Monstera esqueleto plant care is a little more advanced than caring for many other monstera species like the hardy and flashy Monstera deliciosa or the easygoing and rapidly growing Monstera adansonii. But if you’re up for it, Monstera esqueleto will reward you with plenty of beautiful, delicately fenestrated leaves that will add a subtle tropical element to any space. It just might become the crown jewel of your houseplant collection!
Also called Monstera epipremnoides, Monstera esqueleto is a smaller monstera variety with heavily fenestrated leaves that are almost more empty space than leaf, though not to the same degree as the rare (and expensive) Monstera obliqua. In fact, the degree of fenestration usually falls somewhere between that of Monstera adansonii and Monstera obliqua.
So if you’re looking to level up your monstera game but aren’t ready to shell out $1,000+ for an obliqua cutting, esqueleto might be the perfect choice!
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Monstera Esqueleto vs. Monstera Adansonii: What’s the Difference?
These two monstera species are often confused with one another, which is completely understandable because they do look quite similar in some ways. Given the fact that plants are often mislabeled in nurseries or by online sellers, it can be tricky to understand what plant you’re actually buying.
The main differences between Monstera esqueleto and Monstera adansonii are the size, color, and texture of the leaves, and the fenestration pattern.
The leaves of Monstera adansonii tend to be smaller, smoother, and darker green than those of Monstera esqueleto. Esqueleto leaves are often larger and sport a lighter green color and a more leathery texture.
The leaves of an indoor adansonii measure around 4-6 inches long (though mature leaves can reach up to 20-30 inches long when grown on a trellis with lots of room), leaves of Monstera esqueleto can grow up to 2 feet long indoors. Still, it can be challenging to tell the two apart when they’re young.
Finally, the fenestration pattern can differentiate the two. Holes on adansonii leaves tend to be smaller and more oval-shaped, and may not appear in a neat pattern, but pop up all over the leaf. Esqueleto leaves tend to have much larger holes and may have a few smaller ones thrown into the mix. These holes take up much more of the leaf and tend to be more even and symmetrical than those of the adansonii.
It can still be difficult to tell the two apart, but if you know what you’re looking for, you might feel better equipped to make an informed buying decision!
Where Does Monstera Esqueleto Come From?
Like all monstera varieties, Monstera esqueleto is a tropical plant. It originates in the cloud forests of Costa Rica in particular where they enjoy plenty of rainfall, humidity, and mild temperatures. It’s a member of the Araceae family along with peace lillies and philodendron, and can even flower in the proper conditions!
It’s absolutely possible to grow a beautiful Monstera esqueleto indoors if you are able to closely replicate its natural environment with proper light, humidity, temperature, and soil.
Where to Find Monstera Esqueleto
While it’s nowhere near as pricey or rare as Monstera obliqua, Monstera esqueleto can still be challenging to find. You probably won’t find this one in large home improvement stores like Lowe’s or Home Depot, or even your local nursery (unless you are lucky enough to live near an exceptional nursery that regularly stocks rare and exotic houseplants!).
Your best bet for getting your hands on Monstera esqueleto is buying online. Still, locating a legit seller can take some time and research.
Etsy, eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and even your local Craigslist can be great resources to check regularly, but make sure to read any seller reviews and ask plenty of questions to make sure this person is trustworthy and will sell you what they’re advertising. Some of these services, such as eBay, will even let you set up keyword alerts so you’ll get a notification if a Monstera esqueleto gets posted for sale. (Tip: Set up alerts for “Monstera epipremnoides” as well to cover all your bases!)
Here are our favorite Etsy shops for purchasing plants:
You can also try well-known online plant sellers such as The Sill and Bloomscape, though they may not carry plants as rare as this. Still, it doesn’t hurt to try, or to get in touch with them to ask if they plan on stocking them in the near future!
Finally, you can always Google “Monstera esqueleto for sale” or “Monstera epipremnoides for sale” and see what pops up! Again, make sure to read ratings and reviews if they’re available, ask questions, and use your common sense to make sure you aren’t getting ripped off.
