Monstera is a spectacular exotic plant that is often grown in an apartment or office. The culture is valued for its unpretentious nature, rapid growth and beautiful carved leaves. In the natural environment, it blooms annually, and after large buds even edible fruits are formed on it. But in an apartment or office it is not so easy to achieve a similar one from a plant. About whether the monstera blooms at home and what needs to be done for this will be described below.
A bit of history
Monstera is a member of the Aroid family. In the natural environment, culture can be found in the tropical forests of Central and South America. Here the plant reaches 40-50 meters in length. But at home, its size is much more modest.
The flower got its name for its huge size and bizarre shape (from monstrum - "monster", "monster", monstrous - "amazing"). A few centuries ago, it was believed that this plant is dangerous and can strangle other trees, even animals and people, with shoots. And its aerial roots, the discoverers mistook predatory tentacles. In addition, the processes often sprouted through the skeletons of those who died in the jungle. And the helpful imagination of travelers painted gloomy pictures. Therefore, the title of “killer” was assigned to the plant, many were afraid to grow it at home.
But even now, the monster is distinguished from others and attributed to it magical properties. For example, it was from the creeper bud that Amanita Knightsheid appeared in the popular animated series Monster High: Blossoming Dusk.
Botanical Description
The evergreen creeper has a thick stem and many aerial roots with which it clings to supports and trees. In addition, some appendages are immersed in the soil and receive additional nutrition from it. The main feature of the flower is large carved leaves, reaching up to 50 cm in diameter. Moreover, the young plates are whole, but as they grow, fancy slots appear on them. And the larger the leaves, the more holes on them.
Monstera is a flowering plant. In the natural environment, buds resembling a corncob wrapped in a veil annually appear on it. Photo blooming monstera given in the material. After the buds, a fruit is formed - a berry up to 20 cm long. It is edible and resembles in taste something between a banana and a pineapple.
In some countries, the culture is bred precisely because of the sweet fruit. But getting a crop at home is not easy. Only experienced flower growers will be able to see how the monstera blooms, to receive its fruits, which will create optimal conditions for the tropical beauty.
Crop Care Rules
Monstera is an unpretentious plant, it is not difficult to take care of it. It is enough to provide the culture with regular watering, top dressing and spraying, so that it takes root and goes into rapid growth.
But if you want to see the buds of a plant, you will have to make a lot of effort. After all, Monstera blooms at home, only if she creates a comfortable living environment, close to natural. And for this you will need to plant the plant in a suitable soil and pot, put the culture in a place with certain lighting and do not forget about regular feeding and watering. It is also important to provide the flower with maximum free space. Therefore, it should be placed in really spacious rooms. Then the exotic guest will appreciate the large buds and edible fruits. But keep in mind that they will have to wait 7-8 years. A photo of how a monstera blooms at home is shown below.
Temperature
In order for the monstera to bloom, maintain the indoor temperature from spring to autumn within + 22 ... + 25 ° C. In winter, the plant tolerates a decrease to +16 ° C, but it is not worth bringing to this mark. In cooler conditions, the growth and development of the flower slows down, the buds do not appear on it.
To make the monstera feel comfortable, protect it from drafts, cold air coming from the air conditioner. In addition, it is undesirable to install a pot with a plant near batteries and radiators.
Lighting
Want to see a blooming monster at home? Then provide the exotic beauty with optimal lighting. The plant prefers bright but diffused light, without direct sunlight. The east or west side of the room will do. If you grow a monstera near the south window, then hang a tulle or gauze over the flower in the afternoon.
But in the north, a tropical guest will suffer from a lack of light. She, of course, will not perish, but here the culture will stop developing and will never bloom. Moreover, carved holes are unlikely to appear on its leaves.
Watering and humidity
Monstera is a tropical and hygrophilous plant. And in the summer, she needs abundant and regular watering. It is advisable to maintain the soil in a wet, but not wet state, because the roots stagnate due to stagnation of water, and unappealing spots appear on the leaves. In winter, if you keep the flower in a cool room, water the soil sparingly.
You can understand that you overdo it with irrigation by the droplets of liquid that form at the edges of the plates. If you notice this phenomenon, then reduce soil moisture to avoid root rot.
For irrigation use only well-maintained, soft water at room temperature. And it is also important to filter the liquid so that it does not contain lime impurities. Water the flower in the morning or evening. When irrigated at noon or at night, the leaves of the flower will begin to dry out.
