How to Care for Monstera Obliqua – Guide for Passionate Fans

Many gardeners confuse this specie with Monstera Adansonni, a type available in most shops.

Monstera Obliqua is a stunning plant with oval leaves, exotic look and it is quite rare.

Growing it will certainly make your garden stand out from others.

If you can get your hands on one of these, here is everything you need to know about proper care, repotting, propagation and problems that might occur.

How to grow Monstera Obliqua

Firstly, you might have problems with finding cuttings to start with.

As mentioned, this is an incredibly rare species and many gardeners grow Monstera Adansonni, thinking it is Monstera Obliqua.

There are a lot of different types and these are some of the most popular Monstera plants:

1. Monstera Dubia
2. Monstera Siltepecana
3. Monstera Deliciosa
4. Monstera Borsigiana
5. Monstera Epipremnoides
6. Monstera Acuminata
7. Monstera Adansonii
8. Monstera Thai Constellation
9. Monstera Pinnatipartita
10. Monstera Karstenianum
11. Monstera Standleyana

To make sure you have the right species, you should find a collector or a professional gardener willing to sell you the cuttings.

Make sure it is a trusty collector that won’t try to trick and overprice you for a type you can find at any shop.

Before purchasing, do your homework and find a trustworthy collector.

There aren’t many of them, so you should do a thorough search.

After getting your cuttings or plant, here is everything you need to know about growing it.

To begging with, Monstera Obliqua is a plant that won’t grow high.

It is ideal for growing in pots, both indoors and outdoors.

Keep in mind that it is a climbing plant, so you should give it something it can lean on or you can grow it next to a larger plant that will be able to support it.

Another thing you should pay attention to are conditions.

Monstera Obliqua isn’t too demanding but certain criteria have to be met.

If you had any Monstera species previously, you won’t have any difficulty with growing this species.

Its natural habitat is forests in Brazil, so you should try to imitate those conditions as much as you can.
Don’t worry we will talk more about the lightning, watering and humidity it needs.

Compost of peat and loam is the best for growing Monstera Obliqua.

You can find it in online shops or easily create it, whichever you prefer.

Another thing you should know is that Monstera Obliqua is epiphytic.

If you choose to grow it on top of other plants, it will easily absorb moisture and nutrients from rain and air.

How to care for Monstera Obliqua

This is one of the least demanding plants that will thrive if can meet its few criteria.

With the proper watering, lightning, humidity and temperature, it will develop into a stunning plant.

Those oval, perforated leaves will beautify your space and you will have your own example of this incredibly rare species.

All you have to do is create the conditions of Brazil’s forests.

Watering Monstera Obliqua

Watering is probably the hardest and trickiest part of caring for Monstera Obliqua.

It will demand regular watering, but if you overwater it, the plant might start dying out.

The trick is to discover how long should the pause be between two watering.

When your plant arrives and you place it in the pot, make sure the surface of the soil is wet.

Stick your finger in the pot, and if the bottom layer is dryer than the top, but still quite moist, you’ve added enough water.

Check moist of the soil for the next few days the same way.

That is how you can determine when it needs to be watered again.

If the bottom layers of soil are dry, it is time for another watering.

Usually, a break between two waterings is a few days, but this can vary from season to season, and depends on humidity.

In spring and summer, you might need to water the plant more frequently, because the temperature is hot, humidity is low and water easily evaporates.

During winter, it might come down to just one or two waterings per week.

It is always the best to just listen to your Monstera Obliqua – it will tell you whether you are doing something good or bad.

Also, the right compost and soil could help you out with watering, but more on that later.

Lightning requirements of Monstera Obliqua

This criterion can be easily met.

Because it naturally grows in forests, it does require a fair amount of light, but it should never be direct sunlight.

If you are keeping the plant on the patio, the pot should stay in shade, especially when the intensity of sunlight is the highest.

Indoor gardeners will protect their plants easier.

You can place the pot next to the window, so it stays partially in shade, or on a shelf in a bright room.

In this way, it will get the sunlight it needs for proper growth, without getting damaged.

If you notice that the light coming from the window is damaging the leaves, just place white curtains on the windows.

They will filtrate the sunrays and decrease their intensity so they don’t cause any sunburns.

Many gardeners struggle with dark rooms that don’t have enough sunlight, and if this is your problem as well, do not worry! You can still grow a healthy Monstera Obliqua.

Find a good LED lamp, and the plant will thrive!

