The tropical jungles of South America amazed the first explorers not even with flocks of hummingbirds, colorful nature and amazing animals, but with fantastic lianas. "It's just a monster," they said. And so this name remained attached to him forever. Monstera is a large and heavy liana that grows around a large tree. Under natural conditions, it reaches 50 m in length. Carved leaves reach a meter width. The researchers were shocked by the roots of monstrous length that sprouted through the bodies of people. this gave rise to legends that the creeper preys on people. In fact, the plant sprouted through the bodies of those who died in the jungle.
But even indoors, the monstera looks very impressive. It is distinguished by huge fans of dissected leaves and long cords of aerial roots. Not only the appearance is interesting, but also its internal plant. The lateral veins are equipped with special organs that are capable ofemit water droplets at high humidity. Monstera breeding deserves special attention.
Plant varieties
The first thing that comes to mind is planting a plant with seeds. But flowering and fruit formation is observed only in one of the varieties. This is the largest representative of the family, which most often adorns the halls of organizations and apartments. Its name is Attractive or Delicious.
Monstera can bloom in your home, giving a fragrant fruit that tastes like pineapple. But it will take a whole year to mature. After that, it will still take time to grow a young plant out of it. It turns out too long and complicated. The reproduction of monsters of other species in this way is completely questioned, since they do not form a flower-veil and fruits.
Sowing seeds
If you have become the proud owner of such valuable material, then you can try to grow a young plant, watching it from the very first leaf. To do this, you need to build a small greenhouse, filling it with a mixture of sand and peat in equal quantities. It is necessary to germinate seeds at a temperature of +25 degrees, under a film. Every few days you need to ventilate the greenhouse and moisten the soil.
Sprouts can be expected in three to four weeks. In seedlings, the first leaves are not dissected, whole. Only after the fifth month will grow real, adult leaves. Now you can pick the seedlings. As long as they can remain in commongreenhouse. Propagation of monstera by seeds is not a quick matter. The root system of seedlings develops only after two years. By this time, the plant develops 5 ordinary leaves and 2-4 carved, adults.
You can now transplant young plants into separate pots for permanent residence. Propagating monstera in this way takes a lot of time, but you immediately get a small plantation of young plants.
The easiest way
If you are not a professional florist, you probably don't want to spend a lot of time planting a seedling from a plant at the request of one of your friends. But if a lateral shoot has started to grow from the base of the stem, then this is the easiest way to get a new plant in the shortest possible time.
The procedure is quite simple, the side shoots are separated from the mother plant, the sections are dried and powdered with charcoal. Reproduction of monstera at home is recommended before the start of summer. The ideal time is early April or May. The prepared shoot needs to be planted in a pot with a drainage layer at the bottom, as well as light and nutritious soil. It is required to cover the pot with a plastic bag and put it in a bright, warm place for rooting. If necessary, the substrate is moistened, and the greenhouse is ventilated. Rooting is very fast. You will know about its successful completion when the plant releases new leaves.
Propagation by cuttings
Monsters - creepers are quite tenacious, so even a novice grower can easily propagate his plant. Today we consider different ways, among which you can choose the most suitable one. With the help of cuttings, you can transplant a young plant without much effort:
- To do this, you need to choose a process or shoot, preferably with an aerial root.
- Use a sharp blade to cut it off.
- Immediately treat both cuts with activated charcoal.
- The cut part should be placed in a pot of peat and covered with a bag.
- Usually you can expect the first leaf to appear in a few weeks.
Rooting in water
If you want to use the monstera leaf propagation method, then it would be better to follow this technology. Rooting in the ground of a leaf devoid of aerial roots is associated with some difficulties. It can rot or be attacked by soil bacteria. In water, it most often gives roots faster, after which it can be transplanted into the ground.
The cut leaf must also be treated with charcoal to protect it from rotting. After that, it can be put in water and covered with a film. After about two weeks, you will see the first roots. The plant is now ready to be transplanted into the ground.
Vine rejuvenation
If the plant is bald as a result of violations in care, or is very stretched, then it makes sense to carry out such a procedure. The outcome will depend on the condition of the vine and yourher plans. Surely you have heard about the reproduction of monstera by aerial roots? So, in itself, this root has a slightly different structure, but it helps to maintain the strength of the plant during rooting.