If and when you do locate a Monstera esqueleto, be prepared to pay several hundred dollars for a mature plant or upwards of a hundred for a younger plant or even a cutting. (Hey, it could be worse. We’ve seen Monstera obliqua cuttings with 2 leaves go for upwards of $4,000!)
Monstera Esqueleto Plant Care
So, you’ve got your heart set on a Monstera esqueleto. How do you take care of it and help it thrive? If you have experience caring for other monstera varieties, you’re well-equipped to care for this one. Many of the rules are the same, but you might find Monstera esqueleto a little less forgiving than other varieties, especially when it comes to humidity.
Here’s everything you need to know to grow a healthy Monstera esqueleto indoors.
Soil and potting
It’s extremely important to ensure that your monstera has excellent drainage to prevent overwatering and the possible complications that come with it. (Like root rot. Yikes!)
Choose a pot that’s 2-3 inches larger than your plant’s root ball. This will give it a little room to grow without holding more water than your plant can use. Make sure your pot has drainage holes! However, if you fall in love with a gorgeous planter without drainage holes, you can pot your plant in a cheap growers pot and slip it inside the decorative planter. When it’s time to water, just remove the inner pot, water the plant, and let the pot drain for a while before replacing it in the fancy planter. Simple!
When it comes to soil, choose a light, loamy, well-aerated soil with a pH between 5.5 and 7. A rare, delicate plant like Monstera esqueleto is a big purchase, so we suggest investing in a high-quality soil to ensure that your plant thrives.
If you’re a DIY person, we love this aroid soil recipe. If you want a ready-made soil, we highly recommend our Premium Monstera Potting Soil. It’s specifically formulated for monstera species like Monstera esqueleto and works beautifully for all species of aroids, so feel free to try it for your philodendrons, pothos, and peace lillies as well! This soil is the perfect balance of moisture retention, aeration, nutrition, and pH to keep your monstera esqueleto healthy and thriving. You can purchase it on Amazon!
Light
In the rainforests where it originates, Monstera esqueleto thrives in the indirect sunlight on the forest floor where the canopy protects it from the harsh, direct tropical sun.
To replicate this, place your Monstera esqueleto in a spot where it will receive plenty of bright, indirect sunlight but where the sun’s rays will never shine directly on the leaves after about 10:00 a.m. (a little direct morning light is fine). In the Northern Hemisphere, this usually means close to an east-facing window or a few feet away from a west- or south-facing window. (For the Southern Hemisphere, a few feet from a north-facing window can work, but avoid south-facing.)
If the leaves appear faded or dried out, it’s possible your plant is getting too much light!
Water
Like other monstera varieties, Monstera esqueleto does best in evenly moist soil, which means that you should water when the top 2 inches of soil feel dry to the touch. You can also use a moisture meter to get a better idea of what’s going on deeper in the pot, because it’s possible for the top of your soil to be dried out while the root ball is completely soaked! (Well-aerated soil can prevent this. That’s another reason why you want soil that drains well!)
Here’s the moisture meter we recommend. To take a reading, simply insert the sensor into the soil about halfway between the base of the plant and the edge of the pot, and about halfway down. When the meter reads 3 or 4, it’s time to water!
This should happen every 7-14 days. If your soil takes longer than that to dry out, your pot may not be draining properly, you might have chosen a soil that’s too dense (or it’s compacted), or your plant might not be receiving enough light. If you’re watering more often, you’re either overwatering or not watering deeply enough, which can cause the soil to dry out prematurely.
To water your Monstera esqueleto, you have a few options: first, you can water from the top. To do this, slowly add water to the soil until it just starts to drain out the bottom of the pot, then let drain in a sink or tub for an hour or two or empty the drainage tray right away.
The second method is bottom watering. In this case, you’d fill a large container or a sink about halfway with water and set your monstera’s pot in the water so that the surface rises to about halfway up the pot. Do NOT let the pot flood from the top.
Let the pot soak for 10 minutes and check it with your finger or the moisture meter. If the soil feels moist just under the surface or if the meter reads moist (6-8), remove the pot from the water and let it drain. If not, check the soil every 10 minutes until the soil is evenly watered.
