Monstera is called an evergreen exotic plant. In natural conditions, it lives in South and Central America, in the humid territories of Brazil and Asia. This large flower from the Aroid family has large and curly stems, huge carved leaves can reach a size of up to 60 cm. In the wild, the plant is attached by roots to various supports and trees. At home, grown as a potted indoor flower and basically does not bloom. This article talks about how monstera reproduces, the advantages and disadvantages of a particular method, and why a plant can die at home.
Monstera: breeding at home
This flower has a huge number of useful properties:
- constantly emits oxygen in the daytime;
- maintains a humid climate in the house due to the evaporation of large sheets of liquid from the surface;
- reduces the harm of electromagnetic waves from household appliances;
Flower in nature
- absorbs chemicals from the air that are released from furniture (varnish, dyes);
- ionizes the air in the room;
- It has an excellent energy field that has a good effect on the human body: it calms, saves from indecision;
- It has a beneficial effect on the whole body: strengthens the immune system, increases brain activity.
Reproduction of monstera at home will be possible only when all the necessary instructions have been completed for this. To begin with, it is recommended to prepare the soil for the plant. At the bottom of the pot, it is necessary to put a layer of broken brick or shells and only after that pour a mixture of humus with peat, as well as a part of river sand of 4 cm.
Note! Cuttings can be planted immediately in the sand, but as soon as the first roots are formed they need to be transplanted into the soil. The air temperature for a favorable content of seedlings or crops should not be higher than 25 ° C.
Monstera is very fond of sunlight, because of this you need to carefully choose a place for its location. It should be very bright, but without direct sunlight. If the place is chosen incorrectly, the rooting process will be very slow.
How to effectively propagate a monstera at home? To do this, create high humidity, this will be the secret of success. Young seedlings need daily spraying with water at room temperature: in the early morning and after sunset. The right choice of fertilizing will also have a beneficial effect on the rooting of the plant at home.
How to propagate a monstera with cuttings
How to propagate a monstera flower by apical cuttings? The top of the ripened flower is cut off and placed in water so that the shoot starts to start roots. For this, only two healthy cuttings are enough. However, if the goal is the rapid appearance of the first swamp leaves, then you need to be patient when an even greater number of roots is formed.
Monster Roots
Propagation by stem cuttings
Another popular option for plant propagation is to use stem processes as a planting material. The stems need to be selected so that they have several large buds. This cropped part is applied to the soil with the kidney down. There is no need to fill it with soil from above.
An important rule for care will be only constant watering and spraying of the extreme layer of soil. To maintain a certain microclimate near the landing site, it is recommended to cover it with a protective film. This will allow the plant to quickly take root and take the first roots. We must not forget to ventilate from time to time by lifting the film. After the first roots grow, the stalk needs to be transplanted to a permanent habitat. The appearance of the first leaves will not make you wait long, they usually have the shape of a heart. Then they slowly turn into large leaves of a carved shape.
How to cut a monstera
There are several methods for breeding monstera.
Note! Cuttings are the most popular and easiest of them. Cuttings must be taken from the middle or upper part of the plant, but the shoot must have at least one bud.
Some rules for plant propagation:
- treat the soil with a medicine that stimulates the formation and growth of roots;
- place the appendages in an opaque dish with standing water for one third for three days;
- water should be at room temperature, you can add a little new;
- when two or three new roots appear, they can be safely planted in a pot.
Such a mixture of substrate is well suited for planting a plant (all components are taken in equal proportions):
- turf;
- peat;
- river sand;
- humus.
How to take a shoot from a monstera
To propagate the plant with your own hands, you can take any part of the flower:
- stem cuttings - a simple and practical method, very quickly bearing fruit;
- apical cuttings - a simple option, usually always leads to success;
- leaves - are not used so often, because they can not always take root;
- aerial roots - a rather heavy, but the most reliable and reliable method of reproduction;
- seeds are a long and difficult process. It is mainly used to breed new plant species.
Rooting in water
Important! The processes must be cut off carefully, in no case can you take and tear off leaves or tops, this applies to all species. When a shoot is taken, the instruments (scissors) must be disinfected, otherwise the risk of plant chlorosis is very high (the leaves turn yellow and soon fall off).
