Monstera

Aroid family. The homeland of the monster is East India and South America (Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Bolivia, Brazil). Monstera is a beautiful evergreen plant belonging to vines leading an epiphytic lifestyle. This is one of the most common houseplants, previously classified as philodendrons, relatively recently allocated by scientists in a separate genus. 38 species and about 10 varieties have been recorded. Some of the known species are referred to other genera, for example, Monster's previously Monstera pertusa is leaky - this is Rafidophora leaky or pierced Rhaphidophora pertusa.

Species monster

Liana shoots in natural conditions reach about 20 meters in length, leaning on the trunks of tall palms or clinging to rocks with a huge number of aerial roots. Monsters live mainly in moist equatorial foggy forests. The leaves are asymmetrical, oblong or ovate-elliptical, adults are perforated or pinnately incised as a result of the death of some cells, on very long petioles. Young monster leaves are always whole, usually tightly pressed against the stems, in some species holes appear when the leaf blade reaches a length of 10 cm, in others when 15-20 cm. In petioles, the leaves form, as a rule, a long vagina, firmly embracing the stem. The flowers are bisexual, axillary, formed in nodes. The cover of the inflorescence is white or cream, boat-shaped, inside - a yellow-green ear, cylindrical, slightly shorter than the cover. The fruit of the monster is a berry, rarely formed at home.

Most often, the following species of monster are grown at home:

• Monstera delicatessen Monstera deliciosa, which has several varieties. Young leaves are whole, perforated with age, and then completely split (perforated). In nature, the size of the leaf reaches 60 cm, if you grow it in a spacious room near a bright window, then in old specimens they are about 50-60 cm. This species has many synonyms - the monster is attractive, tasty, deliciose.
• Monstera delicatessen "Variegata" Monstera deliciosa variegata - has leaves with cream or white stripes or spots, sometimes accepting marbling.
• Monstera oblique (unequal-sided) Monstera obliqua is a more compact type of monstera, has asymmetric leaves with oblong holes, and not split, like a delicatessen one, the leaf plate itself is a little wrinkled, embossed, which makes the leaves look especially impressive. It also forms many aerial roots and needs support.
• Monstera dubious (monstera dubia) Monstera dubia - a distinctive feature - young juvenile leaves are mottled with a silver pattern between the veins, very similar to the leaves of Scindapsus painted. Adult leaves are green and perforated.

Is it possible to keep a monster at home

Some people wonder - why can't you keep a monster at home? Of course you can, this wonderful plant has more positive properties, judge for yourself, proven facts:

• Pros: the monster cleans the air and moisturizes it, and very significantly, due to the large sheet mass. Optimization of the microclimate activates brain activity, breathing easier.
• Cons: monster juice is poisonous, you need to keep away from young children and handle the plant correctly (wash your hands after transplanting and pruning).

Folk omens (unproven versions): the delicatessen (attractive) monster should not be kept in the bedroom, supposedly she sucks energy from the sleeping ones at night. At the same time, another belief says that the monster in the house is able to smooth out conflicts, neutralize "vampirism" in a person and filter out negative emotions. In some countries of Latin America there is a sign: if you have a headache, sit next to the monster and this will greatly ease the condition.

Tip rukodelie.net/plants: The monster is ideal for living rooms and other spacious spaces, and brings cleanliness, freshness, comfort, harmony and positive active energy to the house.

Caring for a monster

Monster is unpretentious and grows rapidly, occupying an area of ​ ​ about 2 square meters in a room after 3-4 years. m Therefore, she would be more suitable for growing in the office or hall, she is an excellent decoration of the assembly or conference hall. Growing, monsters need support, a tube with moss is best suited for this, but you can use absolutely any objects, for example, a net, vertical trellises, etc.

Numerous aerial roots of the plant must be tied, directed into the ground or to the support, but not cut.

Temperature

In summer, the monstera has an optimal temperature in the range of 18-25 ° C, the flower lives perfectly in ordinary home conditions all year round, although it loves fresh air, small plants can be taken to the garden or to the balcony. Avoid putting the pot next to the air conditioner!

In winter, ideally, the temperature at which the monster is kept is 16-18 ° C. This is necessary so that with a natural decrease in illumination from the end of August to the end of January (in central Russia), monsters do not stretch out, because the growth of leaves and new shoots occurs at any temperature above 14 ° C, only at a different pace. In the cool, your beauty does not turn into a monster (as the name of the genus is translated). If it is very light at home, southern unshaded windows, she is going through the heating season well, but regular spraying will be needed. When growing in a conservatory or greenhouse, the minimum is 12 ° C, at such a temperature the decrease in illumination no longer plays a significant role, it is important to keep the plant dry, replace the irrigation with spraying.

Lighting

Monstera does not tolerate direct sunlight at midday between February and mid-August. At this time of year, all aroids require shading if the pot is in close proximity to the south or west window (or young plants on the windowsill) - a tulle curtain is sufficient. But if the direct sun hits the leaves before 11 o'clock in the afternoon or after 17 o'clock in the evening, it is not dangerous and even useful.