Bottom watering can reduce the risk of overwatering, can help strengthen roots, and keeps water off the leaves, so it’s not a bad idea to alternate this method with top watering or do this every second or third watering. We don’t recommend bottom watering exclusively because it can cause mineral buildup in the soil that would normally get flushed out with top watering.
It’s something to consider!
Temperature and Humidity
Again, think of the rainforest conditions here. Monstera equeleto will thrive in temperatures from 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit. High 60s can be okay, but don’t let temps drop below 65 degrees or rise above 85 degrees.
Keep your esqueleto well away from drafts, heaters, AC/heating vents, fireplaces, etc. These can freeze, scorch, or dry out the delicate leaves in a snap!
Proper humidity is also crucial for keeping the leaves healthy. Consider setting up a humidifier near your plant or at least setting it on a humidity tray. (You can buy these or place your plant’s pot on a shallow tray filled with water and pebbles, making sure the roots don’t touch the water.) A steamy bathroom is a great place for this plant, and frequent misting can also help. Monstera esqueleto can also do well in terrariums as long as it gets proper light and drainage.
If your leaves appear dry and crispy, that’s a sure sign your plant could use more humidity!
Fertilizer
Your monstera esqueleto needs a steady supply of nutrients to support the growth of those big leaves, strong stems, and a robust root system that readily absorbs water and nutrients.
In nature, the constant breakdown of organic material provides the soil and the plants that grow in it with a steady supply of nutrients. But potted plants are limited to the nutrients available in their potting mix, and most plants can use up those nutrients in a few short months.
This is why plants need fertilizer. Plants get their energy from sunlight, but they absorb nutrients from soil. Think of fertilizer like a multivitamin for your monstera!
We recommend a gentle liquid fertilizer with a 5-2-3 NPK ratio during the spring and summer when your esqueleto is most likely to be actively growing. Many people recommend slowing or halting fertilization during the fall and winter, but in our experience, indoor plants often don’t experience true dormant periods because indoor conditions tend to be fairly consistent. Often, houseplants will grow in fits and starts year-round rather than conforming to growing and dormant seasons.
With that in mind, observe your plant and its growth patterns closely. As long as you dilute the fertilizer properly, you should have no problem continuing to fertilize into fall and winter at half your usual rate, or even as usual.
We recommend Monstera Plant Food because it’s specifically formulated for monstera species and is gentle enough that you can use it with each watering, which means you won’t have to remember a fertilization schedule and accidentally over- or under-fertilize your esqueleto!
Repotting
You’ll most likely need to repot your Monstera esqueleto every year or two. Keep an eye on the soil to gauge when your plant might be ready for a pot upgrade. If you notice your plant’s growth rate slowing, the roots start popping out of the top or bottom of the pot, the soil becomes hard and compacted, or if you see the roots growing around the edges of the pot in a circle, it’s time to repot.
To do this, unpot your monstera by tipping the pot on its side and gently coaxing the plant out. Do NOT pull on the stems. Then put a few handfuls of soil in the new pot, place your plant on top, and fill in the sides with potting mix, leaving about 2 inches of headroom. Water thoroughly and top off with a little more potting mix when the soil settles.
Simple!
Propagation
The easiest way to propagate Monstera esqueleto is with stem cuttings or by separation.
To propagate with stem cuttings, find a section with a few young, healthy leaves and locate a node, which is a bump on the stem opposite from a leaf. Then use clean scissors or shears to cut below the node so that it’s included in your cutting. (This is crucial, because that node will turn into roots!)
Place the cutting in a clean glass filled with water and a little Propagation Promoter and put in a bright place. Change the water regularly and keep it topped off. In a few weeks, you should see roots starting to form. When the roots are a few inches long, plant your cutting in soil and care for it as you would a mature plant.
To propagate by separating, unpot the plant and gently untangle the root ball to separate the plant into two or more smaller plants. Plant each of these sections separately in their own plants. That’s it! You now have several baby Monstera esqueleto plants!
You’ve got this!
See? Simple!
While caring for a Monstera esqueleto might be a little more touchy than growing a Monstera deliciosa, this is still a very approachable rare plant variety that might be a great choice if you’re looking to add an impressive but relatively low-maintenance gem to your collection. Give it a shot!
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