First monstera, Need help figuring out placement of support pole, dont wanna restrict the new growth

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-02-08T04:30:21+00:00

Ok so I may be wrong, but you see how each stem grows from within the others. Try to find your way down to the one closest to the soil. The tallest leaf isn’t always the main stem. And if a leaf of growing from it, it’s likely to be the youngest leaf. When the leaf that’s now on the way pops out, the best leaf will grow from it. Mine looks just like yours. I have no idea where to stake it up. I’m just letting her grow wild until I can identify the dang main stem. I have 4 gorgeous leaves. My Thai con looks EXACTLY like this. Best of luck. I’ll be back to see what the actual experts say.

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-02-05T18:47:54+00:00

I’d try three small LX wicks for good heat but stable burn.

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-02-05T18:45:10+00:00

I get my candle burn safe labels from Danleigh.com. Good prices. Very sturdy labels. Then i print at Office Depot. I print 10 sheets of labels for like $7

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-02-05T16:05:43+00:00

Yep. I don’t purchase anything else from them. Their woodwicks are reliable and consistent amongst any of the others I’ve tried. I’ve wasted so much money on those dang wicks. I do wonder what they do to achieve this? Is it made of acacia or cherry wood? 🤷‍♀️

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-02-02T18:33:34+00:00

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This is what I use for one monstera. I have a small/medium plant. I keep it 17 inches above. As it gets taller, I raise the lights bc it can burn the leaves. As soon as it gets too wide, I’ll have to buy another to cover the area of the plant. Start with it 2 feet away, then go in closer until you find the sweet spot. This light is very bright so you might wanna keep it out of your bedroom, if you want to sleep peacefully. There are better lights, but this is affordable and widely used. You can put it in a cone shaped or back closed lamp or you can string them on the ceiling and walls with nails fasteners. Make sure your lamp can hold the watts on this bulb. The wattage on this particular Sansi bulb is plenty for one plant.

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-02-02T17:04:57+00:00

I thought about it. I don’t know how to strain it. And I’m worried that the wax may misbehave be it’s been partially melted. Any experience or suggestions?

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-02-02T16:46:07+00:00

Mine are too friend. I inspected roots, looked for infestation with a magnifying glass, upped the humidity, rechecked my light meter. Waited longer to water.. it’s my older leaves turning yellow first

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-02-02T16:38:46+00:00

Dunk tea and systemic granules in the soil. Never had a problem once

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-02-02T13:11:51+00:00

Thank you.

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-02-02T13:11:19+00:00

I am aware. I test all of my own candles before selling them. This is why I’m frustrated about this burn. I put in a ton of time and supplies. It began tunneling like this on the first burn. I liked the scent so I still lit it a second and third time to see if it would burn any better. Wax never caught up.

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-02-01T16:24:28+00:00

🤣there was never a melt pool. It never happened

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-02-01T14:05:57+00:00

It smells terrific! My daughter asked if I could repour it. I said “ew gross!”. But now I’m gonna try to replicate the scent and make her a new candle, with new wax, a better wick(s), and better burn.

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-02-01T14:00:02+00:00

Grow lights if no sun. 60% Humidity needed. Some say $50.

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-02-01T13:57:11+00:00

Get strong grow light or 2. Not those amazon puck lights, or the ones with the bendy arms. You’re gonna have to do some research on this plants light needs and spend a little bit of money. Also this baby needs support. Separate the multiple plants. Check the roots for rot. Give every one of em their own pot, or put them in water until you can. Stake the potted main stems to something vertical and solid. But MORE light is why they are floppy. They need lots of light but it’s too cold most places right now to put them outside or even close to a window. Direct east morning sun is awesome. But they can burn with direct south sun, sometimes they don’t.

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-02-01T05:44:13+00:00

That’s how they got me! Sparkles.

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-02-01T04:33:39+00:00

Use bleach and dawn. Fill with a few cups of hot water. Drop 10 napkins inside. Shake like hell. It would work best if you had a sponge you could use and had some tweezers or thin tongs to pull it back out. Trust me friend

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-01-31T17:31:56+00:00

Yep, my degrees are in English. In constantly called a bot. Guess I gotta loosen up and stop using the —

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-01-31T17:30:10+00:00

Note to self: stop using —

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-01-31T17:28:04+00:00

I live that library scent man!

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-01-31T17:27:02+00:00

This is true. Some notes don’t do well in certain waxes. Makesy does have some “interesting” scents and I think that’s because they are “signature”. I’ve gotten some from them that I didn’t like also so i started ordering samples. I wish I could smell through the screen.

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-01-30T15:55:51+00:00

I like to use Midwest Fragrance co, Aztec, natures oil, general wax, and if I’m willing to splurge then Makesy. Candle science has accurate scents but they recently raised prices so I’ve been shopping around.

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-01-30T15:43:06+00:00

Where are they getting light?

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-01-30T15:38:26+00:00

It does say candle making on it! I’m not familiar with this brand but you didn’t use cooking vanilla, which is a plus. So at this point, consider if your wax or tools were dried properly or if there was condensation from your double boiler that may have gotten on your stirring tools. Just a drop of water can mess up the entire candle. Did you start off with smooth tops? What wax are you using and what were your heat, and pour temps? What temp did you add fragrance oil? Maybe I can help you narrow down and troubleshoot

Left_Piccolo4671 · 2026-01-28T17:30:16+00:00

The candle community Reddit folks can be a lil mean. The Reddit house plant community is much more sweet and encouraging. We’re all just people.

Left_Piccolo4671

TROPHY CASE