One of the best and worst characteristics of monsteras that they they can grow very large, up to ten feet tall indoors (and more than 30 feet in the wild)!
They also spread, putting out many leaves and stems. A single monstera can easily take over a corner of your house.
“Monster” is in the name for a reason!
Therefore, you might choose to separate your monstera into one or more plants. You can also do this simply to create more plants, even if they aren’t taking over your house.
Splitting your monstera is also an easy and inexpensive way to propagate your monstera, and you won’t even have to wait for new roots! You’ll just end up with a few slightly smaller plants that will start growing again in no time.
However, there’s a simple technique to this. You don’t want to just hack apart your root ball willy nilly and put the plant in different pots. You can risk severe root trauma that your plant may not recover from, so you’ll want to follow these tips.
Doing anything to the roots of a plant is risky, so here’s how to separate your monstera without causing irreparable damage.
Table of Contents
How to Separate a Monstera
Pick your timing
Early spring is the best time to split or propagate your monstera because spring is when monsteras grow. They’ll be more likely to recover from root stress and start growing again.
If you want to split, do it in late winter or early spring.
Water before you split
You want the root ball to be well-hydrated before you split it. A week before you do the deed, give the roots a good soak so that water starts to drain out the bottom of the pot. (Your pot does have good drainage, right?)
This will prepare the roots for what’s to come.
Make the split
When you’re ready to split your monstera, carefully tip the pot on its side and slide the plant out. You may need someone to help you hold the pot and/or plant so you don’t break anything.
If the plant doesn’t want to come out, use a garden trowel to carefully coax it out. Whatever you do, do NOT yank the plant out of the pot! You definitely don’t want to break any stems or leaves, because those sections won’t recover.
Once the monstera is out of its pot, use a sharp, clean knife to cut the root ball into two or more plants. Look for natural sections and divisions in the plant so that each new plant has plenty of roots and stems as well.
You kind of have to eyeball this and notice any areas where the plant is already sectioned off. This will ensure that the plant will start growing again quickly after the split.
Plant the new monsteras
Once you’ve divided your monstera into two or more plants, it’s time to get the individual plants into their new pots.
TIP: Use clean pots to prevent the possible spread of fungus or bacteria.
You might need smaller pots than the one the big plant was just in. Choose pots with good drainage that are 2-4 inches wider than the roots of the new plants. Plant in a peaty, well-draining soil like our specialized monstera soil.
Water the plants when they’re in their new pots and place in an area with bright, indirect light.
About a month after you separate the plants, you can start fertilizing to encourage recovery and new growth!
Check out Monstera Plant Food here!
Super easy!
That’s it! At this point, you’ll want to mostly leave your plants alone to recover, but they should start growing again in no time!
This is an easy way to keep your monstera to a manageable size and produce more plants on a budget. This is a fairly easy plant to split, so don’t be scared. Jump right in!
If you have more monstera plant questions, join our community on Facebook and chat with other monstera plant lovers!
