"How To"

If you want an easy-to-grow exotic plant, the Monstera Deliciosa – aka Swiss Cheese Plant – is the plant for you! This gorgeous plant will transform your space faster than you can say Swiss Cheese! In this post I’m going to teach you how to grow a Monstera Deliciosa.

A bit of History and Characteristics

So let’s start with a little Monstera history. The botanical name of this plant is Monstera Deliciosa and it is native to South America. The Monstera is such a vigorous plant that it is considered invasive in warmer climates. You may know this already but the Swiss Cheese plant is actually a vine which means that it can climb using what’s called aerial roots. In the wild it climbs trees but will definitely climb a building wall or anything else in its way. It’s quite amazing.

This blog post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission to fund my houseplant habit if you use these links to make a purchase. You will not be charged extra, and you’ll keep me in the garden. It’s a win for everyone, really.

Now let’s dig into the characteristics of this climbing beauty. In its juvenile stage it has very distinct heart shaped foliage. As the plant ages, the new leaves get bigger and bigger. Once the plant hits a certain unknown age, the new foliage will unfurl revealing fenestrations or splits/holes in the leaves.

Another important characteristic about the Swiss Cheese plant is that it produces aerial roots. Many new plant parents get freaked out by these because as the plants age the aerial roots get bigger and longer. You can tuck them into the pot or let them trail along the floor but for goodness sake don’t cut them.

Moving on let’s talk about how to actually care for this plant starting with light.

Light

Because this plant in nature lives in the understory of trees that suggest that it doesn’t require direct sun/ bright light. It is speculated that the fenestrations on the foliage is to allow light to pass through to the rest of the plant. How cool is that?! In your home, give the Monstera plant bright indirect light.

Pots and soil

Monsteras do not require any special pot; only that it has a drainage hole to allow water to flow through. The same with soil the Swiss Cheese plant is not picky. I use PROMIX soil mixed with Orchid Bark and Perlite for all of my non-picky plants. It doesn’t hold water for too long but also isn’t fast draining.

Watering

Tropical plants love moist soil. When I say moist I don’t mean wet. Damp maybe a better word. For new plant parents I suggest either using a moisture meter or your finger to determine when to water your plant. The moisture meter will tell you how wet your soil is and from there you can determine if it’s time to water or not. Using your index finger stick it into the soil about an inch down. When you pull your finger out determine if the soil is dry or moist. If it’s dry give the plant a through watering. If it’s moist leave the plant alone and check back in a few days.

If you don’t want to stick your finger in the soil try one of these moisture meters.

Fertilizer

I have not found the Swiss Cheese plant to be too picky with fertilizer. They prefer a 20-20-20 fertilizer during the growing season backing off in the winter. I always use fish emulsion for my plants which is a 5-1-1. It’s organic and I don’t have to worry about fertilizer burn on the foliage. No matter what you choose do your research and follow the instructions.

Propagation

So let’s say you want more Swiss Cheese plants but don’t want to buy another. Propagation is your best friend. This plant is so easy to propagate that a baby could do it. I prefer to make my cut just under an aerial root. Then I stick the cutting in water until it produces a good strong set of new roots. Once it’s well rooted I pot it in soil and boom! New plant!

Growing a Swiss Cheese plant is so rewarding. It is a plant that is beginner friendly and so adaptable. Will you be growing a Swiss Cheese plant?

Happy Gardening,

Ciearra

Hey Gardeners!

This isn’t a do not buy post at all, this is more of a before you buy consider this post. I find the Bird of Paradise plant to be one of my favorites in my collection. I love the huge foliage and how each new leaf is bigger than the last. This really is an awesome and easy to care for plant but this plant isn’t for everyone.

This blog post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission to fund my houseplant habit if you use these links to make a purchase. You will not be charged extra, and you’ll keep me in the garden. It’s a win for everyone, really.

If you’ve never seen a Bird of Paradise plant in its natural habitat it is a sight to behold and a rude awakening to those with small homes. This plant gets BIG like taller than your house big. I don’t think people really consider this fact before they bring this plant home. I know I didn’t. This plant needs room to stretch out and if you don’t have the space it’s best to leave this babe in the greenhouse.

The Bird of Paradise is a very fast grower. It can double or even triple its size in one year giving the right conditions. So what are the right conditions for this plant? Bops LOVE very bright light! Like direct sun type of bright light. My BOPs get at least 2 hours of direct light and the rest of the day they get very bright light.

For 6 Plants that turn your garden into a Tropical Paradise read this!

Not always direct but still super bright. In the summertime I keep them outside. Please note that if you want to keep your houseplants outside for summer you have to transition them first. If you toss them out in direct sun they will fry up like chicken in a pot of hot grease! I’ll share how to transition your plants in another post.

Next up is water! Bops are water loving fiends! Be prepared to water them fully every week if not more for the rest of their life. Always check to see if the first 1-2 inches of soil are dry before watering because even tho they love water you can still over water. I know it’s confusing…

Fertilizing. So you’ve decided that the Bird of Paradise plant is for you and your prepared to bring this future giant into your home. Well fertilizing only helps make this plant grow bigger faster in my opinion. I feed my BOPs with fish emulsion once a week all summer and fall and they love it!

I find fish fertilizer to be good for all of my house plants and even my garden plants. If you can tolerate the smell then this is a good basic fertilizer for all of your plant needs. Be sure to follow the instructions on any fertilizers you decide to use. Some fertilizers can actually be harmful if used improperly.

I love Promix soil it’s all that I use for most of my houseplant. I haven’t had any issues with this soil for my BOPs. You don’t have to use what I use I don’t feel that BOPs are overly picky. Just make sure your pot has a drainage hole and that your not using a soil that meant for Succulents and Cacti.

As far as the BOPs I own I’m not sure how long until I’ll have to rehome them. My tallest is almost 5’4” and after this summer I’m guessing it’ll be close to 6 feet by fall. I do have a space for it once it out grows the living room but with how fast these babes grow it could be two to three years.

Happy Gardening

Ciearra