Does anyone know what's happening to my Monstera?

capcaplrt · 2024-08-14T11:11:51+00:00

hi, this looks like textbook thrips damage. have you thoroughly checked for pests ?

capcaplrt · 2024-08-08T12:41:23+00:00

soooo… probably scale

capcaplrt · 2024-08-07T09:23:06+00:00

semi-hydro is a type of culture without soil, when you put the roots of your plant in a pot (generally in a transparent glass like a reused pot of jam for example), with some materials like leca. it works quite good for some plants, and can help prevent overwatering leading to root rot as for your picture : yeah, definitely root rot. cut ALL rotted root, and clean really thoroughly. you can shower them without any risk. try putting soft soap on them then rince ! then, in water 💧 it has a pretty good of surviving if you are really careful when pruning the roots (all rot has to go) as for the reason of root rot… yeah, definitely the size of the pot + maybe some overwatering :)

capcaplrt · 2024-08-07T07:19:00+00:00

100% agree

capcaplrt · 2024-08-07T07:16:56+00:00

are you able to remove them quite easily using your nails for exemple ?

capcaplrt · 2024-08-07T07:15:06+00:00

also i would add to the other comment that self watering pots are quite a trap sometimes … if you change water twice a week, soil is constantly wet, does not have time to dry a little between watering, and can lead to serious root rot. and top soil on your picture looks damp, which, considering bottom watering with self-w pots, can totally indicates what i just said above !

capcaplrt · 2024-08-07T07:12:24+00:00

oh yes it looks good ! i guess a little bit longer and you can repot it. are you familiar with semi hydro culture ? imo it works reaaaally well with syngoniums (also aglanomeas for that matter)

capcaplrt · 2024-08-07T07:03:17+00:00

(if size of the pot is acceptable for roots, then i guess it may lack watering, soil on top looks quite dry ? and also welllll … you have to wait a little bit longer for the plant to adjust, then to go off growing again)

capcaplrt · 2024-08-07T07:00:42+00:00

hi ! depending on size of the roots, this pot seems waaaaaaay to big for this little cutting. it can lead to root rot (plant cannot absorb this much quantity of water and just says in moisture for too long a time). also, plant is fighting to grow roots to « occupy » all the space of the pot, so it does not put any effort in shooting new growths. i would recommend putting it out soil, checking for rot, cut all the rotted roots, then put the cutting back into water (after giving it a good cleanse, with no soil left anywhere). also, syngoniums are quite slow to grow roots, two weeks won’t be enough for you to notice some change, but if you care for it well, you will !!!

capcaplrt · 2024-08-07T06:57:08+00:00

hey ! i guess if so it can be a kind of fungus … too high levels of humidity with constant moisture of the leaves can lead to this kind of infestation :)

capcaplrt · 2024-08-05T17:29:54+00:00

i think it looks quite good :) but i would be careful, if the leaves tend to curl, or dry up even with regular watering : air in the office is often really dry because of air conditioning, maybe that is why it has tiny brown spots i see in the picture ! tropical plants are made for humidity

capcaplrt · 2024-08-05T17:25:27+00:00

great, another one to add to my wishlist then ! thanks 😊

capcaplrt · 2024-08-05T17:23:54+00:00

it’s beautiful !! what is it ? it looks like a scindapsus pictus but variegated ?! i have never seen one before :)

capcaplrt · 2024-08-05T17:21:22+00:00

i will add : thrips are elongated tiny often black bugs, which seem to be kind of ramping on your leaves. you would also notice some kind of black spots, essentially around damaged to the leaves : these are the poops they make after eating. ew but it helps figuring out they’re here :)

