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Cloning your delicious monster is a quick way to multiply your collection for gifting, selling, or increasing your indoor air pollution abatement capacity.
Indoor cultivated Monstera deliciosa seldom flower and fruit, and it has become common to clone these plants rather than grow them from seed. Singly-eye cuttings best propagate this plant, but terminal cuttings and divisions will also work well.
Vegetative Propagation Options
The major methods of vegetative propagation are cuttings, layering, division, budding, and grafting.
- Cuttings involve rooting a piece of the parent plant
- Layering involves rooting a part of the parent and then severing it to grow independently
- Grafting often involves joining two plant parts from different varieties.
Cloning parent-identical Monstera Deliciosa is generally done with stem cuttings, of which several options exist.
Single Eye Cutting
Cut the stem about half an inch above and below the eye. Bury the cutting in the growing medium vertically or horizontally, just covering it.
Terminal Cutting
Cut a 2 to 6-inch piece of stem that includes the terminal bud and an additional eye, cutting just below the eye. Remove the lower leaves that may get in contact with the growing medium to avoid them rotting.
Dipping the stem in rooting hormone will accelerate the rooting process, but don’t use too much. Push the cutting into the growing medium burying at least one node.
Monstera Deliciosa Stem Cuttings
One of the easiest ways to propagate monstera plants is through stem cuttings. The plant stem develops roots very fast, more so from the nodes. Besides, the plant also has aerial roots that develop at the nodes, which it also uses for climbing. These roots develop and function as roots when buried in the soil.
Impact of Parent Plant Health on Cloning Success
Generally, the most recent growth from the current season should be used for cuts. Take cuttings from healthy, disease-free plants, ideally from the top.
The reproductive status of the stock plant (parent) may have an impact on rooting. A plant should not be cut for cuttings if it shows evidence of nutritional deficiency in minerals.
Avoid propagating plants under moisture stress or plants that have just had fertilization, particularly nitrogen that causes artificial unsustainable vigor. Your Monstera deliciosa’s health is a crucial success factor in propagation.
I’ve discovered that cuttings from younger, more immature plants often have a higher success rate.
Taking Cuttings From Monstera Deliciosa
The best time to take cuttings is in the morning when the plant is fully turgid. Before being planted, the cuttings must be kept cool and moist.
Cuttings can be stored in a dark plastic bag with moist paper towels or an ice chest. Put the clippings in a plastic bag and store it in the refrigerator if attaching them will take some time.
Even though the terminal tip of the stem works best for propagation, a long shoot can be divided into many cuttings. Cuttings are typically three to four inches long.
Use a pocket knife with a thin, sharp blade or pruning shears. Less ideal are anvil shears. Your tools should be sterilized to help stop the transfer of pathogens from sick plant parts to healthy ones.
As sterilizers, think about using EM-1®, rubbing alcohol, or a bleach-to-water mix of one to nine parts.
Planting Freshly Rooted Monstera Cuttings
Rooting Medium
The rooting medium should be sterile soil drains well and provides adequate aeration. It should also hold enough moisture to reduce the need for frequent irrigation.
Expanded shale, coconut coir, and sand are often used materials, and they can also be combined with perlite and coconut coir. Vermiculite should not be used as it tends to compress and retain too much moisture. Ensure the mixture has water.
Planting Cuttings
The rooting medium should be sterile soil drains well and provides adequate aeration. It should also hold enough moisture so that watering will need to be done less frequently.
Expanded shale, coconut coir, and sand are commonly used materials that can also be combined with perlite. Vermiculite should not be used as it tends to compress and retain too much moisture. Ensure the mixture has water.
Propagating Your Monstera Deliciosa from Terminal Cuttings
Terminal or tip cuttings, taking a piece of the stem with one or more buds, is the most common method of propagating houseplants commercially. This technique is used on vining plants such as the Monstera deliciosa and several other vines.
A terminal cutting with 2 to 4 inches and 4 to 6 leaves is optimal. After being taken from the joint, the cuttings should be prevented from wilting.
Make a cutting just below a node (the point at which leaves are attached to the stem).
- Remove the lowest pair of leaves.
- Insert the cutting into moist and sterile potting soil.
- Once cuttings are in place, make an inverted “U” shape with part of a coat hanger. Stick the inverted “U” shape into the pot to support a plastic bag.
- Place a clear or mostly clear plastic bag over the “U” shape. Make sure the bag is large enough to enclose the flowerpot. This creates a “rooting bag.”
- Place the rooting bag in a warm place that receives light but not direct sunlight.
- Once the bag is sealed, do not reopen the bag until the cuttings have rooted; this takes 4 – 6 weeks.
Propagating Monstera Deliciosa from Root Division
Plants with more than one traditional crown may be divided and planted separately. If the stems are not joined, gently pull the plants apart. If horizontal stems unite the crowns, cut the stems and roots with a sharp knife to minimize injury.
Any plant that produces rhizomes or underground stems and any plant that has a crown and not an elongated above-ground stem can be propagated via division.
- The best to divide plants is when they are coming out of a period of stagnant growth. Usually, this is in the late winter or early summer.
- Tear apart the plant. Make sure to keep as much of the root system intact as possible.
- Replant all divisions at the same level they were growing.
You can plant multiple divisions in the same pot to achieve the look of a fuller pot sooner.
FAQ about Monstera.
Wrapping up Monstera Deliciosa Propagation
I have tried to keep this post concise and to the point covering the essentials of effectively propagating Monstera deliciosa. We’ve succeeded in our goals if this article has helped you do that.
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