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Monstera Ginny Plant
The Monstera Ginny plant is a vining plant related to the Monstera Deliciosa. This plant has cut out windows in the leaves that were originally intended to allow the tropical breeze to flow through the plant without damaging any of the leaves, making it one of the more visually appealing house plants today.
This plant is becoming very popular because it makes such a beautiful addition to any home, and if you’ve seen them around in any marketplace for sale, you know they go very quickly. Plant lovers are grabbing these beautiful plants as fast as they can! Keep reading to learn more about this wonderful houseplant and how to care for it.
Other Names For Monstera Ginny
Monstera Ginny is also commonly called the mini Monstera, mini split leaf, or philodendron ginnie, but the plant’s botanical name is Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma. Although it looks extremely similar to the Monstera Deliciosa plant, there are significant differences between the two.
Is Monstera Ginny the same as Tetrasperma?
Sometimes, the Monstera Ginny is referred to as Tetrasperma. It is the same plant, and Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma is just the technical name for this plant. It’s important to note, although it looks very similar to the Monstera Deliciosa, it is not technically a true monstera, nor is it a Philodendron. It does still fall under the Araceae family along with the Monstera Deliciosa, though.
Is Monstera Ginny rare?
Monstera Ginny is a pretty rare houseplant. It’s becoming very popular, and many growers of this plant are beginning to increase their propagations in order to meet the growing demands of the houseplant market, so it’s becoming easier to find this beautiful houseplant.
Variegated Monstera Ginny
The variegated version of the Monstera Ginny is extremely rare. One variegated Monstera Ginny actually went up for auction and had over 100,000 views before bidding closed, making it one of the most popular plants ever to be listed on a bidding website.
Variegation can be a natural occurrence, but it is more commonly encountered with genetically modified plants through propagation and selective breeding.
How do you encourage variegation in Monstera?
It is extremely difficult to encourage variegation in a normal Monstera Ginny plant. It would be much easier to simply purchase a cutting of an already variegated plant to propagate.
If you have a variegated plant and want to see more variegation, simply place your plant closer to a direct sunlight source, and you should begin to see more soon. Just remember, Monstera plants don’t typically like direct sunlight, so keep a close eye on your plant to make sure it’s not getting too much.
Any time you change your plant’s home, you should monitor it for a week or so to see if it needs more or less water, or if it should be moved back to its original spot.
Is Monstera Ginny toxic?
Monstera Ginny is technically considered toxic, but it is likely not deadly. The reason this plant is toxic is because it contains calcium oxalate crystals that make it quite unpleasant to ingest the leaves. These crystals cause irritation and possibly swelling, which is why this plant is considered toxic to humans and to animals.
Some people or animals may have more serious reactions if the plant is ingested in any form, but most turn out to be just fine, and any minor irritation can be handled at home. For more serious cases, a doctor or vet should always be consulted.
Monstera Ginny Care Guide
Caring for your tropical houseplant is pretty simple! Below is some more information about the Monstera Ginny along with a few pointers to keep your plant happy and thriving in your home.
Height & Spread
This plant can reach up to 6 feet tall inside, and even slightly more if given proper support for the extra weight of the plant. It can even grow up to 20 feet tall outside, but not all outdoor environments can encourage that kind of growth.
How To Make Monstera Ginny More Bushy
Simple pruning can help make your Monstera Ginny bushier. It’s recommended to cut ¼ of an inch above a growth node, and that will encourage your plant to grow outward, making it more bushy.
Light And Position
Keep your plant out of direct sunlight, but make sure to place it in a room that gets plenty of natural light. If you notice the leaves burning, that means it is getting too much direct sunlight. You may have to adjust your plant’s place in your home until you find a spot where it is happy and thriving with the perfect amount of light.
Temperature And Humidity
As this is a plant that originated in a tropical climate, it likes warmth and a good amount of humidity. It can survive outside temperatures, as long as they aren’t on either extreme. No freezing winters or scorching summers for this beauty.
When kept inside, an easy way to meet your plants humidity requirement is with a humidifier. Place it close to your plant, and plug it in for a few hours each day and your plant will thrive. If you don’t want a humidifier in your home, you can just spritz it with a light mist a couple times per day and it should do just fine.
Water
Water your plant once the top part of the soil has dried out slightly. You don’t want your soil soaking wet, but you also don’t want to risk your roots getting too dry since this is a tropical plant and requires a bit more moisture than some other plants.
If the air in your home is dry, you’ll also need to either add a humidifier to the area or spritz the leaves with water.