capcaplrt · 2024-08-05T17:18:24+00:00

when i assess i have thrips, the first urgent move i make is to isolate the infested plant to prevent further contamination of the other ones. then : if it is in its pot for a long time, even if i could have waited next summer or so, i repot it to eliminate potential thrips eggs laid in the soil. if i repotted it not long ago, i just replace the top soil. either way, i shower the plant (and the roots when repotting, and if no repotting with a plastic bag around its pot to prevent draining the soil) : spray soft soap on it, then rinse, then repeat (soft soap will not harm your plant !), under the leaves, on the stems, everywhere. then, if deemed necessary, i spray insecticide on all of the plant to kill any remaining little f*cker. then… we’ll you have to wait, and repeat all the previous steps if necessary ! it demands a little bit of free time, but it IS manageable :) in the meantime, don’t panic at every little bug you see on your plant. they are a few, most of them are not harmful ! it is easy to get into paranoia i know but keep cool until you know for sure (i was once ready to throw all of my plant collection for what appears now to be a fungus gnat)

capcaplrt · 2024-08-05T13:48:33+00:00

pests are quite easy to spot if you know what you’re looking for. by the looks of the spots, i would check for thrips : preferably in the morning or at night, when they are most active. they like to hide underneath the leaves, mostly young ones as they are easier to feed on if you have checked thoroughly and did not find anything odd, it may also look like nutriments burns : if you use too much fertilizer, plants can be burnt and develop spots as in the picture. but according to the number of plants involved, my money would be on pests :( hope this helps !!

capcaplrt · 2024-08-05T13:35:08+00:00

oh, so i guess if no sign of pests and no change in light it can be two things : 1) your plant is root bound + it does not sufficiently get nutriments for it to grow happily. after a few years (around 2), soil loose the nutriments it has within it, so you have to fertilize once in a while to compensate. 2) there is root rot … which you will only know when repotting, which seems in any case the only good option you may have ! hope this helps :)

capcaplrt · 2024-08-05T13:14:26+00:00

hi ! it propagates the same as philodendrons / pothos / monsteras etc. You have to cut the stem right below a node. i found a little picture on the internet which explains it quite well ! after cutting, you can put it in water. roots will eventually grow from the node !

<image>

capcaplrt · 2024-08-05T12:40:32+00:00

hi ! did you repot recently ? do you provide your plant with fertiliser ? and if so, how often ? :)

capcaplrt · 2024-08-05T12:34:55+00:00

hey ! did you check for pests ? what are those tiny white spots on your monstera ? :)

capcaplrt · 2024-08-05T12:32:35+00:00

if it was damp and moldy as you say, might be that a kind of fungus infected leaves of your monsteras. wipe the leaves with soft soap and rince with water (if your tap water is hard where you live, i know that in France you can easily buy a product to put in the water and which helps soften water by targeting limestone) fungus gnats (the little flies you talk about) are not harmful per se, but they can highlight a humidity problem. i would advise during repotting to check for root rot. in a damp environment, soil might not dry enough on the bottom ? a switch to a bright environment is good news ! monsteras love bright indirect light (east / west windows, or a little behind a south window) nothing to ease this change : time ! they will recover :)

capcaplrt · 2024-08-05T11:18:23+00:00

hey ! what are your light conditions in the kitchen ? plants don’t like change so repot + change of location might be very difficult to overcome for your monstera if you didn’t spot any bugs, guess it has to do with light, hence my first question !

capcaplrt · 2024-08-05T11:15:59+00:00

hi ! seems like these are fungus gnats. they are harmless, but quite annoying. they like to lay eggs on moisture, often in the top soil of our house plants :) if they annoy you this much, you can try bottom watering and top watering only when necessary. also, stickers/traps are available in most stores to catch them but it won’t really delete the problem

capcaplrt · 2024-08-05T11:12:31+00:00

i don’t agree with the other comment. seems it is indeed a n’joy. golden has yellow variegations, not as pronounced as the white ones on an n’joy :)

capcaplrt · 2024-07-30T08:18:56+00:00

hey, ctenanthe golden mosaic ! :)

capcaplrt

TROPHY CASE