The monstera flower blooms if additional leaves are sprayed. It is especially important to conduct this event in the heat when large leaves of the culture actively evaporate moisture. In winter, in cool conditions, it is enough to limit ourselves to hygienic cleaning of leaves from dust.
Top dressing
You can watch the monstera bloom if you regularly fertilize the soil. During the period of active growth, from April to September, feed the culture once every two weeks. Use mineral complexes suitable for decorative foliage or variegated plants. In winter, when the flower begins a dormant period, cancel feeding.
Fertilize after watering, otherwise the roots will get burned. For the same reason, do not exceed the dosage of drugs.
Transfer
Young plants replant every spring. When the flower reaches 4 years of age, hold such an event every 3-4 years. And adult specimens transplant no more than once every five years, but annually change the topsoil (2.5 cm). Perform the procedure by transshipment:
- 3-4 hours before transplanting, water the soil. Then the plant is easier to get out of the pot.
- At the bottom of the tank lay a layer of drainage from broken brick, expanded clay or pebbles. Cover it with a small layer of earth.
- Carefully remove the flower from the pot, being careful not to damage the normal and airy roots.
- Transplant the culture into a new container with an earthen lump.
- Fill the voids with soil, lightly tap the walls of the pot to seal the substrate.
- Water the soil and put the flower in the usual place.
You will learn about which monster needs a pot and substrate in the following chapters.
Priming
To see how the monstera blooms, it is important to plant a tropical beauty in suitable soil. Culture prefers loose, fertile and light soil. Suitable purchased mixture intended for palm trees or violets. To create a substrate yourself, mix components such as:
- two parts of turf land;
- one part of peat;
- part of perlite or coarse sand;
- one part of leafy soil or humus.
Add some charcoal, sphagnum and bark to this mixture. Before planting a flower, it is necessary to disinfect the soil. To do this, pour the substrate into the basin and pour boiling water, mix the mixture thoroughly. When the soil has cooled, pour it on a baking sheet with a 5 cm layer and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 70–90 ° C.
Pot
Acquiring an exotic beauty and wanting to see how monstera blooms, you must remember that this culture reaches impressive size in a short time. Therefore, she needs a lot of free space and a large pot. It is advisable to choose clay containers with a glazed surface inside and out. Powerful monstera roots destroy plastic pots.
Grow young specimens in an ordinary bucket. But adult monsters will need spacious tubs. Note that in tight pots the plant lacks nutrients. And from this, his growth slows down, and decorative qualities deteriorate. And even regular feeding will not fix the situation. Therefore, for a flower, choose volumetric tubs and pots.
Support
Do not forget that the plant is a vine, so it is important to build a support. For adults, it is better to install hollow tubes with holes near the containers. It is desirable to wrap their outer surface with coconut fiber, and fill the inner surface with moss, which must be kept moist. Then the plant will receive additional moisture. Direct the airy roots of the flower into the holes of the tube to improve crop stability.
Pruning
Hold this event only for old specimens that have slowed down growth and development. During pruning, remove the top of the creeper to activate lateral shoot growth. Perform the procedure with a sharp and disinfected knife. Sprinkle the place of cut with charcoal.
The trimmed top, on which there is a leaf and root, transplant into a new container. So you get another copy of the tropical beauty.
Aerial roots
From each leaf monstera go aerial roots. These appendages cannot be trimmed. Instead, direct them into the soil. It is advisable to install additional pots with a nutrient substrate and root the air processes in them. So the culture will receive more nutrients and release buds.
Possible problems
Problems with the monster arise only with improper care:
- In winter, the leaves of a tropical beauty massively turn yellow? So, you greatly moisturize the soil. Reduce watering, the plant will recover.
- If the leaves of the exotic liana turn yellow and brown spots appear on them, then the plant suffers from a lack of moisture.
- Do monstera yellow and fall leaves? This means that the flower suffers from insufficient air humidity. Spray foliage more often and place a container filled with water near the pot.
- If the leaves are pale, then the plant suffers from sunlight. Move the culture to a shaded place.
- The tips of the creeper dry out if cold air from the air conditioner or drafts gets on it. Stagnation of moisture in the roots also leads to this phenomenon.
Now you know if the monstera blooms in the house and what the plant needs for this. Follow the rules of care and create an exotic beauty comfortable conditions. She will thank with attractive buds.