When picking out a lamp, always go for the one that allows you to set the intensity of the light.

The right temperature for Monstera Obliqua

With a few adjustments as the seasons pass, your plant can thrive even outside.

During spring and summer, you can keep the pot on your patio, and when the winter arrives to find a place for it inside so it stays warm.

Of course, just as with lightning, the temperature is easier to control indoor.

The best temperature for Monstera Obliqua is between fifteen and twenty Celsius degrees. Keep in mind that it is always the best to keep it around twenty, then lowering it to fifteen.

Creating these conditions is the easiest in greenhouses, where the temperature can be easily held constant.

If you don’t have a greenhouse, place the plant in a room with a thermostat where the temperature is controlled.

This is especially important during the winter because this plant will die when the temperature goes below four Celsius degrees.

Humidity requirements

When it comes to humidity, there aren’t any specific criteria you have to meet.

In the forests of Brazil, temperatures are high as well as humidity, so you can keep the plant near the bathroom or even place it in a kitchen.

However, if you can’t meet this criterion, do not worry! Your plant will thrive even without extra humid air.

Check the moist of the soil regularly, look at the leaves and if you feel like the air is too dry, mist the plant.

Usually, that is enough for healthy growth.

Another thing you can try is putting your Monstera Obliqua in a room with a humidifier.

Soil for Monstera Obliqua

Proper soil is one of the most important factors and without the right growing mix, you won’t get the expected results.

Firstly, you should make sure the soil has the right pH. It should be slightly acidic, but not going below 5.

If you are worried about the soil being too acidic than the safest option is to keep it around 7.

Secondly, the soil should be based on peat. You can buy it online or create one on your own.

Peat is important because it retains water, allowing the plant to absorb most of it.

Loam is another ingredient the soil should have. It will create small air pockets, so the roots can freely develop and reach all the nutrients.

The soil can contain other parts that will hold water such as coconut coir. Also, always go for organic soils!

One thing you should avoid buying is sandy and dry soils.

Fertilizers for Monstera Obliqua

Before you buy fertilizer and start feeding the plant, check if the soil already has slow-release feeding.

Most peat-based soils have this type of fertilizer and the plant doesn’t have to be fertilized for a few months after potting (or repotting).

After that period passes, you can start with fertilizing.

Monstera Obliqua best responds to liquid fertilizers that are mixed with water.

Those 20-20-20 fertilizers deliver the best results and one tablespoon dissolved in one gallon of water is more than enough.

When fertilizing, avoid applying on the base. Keep a few centimeters above it and repeat the feeding after a few weeks.

Usually, during the spring and summer, it will require more feedings, but you can stop with fertilizing entirely during the winter.

When it comes to the composition of the fertilizer, make sure it doesn’t contain too many salts. Artificial fertilizer with a high amount of salts dry out the plant and damage the roots.

This plant doesn’t need fertilizers for growing, but they do boost the process and help with leave and root development.

If you don’t use any fertilizers, the growth rate will much slower and the plant won’t have leaves as big.

It will still be healthy, which is the most important!

Repotting Monstera Obliqua

At some point, you will have to move your plant to a bigger pot.

This plant is a slow grower, so it will probably pass a few months before it needs repotting.

Usually, when deciding whether to repot the plant or not, gardeners just take a look at the roots.

With your fingers, pull the plant to the side and move the soil, but do it gently so you don’t damage the plant or the roots.

If the roots still have enough room to grow, you can wait with repotting.

It may even take a year for the plant and roots to overgrow the pot.

Before you repot the plant, make sure that the new container can support the plant and its needs.

It should have drainage holes and be deep enough. The depth of the pot is of the utmost importance when you are using a stake.

Fill a third of the pot with soil and place the plant. When adding the rest of the soil, make sure it covers the roots, but leave a few centimeters between first leaves and soil.

Also, make sure there is enough soil around the stake because it has to stand firmly and support the plant’s growth.

When it comes to the type of soil you should use, whatever you were using before, will work after repotting.

Peat-based soils are highly recommended, but if you found another type that works for your plant, use that one.

After placing the plant in the pot, water the top layer of the soil and continue with regular feeding.

This plant has a mid-height, and when you notice it is outgrowing its space, you can trim it and use cuttings for growing new plants.

Propagation of Monstera Obliqua

This plant is quite easy to propagate, and there are a few tricks that could help you.

You should keep in mind that no matter how easy it is to grow new plants, nobody was able to make them in large numbers.