Many believe that the monster is shade-loving, and put it far from the window, as an interior decoration. This is wrong, in fact, the monster is shade-tolerant, and the best place for it is where there is bright but diffused light or light partial shade - next to a window that is not shaded from the street by trees or neighboring buildings. Only then will the monster have beautiful large leaves and a dense crown. In the central and northern regions of Russia, from mid-August to January (sometimes until the end of January), the monster is not terribly direct sun all day, it is even necessary for the development of a lush bush.

Monster needs lighting in winter and in a dark place: fluorescent lamps - per plant about 1 m high 2 lamps with a power of 15-20 W, from different sides. LED lamps - 2 pieces with a regular base (E27), power 7.5-14 W, also at different heights or from a shaded side.

Watering

Monstera has a huge leaf mass - the evaporating surface is very large, but if we compare it, for example, with the same size cucumber bush, then it needs much less moisture, because its leathery leaves evaporate less water than grassy ones. The cells of the epidermis of the leaf are saturated with fatty or waxy substances, the leaves look shiny and smooth. Therefore, although watering monsters should be plentiful in the warm season (and in winter in a heated room), you need to wait until the top layer of the earth dries. When kept in winter in a greenhouse or on an insulated balcony, in cooler conditions, watering is rare, after the soil dries thoroughly.

The recommendation on how much to pour water on the days of the week is incorrect, the frequency depends on the change in weather, respectively, temperature and humidity. Be guided by the fact that by the next watering, the upper part of the soil, about 1/3 of the height of the pot, should dry out.

Fertilizing

From March to September, monsters are fed with complex fertilizer for indoor plants. Suitable "Agricola - for ornamental plants," "Agricola for ficuses," "Universal Pocon" and "Pocon," good fertilizers "ETISSO," "Merry flower girl," "Bona Forte" and "Flower Paradise" - all from the series for decorative and deciduous. Feeding should be done every two weeks. Large plants that are transplanted once every few years can remove the top layer of land in the spring and add fresh land with well-rotted humus. If in September the weather is cloudy, there is no additional light, then feeding should be stopped until the end of February. If in winter the monster has a slow regrowth of new shoots, and there is enough light, you can continue to feed once a month. If in autumn and winter the monster grows small leaves, with long petioles - these are signs of lack of light, feeding is not necessary, but it is worth increasing the lighting with lamps or rearranging the pot in a cooler place.

Old plant specimens that cannot be transplanted must be fed not only by watering the soil, but also by spraying on a sheet. Extra-root feeding must contain potassium, magnesium, boron, zinc, molybdenum.

Air humidity

Monstera loves humid air, the optimal indicator for it is 50-60%. The plant responds well to regular spraying, as usually at home the humidity is significantly lower. From time to time, monstera leaves are washed, wiped with a sponge and even polished to wash off dust and add shine. Placing the plant near heating batteries is a serious violation in care, the monstera will dry the tips of the leaves, and stains will appear. Therefore, it is more correct to move the monster away from the batteries and hang lamps nearby. The best option is to use an air humidifier, otherwise you will have to cover the batteries with a wet sheet (wet it as soon as it dries - 2-3 times a day).

How to transplant a monster

The fast-growing monster depletes the soil in a year, so every spring - in March-April, you need to carry out a transplant. Monsters over four to five years old are transplanted after 2-3 years, but the top layer of the earth is changed annually. Although in general, the frequency of transfers depends on the large size of the bush.

Large, under the ceiling, delicatessen monsters are grown in tubs or garden flowerpots, it is almost unrealistic to transplant them painlessly, so it is correct to change the top layer of the earth annually - loosen and remove all the land that easily succumbs (not entangled in roots), carry out feeding throughout the growth season. But if the vine shows all signs of acute nutritional deficiency, it must be completely transplanted, possibly with partial rejuvenation of the bush. The fact is that with age, plants older than 10-15 years develop a huge number of aerial roots, the stem wriggles, and the number of leaves is small - they die off as a result of natural aging, so the bush looks like a monster: a tangle of branches-lashes-roots, and 5-7 leaves.

In this case, you need to cut off the entire aerial part, disassemble it into petioles - leave a piece of stem and root at each leaf, and immediately plant it in fresh soil in the same pot (flowerpot, tub).

Soil for monsters

• 2 part of sod land, 1 part of peat land, 1 part of humus, 1 part of small river pebbles, 1 part of pine bark (pieces 10-15 mm)
• 2 part of sod soil, 1 part of sheet humus, 1 part of humus, 1 part of vermiculite, 1 part of coconut fiber (substrate)
• 2 part of the store land (soil for palms, philodendrons, ficuses), 1 part of humus, 1 part of fine gravel (or vermiculite), 1 part of coconut substrate (pine bark)

It is better not to use sand in the mixture - it is too small and cements the soil, instead of pebbles you can take granite chips or very small expanded clay, particle sizes 4-5 mm.

In its pure form, store soil is suitable only for growing young plants, no more than 1 m in size. For larger ones, additives of nutrient soil (humus) and baking powder are needed, which add porosity to the substrate.

