
Fortunately, that means they fit in homes much more easily, and they are very popular plants. So, if you have a tiny Monstera and you want it to grow more quickly, what can you do to influence this?
What Determines A Monstera’s Growth Speed?
What factors do you need to look at to determine your Monstera’s growth, and how can you give it a boost to ensure it grows as quickly as possible?
Nutrients
Like any plant, a Monstera needs plenty of nutrients to grow properly. Monstera plants that do not have access to the right nutrients will struggle to produce enough chlorophyll, and their leaves may start to lose their color. This makes them less efficient at absorbing sunlight and therefore slows their growth massively.
You should aim to fertilize your Monstera from time to time, ideally during the growing season (spring and summer). You can add an fertilizer to your Monstera plant about once a month or so.
The best fertilizer to choose will be a 3-1-2 N-P-K fertilizer, as Monstera plants need more nitrogen than they do phosphorus or potassium. Nitrogen supports lots of healthy green growth and will help ensure the Monstera can produce those rich green leaves that it is famous for.
You can choose a fertilizer specifically for Monstera’s like the one in the picture above, which you can easily buy through Amazon. If you have many different types of indoor plants, a more viable option may be a 3-1-2 all-purpose fertilizer.
It is always a good idea to add it in slightly reduced quantities to those recommended on the packaging because too much fertilizer can be very harmful to a plant, but too little will not hurt it at all. Dilute the fertilizer, and do not put it on the stems or foliage.
You should slow down or stop fertilizing your Monstera as the growing season finishes (fall) because it does not need the food then, and if too much builds up, it could damage the plant’s roots.
Light
One of the biggest determining factors in how fast any plant grows, the amount of light that your Monstera gets is key.
Monsteras enjoy bright light, but they do not like a lot of direct sun. They evolved to grow up to the tree canopy in rainforests, but not above the canopy. They, therefore, do not cope well with strong sunlight on their leaves but prefer a shifting or dappled canopy above them.
They will often thrive well in a well-lit bathroom, or behind a thin curtain that allows sunlight to filter into the room. If you do not have a light enough spot in your home, installing a grow lamp may be a good way to help your Monstera grow quickly and efficiently.
It is really important to position your plant in a light enough space if you want it to grow quickly. In a dark or shady corner, your Monstera will not grow very fast at all.
Warmth And Humidity
It is also important to replicate the rainforest environment for your Monstera. That means it should be kept somewhere warm and humid. However, you don’t want to put it somewhere hot, so don’t keep it near a radiator or fireplace.
A bathroom is again a good option because showers create both humidity and warmth in the room, and this can make caring for the Monstera much easier. If you can’t put it in the bathroom, you can choose any other reasonably warm room in your home.
Try to position your Monstera away from vents and open windows, as they do not like temperature fluctuations very much.
You can increase the humidity in a room by using a humidifier, or you can use trays of water to increase the humidity levels. This should keep your plant nice and damp, mimicking the rainforest conditions it is used to.
You may wish to purchase a hygrometer so that you can keep an eye on the humidity levels and make corrections if the plant is getting too dry or too moist. It is essential to keep good airflow around any plant with increased humidity levels, or it will be vulnerable to fungal infections.
It’s a good idea to humidify your plant in the morning if it needs a humidity boost. Humidifying in the evening or at night – when the leaves will stay wet for longer – again increases the issues with fungus.
Water
If you don’t water your plant properly, it will quickly stop growing and wilt. Monstera plants come from damp environments and like to be kept slightly moist most of the time. However, too much watering could lead to root rot, which will quickly kill a plant.
To check whether your Monstera needs watering, push the tip of your finger into the surface of the soil. It should only be watered when it is dry to about two inches down. If your plant seems to be wilting, check whether it needs a drink.
Dust Your Plant
This might sound like an odd factor, but it is a good idea when you have a plant with large leaves. Over time, the leaves will collect a coating of dust, because their broad surface has plenty of room for the dust to gather on.
The dust has two problems. Firstly, it makes your Monstera look less pretty, spoiling the aesthetic of its large, shiny leaves. The bigger problem, though, is the dust reduces the amount of light that the leaves can collect, and decreases the efficiency with which the plant can photosynthesize.
Since photosynthesis is a huge element of your plant’s ability to grow, dust on the leaves will significantly slow the growth of your Monstera.
Fortunately, it is easy to remove. Simply get a lightly damp cloth and wipe down the leaves every week or so, and they should stay dust-free and very healthy.
Stake Your Plant
Many Monstera plants spend their energy on growing outward, rather than upward. If you want your Monstera to grow tall as well as wide, it is a good idea to add a stake to its pot. This gives it something to climb up and should encourage it to grow upward more quickly.
The stake should be tall and very sturdy so that the plant can safely use it to climb.
Repot Your Plant
From time to time, your Monstera will need a larger pot to grow in, and if you are trying to get it to grow quickly, it’s important to ensure that its root growth is not restricted. As your plant gets bigger, you will probably be repotting it every year and a half to two years.
Scale up by a few inches, but don’t go more than six inches bigger than the previous container, or it will be very easy to over-water your Monstera. A two to four inches should be plenty for it to spread its roots and make the most of the fresh soil.
Choose A Green-Leafed Variety
The Monstera varieties with variegated leaves are undoubtedly extremely pretty, but if you are looking for a fast grower, they aren’t a great option to choose. Because the leaves lack chlorophyll in places, they are less efficient when it comes to photosynthesizing.
This can make a massive difference to the speed with which they grow, and a variegated Monstera will take far longer to reach a good height than a plain-leafed variety. If height and size matter to you, green leaves are much better. The green varieties are also far cheaper to buy.
If you do have a variegated Monstera, it is important not to keep it in low light conditions, because it will struggle even more to grow properly.
Keep An Eye Out For Pests
While the absence of pests will not speed up the growth of your plant, the presence of them could slow it down. Your plant cannot grow properly if it is constantly having its resources drained by sapsuckers like aphids.
You should regularly check your plant for pests and diseases. Gently turn a few leaves over and inspect the undersides, as this is where pests tend to hide. If you find pests, isolate your plant and use soap and water or rubbing alcohol to remove them.
This will boost your plant’s health, and ensure it can put all its energy into growing, rather than feeding insects.
Summary
A Monstera plant should gain between a foot and two feet in a year if you manage to grow it in good conditions. If your Monstera is not growing or is growing very slowly, try increasing its access to light and giving it a good feed with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer. This should encourage it to shoot up!