When should you repot your Monstera?

In general you should repot your monstera every 2 years but there can be other reasons which demand a repotting sooner, read all about it in this blogpost.

After a while the soil in the pot will contain less and less nutrition and will be literally consumed by the plant. When you water it, the soil will no longer retain water. If you water your plant and the water runs straight through, your plant is due for a repotting.

Monstera like to be cozy in their pot and will do well for a long time even if the pot has become too small. It will however stunt your plant’s growth, so if you want your monstera to grow big fast, you can consider repotting sooner, but if you do make sure to go only 1 pot size bigger.

Preferably you repot your plants during spring, when temperatures are mild, and the plants are getting active again after their winter rest.

Getting ready for repotting, what will you need?

• A pot 1 or max 2 sizes larger than your current pot, with drainage holes if the pot does not have this make sure to add a large layer of: Leca (expanded clay)
• A well draining, airy soilmix that contains coco choir, perlite, and nutrients
• Clean and sharp pruning shears, in case the roots of the plants are already growing through the bottom of the current pot
• A plastic cover to protect your surface and if you are a messy repotter
• Mosspole if your plant loves to climb
• Gloves (optional)
• A small spade (optional)

How should you repot your Monstera?

Prepare the new pot by adding an optional layer of leca at the bottom of the pot and top it off with a bit of soil.

Why Leca? If a pot doesn't have draining holes excess water can't escape. this creates a big risk of overwatering when the top layer of the soil might be dry, but the bottom of the pot is a swamp where the roots drown and rot very quickly.

Once the pot is prepared we are going to free the plant from its current pot. If the roots are growing through the bottom of the current pot, it’s best to already cut them.

Use clean and sharp pruning shears. Repotting is already very stressful for the plant and if you bruise the roots instead of cutting them, you are risking a bacterial infection.

Next step is to massage the pot thoroughly working your way all around the pot and from top to bottom. Give the plant a gentle pull to check whether the roots are already unstuck from the pot. If this is not the case, continue massaging the pot until the plant literally falls out when you hold it upside down.
 

Like we said, repotting is very stressful for the plant, so please resist the urge to untangle the roots, the risk of bruising them is too high and a bruise is where an infection might start. It’s ok to remove any excess soil on the outside of the roots, but don’t do anything apart from that.

Now we put the plant in the new pot to see if the height is correct, if the plant is still too deep in the pot, add some extra soil on the bottom. Once you have the correct height, place the plant and add soil all around the plant and once happy with the amoutn of soil gently push the soil around the plant.

The final step is to water the plant until the water comes out of the drainage holes. Wait until the soil has dried out before your next watering.
To be sure it’s time to water your plant, lift the pot to feel the difference in weight, If it does not feel significantly lighter, it means that at the bottom of the pot, there is still plenty of water. Read more about watering here

Repotting with a mosspole? Learn how to take you Monstera to new heigths!

Check out the Plantlovers YouTube channel for more step by step guides