Soil Conditions
Your plant’s soil should be well-draining, but it should be kept moist. The Monstera Ginny likes a lot of water, but it doesn’t like its roots to be soaked. When you water your plant, the water should disappear from the top of the soil in 20 – 30 seconds. If it takes longer to drain, the soil doesn’t drain fast enough, any faster, and the soil drains too quickly to hold the right amount of water for your plant.
To give your plant the best chance, make your own potting mix by combining sphagnum moss, peat moss, perlite or pumice, and potting soil. This mixture will ensure that your soil doesn’t compact too much, and that your plant’s roots get plenty of aeration and water.
Fertilizing Monstera Ginny
Your plant will grow amazingly well with a high quality indoor plant fertilizer. It’s important for your Monstera Ginny to be fertilized every 2 to 3 weeks during Spring and Summer with a liquid fertilizer like our Monstera Plant Food.
To be safe, dilute your fertilizer to only half strength the first couple times you use it to make sure that your plant’s roots are going to take well to the fertilizer and not get burned by it. It’s rare that this happens with high-quality fertilizers, but it’s always better to be safe.
Potting And Repotting
Your plant will thrive when you give it a properly sized pot and a high-quality soil to live in. You’ll want a pot that isn’t too big for your plant, but also not too small.
For plants that are started from a cutting, place it in a small container, and slowly increase the size of your container as the roots and plant grow. For plants that are bought in a pot already, opt for a container that is just slightly larger than the one it came in.
Follow the same principles when repotting your plant. Only go up about 1 inch in pot size each time you repot your plant. And as always, a high-quality soil will help your plant grow into its new home quickly.
Pruning Monstera Ginny
Pruning your plant will ensure it stays healthy, and it will also help your plant become fuller by sprouting off from where you prune it. Grab a clean pair of gardening shears and cut just above a leaf node to encourage bushier growth.
If you notice any browning or discoloration on your leaves, it’s a good idea to prune those. It just makes your plant look nicer and helps it to focus its energy on the other parts of the plant that aren’t browning.
Propagating Monstera Ginny
Propagation is a simple process that can give you a perfect clone of your beautiful house plant with just some household tools and some time. Follow the steps below and you can have as many Monstera Ginny plants as your heart (or home) desires!
Taking Monstera Ginny Cuttings
Taking cuttings of the Monstera Ginny is similar to taking cuttings from many other plants. First, look for a healthy-looking leaf, and then trace it back to the main stem. Where it connects to the stem is called a node.
Then, you’ll want to cut off a section of plant with at least one node, preferably two, to give your cutting double the chance of rooting. From here, you can either propagate your cutting in water or in soil. Both are good options for propagation, so I would encourage you to try both and see which one works best for you.
Make your stem sections approximately 6-10 inches long with at least one leaf coming off of each stem you want to propagate.
Propagating in Soil
After you take your stem cuttings, simply place them in pre-moistened soil and make sure it stays damp. It can take a few weeks before you see new growth. Just be patient and you’ll have some new plants you can hang all over your house.
Propagating in Water
Water propagation is even easier than soil propagation, and some find they have more success with water propagation, too. All you have to do is place your stem cutting in a glass jar filled with water. Keep the leaf out of the water to prevent any mold growth that could kill your plant.
Air Layering
Air layering is simply propagating your plant before you cut it off from the original plant. To do this, you’ll need a very light and breathable growing medium like sphagnum moss, a bag, and something to tie the bag of moss to the plant and keep it in place.
Simply put your growing medium in the bag, identify the node (or nodes) you’re going to propagate, and snugly wrap the moss around the stem at the node, and secure it there with either rope, tape, or a metal bread tie. You may have to rip your plastic bag in a creative way to ensure there is full contact between the node and the growing medium.
Common Problems
Pests
Spider mites are the most common pest you might encounter on your Monstera Ginny plant. You may also encounter thrips, whitefly, or other pests. To get rid of most pests, you can use neem oil or a soapy water mixture and spray your plant down.
Diseases
The most common disease that may affect your Monstera Ginny is root rot. This is caused either by over-watering, dense soil that holds too much moisture, or a pot that has no drainage. If not caught, root rot can kill your plant very quickly.
If you notice soil that is still really wet, but a wilting plant, you need to take it out of the soil, clean it off, and inspect the roots for any rot. If there’s only a small amount of rot, you should be able to cut the rot off and repot your plant in a new soil mixture that allows more airflow and has better drainage.
FAQ Monstera Aurea
Why is my mini monstera not splitting?
Usually, a plant that isn’t giving you any new split leaves likely is not getting enough of something. If it’s in a darker room, try moving it to a brighter room. If the soil is noticeably dry, try watering it really well.
Monstera plant care is quite simple once you get the hang of it, but there is a bit of a learning curve. It helps to have the right informational resources, the right support system, and the right products to make your monstera growing experience the best it can be!