Pots: delicatessen monstera is grown first in a pot (the minimum size for a handle from one leaf is 20 cm), when the plant grows up to a planter or a container for 5-7 liters. Bole compact species: monstera oblique and dubious rarely outgrow the bucket by 10 liters, but the delicatessen over the years swings more than 3 m and for stability it needs to pick up a stronger pot (in the store you can find flowerpots by 15-20 liters). In any case, do not use too large pots with a large margin - there is a risk of waterlogging (undeveloped land dries for a long time, organic matter rots in it).

Monstera reproduction

Monsters are easily multiplied by air branches and cuttings. The branch must have a sheet and an air root. When the monster is very overgrown, it has its top cut off with one or more aerial roots and planted as an independent plant, while the uterine plant continues to grow further. If you cut off a handle with an air root, then you do not need to root it in the water, you can immediately plant it, but make sure that the soil in the pot does not dry out completely. If the root is less than 0.5 cm, you can put it in water until it grows about 2-3 cm.

Rooted cuttings must be kept in a bright place, but without bright sun. Cuttings cut in spring and summer are best rooted, in autumn and winter they will also take root, but the young plant will grow more slowly. You can root the handle in the fall, plant it in a pot and it will stand until spring without signs of growth, but in the spring it will violently move to grow young leaves.

Wreckers

• Scale insects: small rounded insects, covered with a brown shield, translucent in young individuals. They lead a sedentary lifestyle and therefore look like brown plaques 1-3 mm in size, on the surface of leaves and stems, suck out cell juice. Monstera leaves turn very pale, turn yellow, gradually dry and fall.
  Control measures: for mechanical cleaning of pests, the leaves are wiped with a soap sponge. Then the plant needs to be sprayed with insecticide. Since the monster is usually a large plant, it is impossible to take it to the bathroom or outdoors for processing, it is better to use pesticides that are less toxic to humans - actara or confidor. Prepare the solution at the rate of 8 g of actara per 10 L of water for spraying and 1 g per 10 L of water for irrigation. Maximum efficiency is achieved with simultaneous spraying and watering.
• Thrips - silver spots appear on the leaves, gradually merging into larger ones, with a large lesion, the leaves become translucent in places with a shine like mica - these are leaf tissues gnawed by thrips larvae. The pests themselves jump and fly to see them not always - they are small black or brown have a very elongated thin body in the shape of a spindle (1-2 mm in length)
  Other signs of thrips are white or gray husks on the surface of the leaves and black sticky drops - pest excrement.
  Measures of struggle: phytoverm, decis, actellic, inta-vir are effective against thrips, but actara is still better. First, wipe the leaves on both sides with a damp cloth, then dilute 1 g of powder per 1 liter of water and spray the leaves thoroughly.
• The spider tick also sometimes affects the monster - the thinnest web appears on the stems in the internodes, yellowish irregularly shaped spots appear on the leaves, microscopic scales are visible on the back of the leaf - skins from the pest molt. Gradually, the leaves turn very yellow and fall.
  Control measures: you need to wash the monster with a sponge with soap (household or tar), if the bush is small, then take it to the bath and rinse the leaves with very hot water (50-65 degrees). If the plant is large, then you will have to turn to chemical agents - acaricides (Apollo, Vermitek, anticlesh and others).
• Mealy worms: hide in the axils of the leaves, more in the basal zone, but eventually settle throughout the plant. They look like shaggy white bugs, their clusters look like cotton lumps at the base of the petioles of the leaves. Worms can greatly harm the plant - the leaves curve, dry and fall, the plant languishes before our eyes.
  Measures of struggle: the same as with the shield - watering and simultaneous spraying with actara is most effective. The pests themselves need to be removed with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol.

The challenges of growing a monster

• Monstera leaves are small, not cut, on long petioles - juvenile leaves should be like that on the tops of shoots), but if such leaves on the entire stem are a lack of light, you need to rearrange the plant in a more illuminated place.
• Monster leaves turn yellow - with large-scale yellowing, the cause can be waterlogging of the soil, this is especially dangerous in winter at low temperatures in the room (balcony), from severe dampness the leaves also become soft, hang like rags. With a lack of nutrition, the leaf turns yellow gradually, from the tip. Check the soil - loosen as much as you can, the top layer of soil and touch the soil deep in the pot. If too raw, loosen deeper. When the plant becomes sluggish from damp shoots, it remains only to cut off the branches and re-root.
• The leaves turn yellow, dry brown spots appear on them - with insufficient watering or when it is too hot and dry (in winter during the heating season). Check the soil, if it is very hot and dry, you need to water more often.
• If brown spots along the entire edge of the leaf, like a border, are a lack of potassium, it happens in old plants that have not been transplanted for a long time.
• The leaves are pale transparent, turn gray, then brown - with excess sunlight, burns in spring on sunny windows are especially dangerous.
• The exposed lower part of the trunk or stem, small leaves, poorly cut, long internodes are an acute lack of lighting, although over time the plant tends to lose leaves in the lower part of the stems.
• Yellowing or shrinking of leaves can also be caused by pests - examine the leaves from all sides, especially the reverse side, better with a magnifying glass.