Monstera Plant – Leaves Turning Yellow

Q: My monstera plant doesn’t look so hot. The leaves are light green and two of its five leaves have turned yellow at the end. 

A: Like most things in life, the answer is complicated. The most common problems for houseplants, not just monstera, follow. When I was in the Amazon jungle of Ecuador, I saw huge examples of houseplants that are sold in small pots here climbing tall trees there. The reason they were huge was they got the right amount of light. Therefore, the first thing to suspect is low light levels. Monstera is a tropical plant. It needs as much light as you can give it. Move yours to the sunniest window in the house, but pull it back so it doesn’t get cold.

Second is overwatering. Feel the soil with your finger every few days. If it feels dry, push your finger deeper. If it’s still dry, then it’s time to water. The whole root ball should be soaked. The best way to water it is to put the plant in a bucket and add enough water to cover the top of the pot. Let it sit for a few minutes, then let it drain in the sink. Your plant will get what it got when it grew in the tropics: a good soaking followed by a dry spell. If the soil seems hard and compacted, it might be better to start over and repot the monstera. That’s a conversation we can have later.