Propagating monstera plants from cuttings is quite easy and a lot of fun, but taking the cutting is just the beginning. How do you get the cutting to take root? And, of course, there’s the question of when to plant a monstera cutting.
No worries! We’ll cover getting your cutting to root, knowing when it’s time to plant, and your various options for planting (because you don’t always have to plant in potting mix!).
Let’s get started!
Propagating Monstera Plants From Cuttings
If you’ve never propagated with cuttings before and you aren’t certain how to do it, make sure to first read our guide on taking a cutting from your monstera plant. We’ll wait.
Have you taken your cutting and put it in a glass of water? Good! It takes a cutting a few weeks to start to root, but there are a few things you can do to speed this process along and increase your chances of getting strong, healthy roots.
Here are our tips for encouraging your cutting to grow into a healthy new plant:
- Put it in a bright place. This is super important because plants get energy from sunlight, and it takes a LOT of energy for a new cutting to recover from the trauma of being cut AND put out healthy new roots! A window that doesn’t get a lot of direct sunlight is the perfect place for your cutting, but if you don’t have that, anywhere near a bright window will work as long as the cutting isn’t directly in the sun’s rays.
- Keep your water and container clean. When you take a cutting, that open wound is very susceptible to infection, which can kill your cutting in no time. Make sure you use a clean, preferably sterilized container for your cutting and make sure to change the water (and maybe even the container) every week.
- Use Propagation Promoter. We created this amazing stuff to serve both as a rooting hormone to encourage faster rooting and to protect your cuttings from infection.
How and When to Plant a Monstera Cutting
Instead of waiting a certain amount of time to plant your monstera cutting, you should plant your cutting when the roots are at least an inch long. At least. If you aren’t sure if it’s time to plant, you can always wait longer. It’s better to err on the side of caution in this case.
In most cases, this should take 4-6 weeks. If you follow our tips above, your time from cutting to planting will mostly likely be closer to 4 weeks.
So what are your options for planting your cutting once the roots are long enough?
- Planting your monstera cutting in soil
The most common choice is to plant your monstera cutting in a pot with potting mix, preferably with a pH of 5.5-6. (We love this moisture meter that also gauges light and pH!)
Our top choices for monstera potting mix are our Premium Monstera Soil, available on Amazon, or this DIY recipe from Kaylee Ellen on YouTube.
Both choices provide ideal nutrition, pH balance, water retention, and aeration for monstera plants, and the ideal mix for your new cutting!
- Growing your monstera plant with hydroponics
Hydroponics describes any method of growing plants without soil. Usually it refers to growing plants in water alone (which you’ve already done with your cutting!) or in an inorganic potting medium such as clay LECA balls.
Monstera plants respond quite well to these methods, so you might want to give them a try!
Read our guide on growing monstera plants with hydroponics here.
Learn more about monstera propagation.
Are you addicted to propagating your monstera plants yet? We sure are! After all, it’s a great way to grow your monstera collection on a budget and even share different varieties with monstera-loving friends!
Learn more about monstera propagation with these guides and resources:
Monstera Propagation Promoter and Rooting Hormone
Monstera Propagation: The Ultimate Guide to Propagating Monstera Plants (With Step-By-Step Photos!)
Monstera Propagation Via Air Layering
How to Host a Monstera Propagation Party
The Best Soil for Monstera Plants
