Fertilizer is not always a topic that’s covered thoroughly, but it is an integral part of houseplant care.
It can be tricky to know when you should feed your plants, and when you should put down the fertilizer, but this is half of the secret of houseplant care.
Monstera deliciosa is a beautiful plant that is used to plenty of nutrients in its native conditions, so it’s important to get it right.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Why You Need To Fertilize Your Monstera Deliciosa
It’s important to feed any of your plants, particularly your Monstera deliciosa. As houseplants, they don’t have access to pretty much endless soil with boatloads of nutrients and lots of microorganisms and good bacteria to keep them healthy.
This is especially important when you consider that houseplant soil will only be full of nutrients for so long, and when the plant has used up all the goodness in the soil, it does not get replaced.
Adding fertilizer to your plant care routine helps with this. It keeps your plant healthy with the nutrients it needs, stopping any stunted growth, yellowing leaves, or drooping growth caused by nutrient deficiencies.
Here are five tips to help you get the best out of fertilizer, making your Monstera the healthiest it can be.
Everything To Know About Monstera Deliciosa Fertilizer
1. What Kind Of Fertilizer Should You Use For Monsteras?
Monstera plants can suffer from deficiencies much more often than other house plant species, so it’s important to keep them ‘fed’.
For Monsteras and other foliage plants, use a balanced houseplant fertilizer. This means that the ratio of numbers on the packaging should be the same.
You may notice that other types of fertilizer will have different levels of each component included, and this is because different types of plants need different amounts of fertilizer.
While it’s a good idea to use organic fertilizer where possible, as this helps stop root burn when the salts from the fertilizer build up in the soil, you can’t always get the right balance as they are formulated differently with different levels of each ingredient.
That’s not to say that you can’t use them, and organic fertilizers do tend to be better for many reasons, but it is something to keep in mind.
2. When Should You Feed A Monstera?
While some people would recommend feeding with every watering, this can be a bad idea. If you get the dosage wrong (or forget you already have feed in the water), you could end up burning the roots of the plant, causing irreparable damage!
As a general rule, feed your foliage houseplants, including Monsteras, every fourth water or so.
It’s a good idea to have separate spray bottles or watering cans for fertilizer and plain water, so they never get mixed up.
3. Can You Fertilize Monstera Deliciosa All Year Round?
While you could, it’s not a good idea. The growth of most houseplants slows down in fall and stops completely in winter, so it’s worth keeping the fertilizer for the growing season instead.
There is an argument that if you keep your plants under grow lights, and they don’t experience any drop in temperature or humidity during the winter, you can keep feeding them.
While this is probably true to an extent, it’s always best to mimic the natural cycles of a plant, especially one that goes into near or total dormancy, otherwise, you could exhaust its resources and kill it.
4. How To Feed Your Monstera Deliciosa
It’s always a good idea to look at the manufacturer’s recommendations when you’re wondering how much fertilizer you should be giving your plants.
This is because every fertilizer is designed differently, with different ratios of ingredients, designed to be given at X amount of time.
It’s a good idea to grab some measuring spoons and measuring jugs, as well as a gallon bottle.
Make sure you only use these for your plants, and not for your kitchen. Have a dedicated set for each, and don’t mix them up. It could be dangerous!
Follow the directions for the amount of fertilizer suggested, and make sure you fertilize your Monstera (and any other plant) when the soil is still partially damp.
Add the fertilizer to the bottle before you add the water, and do not spray fertilizer that’s supposed to be taken up through the soil. Only water it into the soil.
Do not be tempted to give more fertilizer than the amount recommended on the label, as this can cause more harm than good.
Yeah, your plant will look great for a little while, but then it will start to look terrible as the roots burn, and the foliage dies back, as there will be too much fertilizer in the soil, causing root damage.
Always use room temperature water (just as you would water your plants) so that you don’t cause leafy tropical plants like Monsteras any shock.
5. Don’t Treat Fertilizer As A Cure-All For Problems In The Growing Conditions
fertilizer is only designed to help support your plants by giving them the nutrients they need. If there is any other problem your plant is suffering from, you need to treat this first and allow your plant to recover before you feed the plant again.
Final Thoughts
Always use a balanced houseplant feed for tropical leaf plants such as Monstera deliciosa, and only use it when the plant is healthy and partially damp to avoid shock or root burn.
