If you have ever seen a Monstera plant, you may have immediately noticed its natural beauty. These wonderful plants are exotic-looking and surprisingly easy to care for. So, if you want to turn your home into a luscious garden, Monsteras may just be the plant you are looking for. However, while they are easy to care for, there are a few things you certainly will need to know, including how to choose the right pot.
When choosing the best pot for your Monstera, you will need to note the pot’s size and its material. Overall, concrete, terracotta, or unglazed clay pots are the best options for Monstera plants, and the pot itself should be about two inches wider than the current root growth.
Of course, every plant is different, and so is every home! So let’s dive into plant pots so you can find out exactly how to choose the best pot for your Monstera so it remains happy and healthy and can grow to its full potential!
How To Choose the Best Pot For Your Monstera Plant
The two most important factors to consider when picking out and purchasing the right pot for your Monstera plant are size and material. The good news is, we have broken it down so you can choose the right option for your specific Monstera plant with ease!
What Material Should a Monstera Plant Pot Be?
The truth is, deciding on which material is best for your plant depends on several things including how much water your Monstera plant is getting, if your plant is outside, what kind of weather it is encountering, and what the temperature is no matter where your plant is located.
Pots for Monstera Plants that Live Outside
While Monstera plants can absolutely thrive inside, they will certainly get more sunlight outside, which means they are more likely to grow big and strong.
However, when housing a Monstera plant outside it is important to be aware of the weather at your home and plan accordingly to choose the correct pot for that weather.
- Windy Weather: concrete pots should be used if you live in a particularly windy climate. Hopefully, your Monstera will grow quite large, and it can be easily knocked over by the wind if it is not stabilized by a heavy pot.
- Hot Climate: if the temperature of your yard is usually very warm, you will want to ensure your Monstera pot will retain enough water for the plant to successfully grow. Metal and plastic pots can be a great option, but you will need to ensure there is proper drainage by making holes in the bottom of these pots.
- Cold Climate: when growing a Monstera plant in a cold climate, they will definitely need less water as the water evaporates more slowly. The best pots for a cold climate are terracotta or unglazed clay.
- Rainy Weather: If your Monstera is bound to encounter a great deal of rain, you will need to ensure that any pot your choose will have sufficient drainage, we recommend following the instructions above, but then adding drainage to that pot as needed.
Realistically, your Monstera plant should love its life outdoors, as long as its needs are met and you’re not in a very cold climate – remember, these are rainforest plants.
Pots for Monstera Plants that Live Indoors
When growing a Monstera plant indoors, you will, of course, be able to better control its water intake and it will be less exposed to the elements, so choosing the right pot material is a little easier.
You can use any potting material, terracotta, unglazed clay, cement, plastic, wood, or even ceramic.
While each type of material does have some pros and cons, the most important aspect is how much water they retain. As we have outlined, pots made of terracotta, clay, concrete, and wood will dry your Monstera the quickest, and plastic and ceramic will hold water a little longer.
However, no matter which material you choose, you still need to make sure it has proper drainage so that the soil does not get too wet and waterlog your plant. As we will learn shortly— too much water will cause waterlogging and root rot, so make sure you follow the instructions below on how to tell if your Monstera is receiving too much water.
If you want to choose a pot that fits your home aesthetic, you can put a smaller plastic pot with sufficient drainage inside a large beautiful pot that will catch the water run-off.
What Size Should My Monstera Pot Be?
When it comes to pots, size definitely matters. You do not want a pot too big or too small, however, when it comes to Monsteras, smaller is always better than bigger! You will need to make sure the roots have room to grow while there isn’t too much rootless soil that is holding onto water and waterlogging the plant.
Monsteras’ don’t mind how deep the pot is, it’s actually more important that you choose your pot based on width. You will only need a bit of simple measuring and arithmetic.
When potting or re-repotting a Monstera, you should choose a pot that is about two inches wider than the current size of the root growth.
For baby Monsteras, that usually means picking a pot that is about eight inches wide, and for a fully matured plant, you may need a pot as large as two feet in diameter. While this is the general rule, measuring the roots is the best way to go.
As your Monstera grows, of course, it will need to be re-potted to suit its new size! In the next section, we will discuss how you can tell if your pot is becoming too small so you know when it needs to be upgraded.