Propagation by aerial roots
Reproduction of a flower by shoots with aerial roots is implied. To tell you the truth, this method, performed independently, requires some effort. But compared with the methods described above, here we can say with one hundred percent guarantee that reproduction will be successful. To do this, you need to find the shoot with the largest air roots and create high humidity. To achieve this, you can cover the roots with moss, which must be watered or sprayed every day. So that the moss does not dry out, it is advisable to wrap it loosely to the trunk using a conventional film. This does not stop the roots from growing fast.
Simply put, you can independently propagate the plant by air roots, without cutting them. During cultivation, the shoot can even grow several leaves. When the roots become stronger, it is necessary to make a cut on the stem and remove the stalk, and then plant it in a permanent habitat.
Leaf propagation
The botanical foliage reproduction option is considered less practical and effective. It is mainly used when a leaf accidentally breaks. In this case, it is placed with a stalk in the water and awaiting the release of roots. In order for the leaf to take root in the ground and a full-fledged monstera grow out of it, it will be necessary to grow many roots. For rooting in water, it is advisable to choose a larger container.
Like other methods, petal reproduction has its drawbacks:
- roots grow slowly. To get a complete root system, you need to wait at least a month;
- the leaf may dry before the roots begin to appear.
Note! The roots of the flower do not tolerate sunlight, therefore the dishes should be opaque. After the roots grow, they are transplanted into the ground. Its composition is identical to that used in other breeding methods.
Are monstera seeds found
Reproduction of monstera with the help of seeds is a rather complicated and difficult method, it is mainly used by experienced botanists to breed new types of flower, so this option is not suitable for home use.
What do the seeds look like
How to root a monster
Another type of propagation is rooting in the soil. To understand how to root a monster in the soil, you need to follow step-by-step steps:
- First you need to prepare the composition of the soil, dilute the sand or peat substrate. Pour it into a container;
- suitable soil temperature in order for the shoot to take root, about 26 ° C and even higher. Humidity - increased;
- to make tropical conditions for monstera for easier growth, the pot needs to be covered with cling film;
- after about three weeks the shoot will start up the first roots, there will be a lot of them. The larger the root system of the flower, the better it will take root;
- transplant the shoot into a pot with soil.
Important! The disadvantage of this method of reproduction is that with the course of growth, the stem becomes stronger and grows, but not at the base. There it will look the same as when planting a plant. Therefore, a young monstera can easily break.
In this situation, there are two options for solving the problem. They can be used both separately and in combination:
- take initially thick processes;
- make a support for the plant.
Another method of rooting a branch in the soil is horizontal. It is necessary to cut off the stem process with at least three buds and put it on the ground. The composition should be light, for example, sphagnum and river sand. The branch does not need to be covered with soil, it is important that one kidney lies on the soil. Besides:
- need regular watering and spraying of the appendix;
- cover the container with a film;
- after the first root processes and petals are formed, the stalk is transplanted to a permanent place.
How to root a monster correctly
It often happens that after pinching an overgrown flower, apical cuttings remain, they are also called the tops. They can also be used for reproduction. For rooting, the tops are placed in a liquid or planted in a moisture-absorbing composition. The process of root formation in them usually takes about 3 weeks.
How to plant a monster
To do this, you need to take into account the age of a houseplant, a transplant is performed at different times, at a young, middle and mature age. In the first four years of life, the flower must be replanted every year in mid-spring, increasing the volume of the flower pot.
Transplant process
In the next four years, when the growth and development of the flower becomes more active, it will take two to four transplants annually. When the plant becomes mature and reaches a large size, transplantation can be omitted. Instead, it is advisable to replace the topsoil with a new mineral primer.
It must be remembered that this plant very often undergoes various diseases from a deficiency or, conversely, an excess of sunlight, as well as due to the small number of irrigation. Very often, the flower is attacked by a spider mite, you need to give the plant minerals and fertilizers in time to avoid this.
Note! If you follow all the rules for care, then the monstera can grow and develop up to 10 years.
There are many ways to propagate monstera, the easiest and most effective method of propagation is cuttings. But gardeners recommend avoiding seed propagation, since in most cases it is impossible to do it yourself at home. In order to accurately grow a monstera, you should resort to detailed advice from specialists. The growth and development of the flower will depend on the quality of care.
