So you’ve got yourself a Monstera deliciosa and… it’s just sitting there. Not dying but also not thriving. Sort of existing in a botanical purgatory.
I can say with some confidence that a stagnant Monstera is usually screaming for help. But we are simply bad at hearing what it’s saying or noticing what’s wrong.
I had a friend whose two year old Monstera hadn’t grown a single new leaf in six months. She insisted she was doing everything right but the reality was she wasn’t.
But then neither was I when I first started looking after Monstera. And neither are most other people! Which is probably why you’re here reading this.
So I’m going to go through the real reasons your Monstera has gone on a growth strike and more importantly how to get it moving again.
Understanding Your Monstera’s Growth Patterns
For a pretty regular houseplant Monsteras are surprisingly dramatic. They grow in stop and start spurts and will pause for no apparent reason. On top of that their preferences growing are pretty picky.
In their native Central American rainforests they can grow up to 70 feet tall. Now yours won’t get that high, obviously, but understanding how they grow and the natural pattern to it might shed some light on why yours isn’t doing so.
During the growing season (which is spring through to early fall), a healthy Monstera should produce a new leaf every 4 to 6 weeks. In the winter it’s normal for that to slow down or stop entirely. But if it’s May and your plant hadn’t done anything since Christmas time then there’s something else going on.
The Growth Cycle Reality Check
Basically it’s good to get used to your Monstera doing what it wants whe it wants. One of mine put me through hell where I hovered over it like an anxious parent for 3 months. It did nothing for all that time and suddenly out of the blue three new leaves unfurled within the space of a couple of weeks.
The only upside to this is that if you give them the right conditions then stay will make up for lost time quickly.
Anyway, let’s get into the reasons yours might not be doing much.
1. Light Issues
Let’s start with the most common culprit. Your Monstera needs bright, indirect light. You can’t put it in a corner that gets very little in the way of light and it expect it to do well. Regardless of how good the location is and how great it looks there!
It’s a mistake I’ve seen loads. People put their Monstera in what they consider a “bright” spot but if you were to use a light meter it’s about a fifth of what it should be for a Monstera to grow well.
The Light Test
This is a quick and easy test you can do: stand or sit next to where your Monstera currently is and try to read a book. Can you so it without straining your eyes? Of not then the chances are your Monstera probably can’t photosynthesize properly either.
- East or west facing windows are ideal
- South facing windows work but you will need to use a sheer curtains
- North facing windows usually aren’t bright enough
- Grow lights can help if you don’t have a spot that gets enough natural light.
The Fix: Move your Monstera closer to a window, add a grow light if you need to, or just rotate it every week so all sides get the same amount of light. I use full spectrum LED grow lights during the winter and see big improvements in how much my Monsteras grow.
2. Root Bound Plants
This one can sneak up on you if your not paying attention. I had a Monstera that has been doing just fine until it suddenly stopped growing. I was watering it regularly and it had the perfect amount of light.
When I finally worked up the courage to check the roots what I found was a solid mass of them circling round the pot. When the roots have nowhere to go a Monstera will put all its energy into maintaining the foliage it had instead of growing anything new. It switches to a sort of survival mode.
Signs Your Monstera Needs a Bigger Pot
- Roots that are growing out of the drainage holes
- Water running straight through the pot
- Soil that dries out very quickly
- Growth that has stopped despite good conditions
- Plant looking too heavy for its pot
The Fix: Repot it into a container that is 2 to 3 inches larger than the current one. Use a potting mix that drains well and maybe mix in some orchid bark or perlite. Spring is the best time to repot but don’t pet that stop you if your plant is really root bound.
3. Watering Problems (Both Directions)
Finding the right balance for watering a Monstera is trickier than you would think. Too much water will lead to root rot and a lack of growth. Too little water stresses the plant and send it in into survival mode where it won’t waste energy on new leaves.
I used to kill plants with kindness. I would water them a very strict schedule even if that meant ignoring what the plant was telling or showing me it actually needed. What made me change was when I began to check the soil to see how moist it was rather than just assuming.