- You need to choose an outlet that you will deposit. It could be the top of the plant as well.
- All the roots that remain on it after transplantation must be wrapped in wet peat and periodically moistened. When they are covered with new roots along their entire length, they can be pruned and planted in the ground.
What to do with the rest of the creeper
Having lost the top, the plant will not die, but will begin to give lateral shoots, or build up a new green mass. In both cases, this is a favorable outcome for the grower. Propagating a monstera flower can be quite a profitable business, so you can decide to cut the maximum number of cuttings.
To do this, the monstera trunk is cut in such a way that each piece has one or two internodes. These cuttings are laid out on moist soil, slightly deepened, but not dug in. Now your goal is to provide them with light and warmth, as well as a sufficient level of humidity. After a while, you can wait for the first buds and roots.
Soil and pot
The success of reproduction will depend on how correctly you choose the soil. Care at home monstera requires not too complicated, but if the earth in the pot is too dense and heavy, then all your efforts will be in vain. Canbuy ready-made mixtures for decorative leafy plants, where a little coconut fiber is added. If this is not possible, make your own mix.
To do this, you need to take three parts of sod land and one part of leafy soil, peat, sand and humus. It turns out a loose, nutritious mixture that retains moisture well. A pot for a young plant can be taken small. And as you grow, pay attention to making the new one wider. Because aerial roots will descend from each internode.
Irrigation
The effectiveness of monstera breeding also depends on the right conditions. Home care involves regular moistening of the soil and air, spraying the leaves. Do not forget that this plant is a guest from tropical forests, where there is constant humidity. Overdrying of the earth is unacceptable. But the plant also does not like overflow, which is why they make good drainage. Water only with warm water. From spring to autumn, you can do this every day, and in winter - as the top layer dries.
Humidity should be at least 60%, so cover the pot with peat and spray regularly. The hotter the room, the more often you need to carry out water procedures.
Fertilizers and top dressing
Large creeper needs plenty of food. From March to September, the plant needs to be fed with a complex mineral fertilizer for decorative and deciduous plants. This should be done once every 2-3 weeks. By the way, the dosage in the instructions is usually very large, feel free todouble it down. Overfeeding the plant is also useless. Adult plants can add humus or mullein to the topsoil in summer. But in winter, you do not need to feed the plant.
Transfer
Strong creeper grows very fast. Under favorable conditions in the first four years, it will need to be transplanted annually. Each time the pot should be 3-4 cm larger than the previous one. After the age of five, an adult plant is more difficult to transplant, and the procedure can be performed every 3-4 years. But every year it is required to renew the top layer of soil in those years when transplanting was not performed.
No problems are expected with a young plant. It is necessary to shake the plant out of the old pot, inspect it and, trying not to disturb the earthen ball, rearrange it into a new pot, sprinkled with fresh soil. Usually, such a procedure is followed by the appearance of lateral processes, that is, the reproduction of monstera.
Caring for and transplanting a plant that has reached the age of five is becoming more difficult. Now the pot needs to be taken for growth, about two buckets more than the previous one. Be sure to install a support in a new pot, and then, together with assistants, transfer the vine into it and add fresh soil. Water well and leave for a day. If the soil sags, it can be added.
Providing winter holidays
Monstera does not have a pronounced dormant period. She doesn't shed her leaves. Only with a decrease in the length of daylight hours and a decrease in temperature does it stop growth. Plantwaiting for a new period of warm days to please you again with rapid growth. It is able to spend the entire winter period at a temperature of +16 degrees, poor watering and lack of fertilizers. It will even be helpful. A respite for a month is already able to give the plant strength for further growth and development. After that, you can use artificial lighting to increase daylight hours and increase the temperature in the room. The plant will quickly begin to grow.
Instead of a conclusion
Monstera is one of the most interesting vines. With its openwork leaves, it conquers all lovers of wildlife. It takes up a lot of space, so it is a poor choice for tiny apartments. If there are no problems with this, and you really want to decorate your home, try to get planting material using one of the methods described and grow a monstera at home.