How to Tell if a Pot Is Too Small
There are several quite obvious ways that your Monstera will tell you that its home is getting a little too small, and it will usually happen every twelve months to three years. Of course, that’s a fairly wide timeframe, so let’s find out how you can tell right away when your plant needs to be re-potted to a larger pot.
- Your Monstera falls over or is obviously top-heavy.
- The beautiful Swiss-cheese leaves are dropping.
- The soil does not retain water and dries too quickly.
- The roots are visible through the drainage holes on the bottom of the pot.
Now that you know how to tell if a pot is too small, and which size and material your Monstera should be planted in, you can ensure that you always keep your plant in their perfect home!
How to Tell if a Pot is Too Big
Many new gardeners are completely unaware that a pot that is too big can be just as or even more detrimental to your plant as one that is too small.
If the roots of your Monstera plant are swimming in a pot that is too big, the soil will become saturated with water because the roots do not spread wide enough to soak it all up. This will quickly waterlog the plant which will unfortunately eventually lead to root rot.
Here’s how to tell if your chosen pot for the Monstera is becoming waterlogged and may be developing root rot:
- If the leaves appear yellow or brown.
- The soil will never dry and will be moist to the touch even long after watering.
- The roots are mushy and soft.
If you do think your Monstera is living in a pot that is too big and has developed root rot, you will need to take it out, remove the infected roots, clean the healthy ones with hydrogen peroxide, and replant it in a smaller pot.
It is important to note that root rot can also be caused, not only by the incorrect pot size and material but also by overwatering. So even if you have the perfect sized pot and the best possible material, it needs the proper drainage and watering schedule to keep it happy.
How to Choose a Pot That Will Stop a Monstera Plant From Growing Bigger
If you continue to repot a Monstera plant, it will continue to grow! A baby or even an adolescent Monstera will need to be continually re-potted to ensure that the roots have enough room to grow and the plant receives enough water to mature.
However, once the plant has matured, if you want it to stay a certain size, there is a way to control growth and all you need to do is simply not move it into a larger pot.
Although, this tactic does come with a few potential problems. The roots could still over-crowd the pot, so you may want to prune the roots periodically.
And of course, the soil will become empty of all its natural nutrients, so you will want to replace the soil every year in the springtime.
How to Care for Your Monstera
Now that you know how to find the perfect sized pot in the correct material for your climate and home set up, of course, you will want to know how to properly care for your plant. As you have learned, Monsteras’ are slightly sensitive to water. You should only water them about once a week, and ensure that the soil is almost dry before watering again.
These plants enjoy a humid atmosphere so if you live in a dry climate, you will want to mist your plant frequently, or even place them near other plants to increase the humidity.
Monsteras love light and need plenty of it in order to grow properly. However, as plants that used to live in the rainforest canopy, they are not used to direct sunlight. You can have them near a sunny window with a curtain, or a place with indirect light.
Easy enough right? The good news is, caring for your Monstera does not have to be difficult! With just a little care and attention, your home can look like a beautiful tropical forest in no time as the plant will grow up to one to two feet each year.
Let’s Recap: Choosing the Best Pot for Monstera Plants
You have learned quite a lot about Monsteras so far, and specifically how to choose the best pot for them. But in case you are a little overwhelmed, don’t worry, we are going to break it down step-by-step so that you can easily choose the right pot, and hopefully, retain most of this important information.
- Choose a pot that is about two inches wider than the plant’s current root growth.
- Pick a potting material that serves your climate. Remember that every plant, no matter whether they are living inside or outside needs proper drainage so the soil does not remain too wet. Ceramic and plastic pots are best for drier environments, whereas concrete, wood, terracotta, and unglazed clay pots will serve your plant best in a wetter climate.
- When in doubt, pick a smaller pot over a larger one. Monsteras will continue to grow in a pot that is fractionally too small, just keep a look out for the signs that it needs to be moved.
- Watch your plant carefully! Choosing the best pot for your plant changes as your plant changes, so make sure you give it a little attention and re-pot it as needed.
- Do not overwater your Monstera, no matter what kind of pot you choose.
Got it all? Choosing the right pot for your Monstera is not that challenging, they are great house plants and they are quite resilient, even if you were not born with a green thumb.
Happy planting!