The Finger Test Method
Put your finger into the soil roughly 2 to 3 inches deep. If it’s dry then you can be confident it’s the right time to water. If it’s still moist then wait a few more days.
This simple method has saved far more plants than any moisture meter.
Overwatering signs:
- Yellowing leaves starting from the bottom
- A musty smell coming from soil
- Soft, black root tips
- A lack of growth even though it’s getting good light
Underwatering signs:
- Drooping leaves that perk up after watering
- Dry, crispy edges on the leaves
- Soil pulling away from the edges of the pot
- New growth that comes through smaller than usual
The Fix: Switch up your watering so you are doing it based on the actual soil moisture, not a set date on your calendar. And make sure that you have good drainage as well as thinking about the seasons. Monstera needs less water in the winter when it’s growth slows down.
4. Humidity Too Low
Monsteras evolved and grow in rainforests where the humidity levels are around 60 to 80%. Our homes, however, are about 30-40% humidity, especially during the winter when we’re heating them.
Low humidity itself won’t kill a Monstera but it affects them, and not in a good way. They will become h happy and switch to that survival mode again instead of growing.
Low humidity doesn’t kill Monsteras, but it definitely puts them in a funk where they prioritize survival over growth. When I paid more attention to the humidity levels in my home I saw the improvement in my Monstera.
Easy Humidity Solutions
- Group your plants together and they will raise the humidity around each other
- Use a humidifier near your group of plants
- Put pebble trays filled with water under pots
- Try misting them regularly
The Fix: Try to get close to 50 to 60% humidity around your Monstera. You can monitor the levels with a simple hygrometer. I run a small humidifier in my plant room throughout the winter months and it’s definitely made a difference.
5. Temperature Stress
Much like humidity Monsteras like a consistent temperature at around 65 to 85°F. What with being tropical they like it pretty warm. But if that temperature fluctuates it can stress the plant and they will begin to conserve energy instead of growing.
Common Temperature Problems
- Putting your Monstera near heating or cooling vents
- Drafty windows or doors
- Seasonal temperature drops below 60°F
- Hot summer spots of above 90°F
The Fix:
You want a spot for your Monstera that has consistent temperatures and isn’t near drafts and heat sources. You can also keep track of that spot with a min/max thermometer which will tell you the daily range of the temperature.
6. Nutrient Deficiency
This one can be tricky to spot because a deficiency in nutrients doesn’t always show obvious signs or symptoms straight away. Plants, and in this case Monstera, will just slow down their growth while keeping their current leaves.
And while Monsteras are quite big feeders, especially during the growing season, over fetilizing is an issue too. I always thought that more fertilizer meant faster growth. It doesn’t. It actually means burned roots and an unhappy plant.
Fertilizing Done Right
During growing season (spring through early fall) feed your Monstera every month with a liquid fetilizer (that you’ve diluted first). I use a balanced 20-20-20 fertilizer at quarter strength rather than full strength.
Signs of nutrient deficiency:
- Pale, yellowing older leaves
- Slow or stopped growth despite giving your Monstera everything it needs
- New leaves growing smaller than the previous ones
- General lackluster appearance
The Fix:
Feed regularly during the growing season but always dilute the fertilizer more than it suggest on the packaging. Feeding often but with a weaker dose is better than stronger but occasionally.
7. Lack of Support Structure
Your Monstera wants to climb! In nature it would have climbed up trees. When that’s taken away and they have nothing to climb they will often slow how much they’re growing.
My biggest Monstera didn’t really take off until I gave it a moss pole to climb. After a couple of months with the support it gave me three new leaves with massive splits and holes.
Support Options That Work
- Moss poles
- Bamboo stakes for younger plants
- Trellis for larger Monsteras
- Coconut coir poles
The Fix: When your Monstera gets to 2 to 3 feet give it a miss pole or other type of support. You can train it to climb by tying it to the pole gently.
8. Poor Soil Drainage
Standard potting soil is usually too dense for Monsteras. They like soil that drains well but keeps some of the moisture, which can be hard to get right. And one that regular potting soil usually fails at.
