Monstera, is a plant known for its large, split leaves. I call them the rich house plant since they’re usually found in rich people’s homes, giving their minimalist indoor spaces a clean, tidy look.
However, in many cases, their growth gets stunted due to improper care and maintenance. This article is for all the folks dealing with small monstera leaves.
Small Monstera Leaves – 7 Problems & Solutions
1 – Not Enough Light
Inadequate lighting can affect monstera leaves quite badly, limiting their photosynthesis capabilities and causing a lot of unnecessary stress. This plant is one that requires plenty of bright, indirect light to carry out important functions and develop large leaves.
Solution: Counter lack of light by putting your monstera plant pot near a window sill or in a well-light room that has strong, indirect sunlight coming in from thin curtains.
2 – Lack Of Proper Support
Monstera plants naturally grow tall and have a tendency to climb. If this tendency is not cared for and the plant isn’t given any support (like a stake), there’s a very high chance that your monstera will remain small and unable to grow larger leaves.
Solution: Give your plant some support to accommodate its tall, vertical growth. A moss pole or trellis can work very well to encourage upward growth and promote the production of stronger, bigger leaves.
3 – Infrequent Or Incorrect Watering
Watering issues can also lead to poor leaf development in monstera plants. If you water your plant too infrequently, it can lead to dryness and degradation in the plant’s health. Overwatering, however, can result in root rot and fungal diseases that too pose severe risks to the plant.
Solution: Get a grip on your watering schedule and stick to it consistently for a period of time. As time goes by, you’ll understand just how much water your monstera needs and you can adjust accordingly.
Water when the top two inches of soil feel dry to the touch. Use well-draining soil and a pot with drainage holes to support safe and healthy growth.
4 – Lack Of Nutrients
Lack of nutrients is a common culprit when it comes to poor monstera leaf development. Your monstera plants need a good amount of nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus to grow to their best and produce full-sized, healthy leaves.
Solution: The solution for this issue is pretty simple and straightforward. Grab a balanced liquid fertilizer, ideally NPK 20-20-20. Feed your monstera with this fertilizer once a month during the growing season to support strong leaf growth.
5 – No Humidity Boost
Monstera plants absolutely love humidity; you can say they thrive in humid environments. If the circulating air around them is dry, you may notice poor growth and smaller, weaker leaves emerging.
Solution: If you have a humidifier available, use it to keep the humidity levels high around the plant. You can also try misting your monstera lightly every few hours or placing wet pebbles around it to boost humidity.
6 – Root-Bound In A Small Pot
Having your monstera plant root-bound in a small pot can place unnecessary stress on the roots and prevent the plant from growing bigger, healthier leaves.
Solution: Root-bound plants typically need to be repotted to a larger pot that can accommodate their vigorous root development. Use a well-draining potting soil mix with peat, perlite, and bark.
7 – Age & Genetics
Yep, unfortunately for you, young plants and certain monstera varieties will always have naturally smaller leaves no matter how well you water or fertilize them.
Solution: Although you can’t do much about the small-leaved varieties, there is something that can be done about the young plants…JUST WAIT. Your young monstera plants will develop bigger leaves as they mature.
Conclusion
Although monstera isn’t my most favorite plant for indoor environments and I would much rather choose a snake or spider plant over it, the large, fenestrated leaves definitely deserve some respect in my opinion.
If you’re having trouble getting your monstera leaves to that point, I hope this article provided you with the guidance you needed. Best of luck!