Propagation can be done from the stolon or cuttings, and here is how to do it!

Propagating Monstera Obliqua from stolon

This is a better method of propagating, but slightly harder.

This plant doesn’t create too many stolons and doesn’t do it frequently. If you want to use stolons, you will have to be patient for them to appear.

Stolons look similar to stems and do not produce any leaves.

Usually, they appear in one section and then start spreading to other parts.

When you spot them, you can use that one part of the plant for propagating.

They don’t necessarily have to be removed from the plant and placed in a different pot. Many gardeners are producing the leaves and roots from them while they are attached to a mother plant.

This will require high humidity, which isn’t as easy to create.

By placing a bit of soil under the stolon, it will start developing roots.

When you see this happening, you can cut the part of the plant with a stolon and place it in a pot with soil.

If this looks like too much of a hassle, cut the section with stolons when they appear.

Place them in soil and check from time to time to see whether the roots have formed.

Creating high humidity will help, and you can use a glass to a jar to help you.

Mist the stolon and place the jar above it. All of the evaporated water will create a humid air needed for growth

Once the root system starts developing, pot the plant properly.

This first method is preferred, but you can expect great results with the second as well. Do what is easier for you and watch your stunning new plant grow.

Propagating Monstera Obliqua from cuttings

When cutting the plant, make sure it has a leaf (or a few of them) and nods. If you can avoid the nods, great, but that is almost impossible so it is okay if you have them as well.

If you notice any air roots, cut them as well.

Place the cutting in a pot, use peat and loam compost and generously water the top layer.

In a few weeks, the roots will develop properly and the plant will slowly start growing.

As mentioned before, you don’t have to start with feeding immediately, but after a few months, you can start.

Growth rate, fruits and flowers

Now you know how to take care of your rare and exotic plant.

However, to watch it thrive, you will have to be patient!

As said, Monstera Obliqua it grows slowly, and the process will be even slower if you aren’t fertilizing it.

Besides liquid fertilizers, the growth can be boosted by recreating conditions from its natural habitat – high humidity, lots of light, proper temperature and regular watering.

Probably because of its slow growth, it isn’t possible to grow them in many numbers and own multiple examples.

After one year (in some cases, even more), you can expect first leaves.

If you notice a faster growth than you’ve been tricked and you own Monstera Adansonii.

When we are talking about flowers, you can’t predict when they will appear.

Flowering isn’t tied to any particular season and often happens randomly.

Once those first leaves form, you can expect a few flowers as well.

In nature, this plant can create up to 8 spadices, which are flowers closed in a spathe.

Unfortunately, as a house plant, it won’t produce as many flowers, and you should be happy if you notice just two of those eight.

Those spathes turn their color over time from green to orange, and when that happens a flower has turned into a fruit.

The created berries are separated and standing alone.

Just as flowers, in house conditions, these fruits are rarely produced.

However, their growth can be boosted with the right conditions and proper care.

Common problems with Monstera Obliqua

Even though it is easy to take care of Monstera Obliqua, some problems may occur along the way.

Fortunately, you can easily figure out what you did wrong and fix the mistake.

Here is a list of some of the usual problems and solutions:

1. Leaves with brown edges

This brown color can be an indicator of a few different things.

Firstly, you should check whether it is exposed to direct sunlight.

Brown edges are usually sunburns, so you should just move the plant in a shaded area or place curtains to decrease the intensity of light.

Another thing you might be doing wrong is watering. Are you keeping track of watering?

Check the moist of the soil should be a habit. Every morning, check the plant and test the soil’s moisture.

If the top layer is dry, the bottom is as well, and it is time to water the plant.

As long as the soil is moist, the plant has enough water and you can wait another day for next watering.

Lastly, brown leaves could indicate that the air is too dry.

Even though this species doesn’t have any specific humidity requirements, dry air will cause the death of the plant.

Mist the plant or move it closer to the bathroom or kitchen. Both tricks will easily solve this problem.

2. Yellow leaves

Yellow leaves are the problem most gardeners have with this plant.

It is a sign of overwatering and when they appear, you should take a longer break between feedings.

This Monstera species do prefer moist soil, but it shouldn’t be soaking.

3. Toxicity

Toxicity is usually a problem for gardeners with pets.

Cats and dogs love biting plants and playing with leaves.

You can expect eve irritation or frequent vomiting.

The only solution is to keep the plant out of your pet’s reach. Put it on the top shelf or any surface your pet can’t easily climb.

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