The Perfect Monstera Soil Mix
My recipe:
- 40% quality potting soil
- 30% orchid bark or chunky perlite
- 20% coconut coir or peat moss
- 10% worm castings or compost
The Fix: If your soil is staying soggy for days at a time once you’ve watered it then you will want to use a better mix. It’s got to have good drainage.
9. Seasonal Growth Patterns
Sometimes it’s nothing to do with you or your plant. It just following the natural rhythm of the seasons. They generally slow down or stop growing completely during the winter, even when indoors.
I remember being surprised by this with an early Monstera of mine. December came around and I was doing everything I could to figure out what was wrong because it wasn’t giving me any new growth. Then we got to spring and it came alive again, nothing to do with me.
Winter Care Adjustments
- Reduce how often you’re watering
- Stop fertilizing
- Increase the humidity to stop the dry indoor air
- Be patient – growth will resume in spring
The Fix: Don’t do anything. Just be patient and slightly adjust how you’re caring for your Monstera in the winter months. It’ll come good again.
10. Pest Problems
Pests can do enough stress and damage to stop growth. You don’t even nee to have a huge outbreak.
Spider mites, scale and mealybugs are common Monstera pests that are easy to miss until the plant is struggling.
I spent months trying to fix a Monstera that wasn’t growing. It wasn’t until I found tiny scale insects hiding under the leaves that I made any progress. Once they were dealt with growth started up again within a few weeks.
Common Monstera Pests
- Spider mites (fine webbing, stippled leaves)
- Scale insects (brown bumps on the stems and leaves)
- Mealybugs (white, looks like cotton)
- Thrips (silver streaks on leaves)
The Fix: Check your Monstera often, especially under leaves and at leaf joints. Act quickly if you find anything and use neem oil or insecticidal soap.
11. Maturity and Size Limits
Sometimes growth slows down because your Monstera reaches how big it can grow in its pot. Or that it’s reached a size where it naturally grows slower.
The larger and more mature Monstera is the slower it will grow than younger ones that are putting out juvenile leaves.
My oldest Monstera grows new leaves far less often than my younger ones. But each new leaf, because it’s mature, is full of holes and splits and looks great.
Managing Mature Plant Expectations
- Older plants grow more slowly but produce better leaves
- Focus on the quality of the leaves over quantity
- You could propagate your Monstera and create new, faster growing plants
- Keep caring for your plant so it has steady, if slower, growth
The Fix: Simply manage your expectations. The more mature the plant is the slower it will grow but you will get a more impressive plant and leaves.
12. Stress from Recent Changes
Monsteras hate change. It could be you’ve moved it, repotted it or simply rearranged some nearby furniture. Any of these and more can stress your plant enough to make it stop it’s growth while it adjust to whatever upset it.
Common Stressors
- Recent repotting or transplanting
- Change where it lives in your home
- New lighting
- Changes in routines within your house
- Introduction of new plants nearby
The Fix: Be patient once you’ve made any changes. Keep caring for it the same as you have and wait 4 to 6 weeks before you try anything new or different.
A Recovery Plan
Most of the time Monsteras not growing comes down to multiple things rather than one single issue. Look at the basics first like light, water and the soil. Once those are fine you can move on to something more specific.
My approach:
- Improve lighting
- Check if it’s root bound
- Change your watering schedule based on how moist the soil is
- Increase humidity around the plant
- Make sure it has a stable temperature
- Start a fertilizing routine that your Monstera will like
- Add some support if it needs it
- Be patient and consistent
Monsteras are generally forgiving. When they stop growing they’re usually trying to tell you something that they need. You have to learn to listen and see what your plant is trying to tell you.
The Patience Factor
Here’s my final piece of advice: patience is going to be the most important thing you can have.
I’ve seen Monsteras go months without new growth and then suddenly produce multiple leaves fast once they’re happy again.
The friend I mentioned at the beginning of this article? Six months after going through a lot of what I’ve covered here her Monstera produced eight new leaves. And one of those had its first natural fenestrations. So the wait was worth it in her case.
Monsteras want to grow. They sometimes just need the a little time and the right conditions before it can happen.