Aiyla Heath
Monstera, a genus, produces a unique Swiss Cheese Plant (Monstera Adansonii), the tropical houseplant native to various regions of Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, South America, and Central America.
It is well-known for the leaves ornated with fenestration. (a process where healthy leaves start splitting into pieces and develop gigantic holes)
Holey leaves are the biggest reason for Monstera’s fame among Instagrammers and plant enthusiasts. In Adansonii, you find terrific heart-shaped holes occurring in the leaves.
Obliqua is the rarest yet most demanding plant of the genus monstera.
Monstera Adansonii [adan-so-knee-eye], also known as, Monstera Friedrichsthalii [Mon-STER-uh, Free-dreech-sta-lia-na] or Swiss Cheese Vine, is easy to take care of plant but only if you know the following essential tips:
Table of Contents
All About Monstera Adansonii, Friedrichsthalii, or Swiss Cheese Plant:
Remind yourself of Swiss Cheese shape and appearance? It is fatty and has holes all over, right? The same goes for Monstera Adnasonii leaves.
It is called the Swiss Cheese plant because once the leaves are mature, tiny holes start to pop on their surfaces out of nowhere, making a cheese-like shape.
Almost all plants give a very rare, unique, and enchanting fenestration of leaves, including the mini monstera.
Scientific Name: Monstera Adansonii
Genus: Monstera
Plant Type: Perennial
Blooming Season: Spring
Hardiness Zones: 10 to 11
Famous Names: Swiss Cheese Plant, Adanson’s monstera, five holes plant
Monstera Adansonii Care:
Monstera Adansonii is an effortless-to-care plant. It requires your least attention yet provides you with beautiful fenestration.
1. Light Requirement:
Before anything, you will have to figure out your plant’s placement, and while doing so, lighting condition is the first thing you should be conscious about.
Adansonii plants have migrated to cities from the deepest Central and South American jungles. They grow under the shade of large trees, which makes them habitually epiphytes, just like silver dollar maidenhair plant.
Therefore, when you search for a place to keep, find a window with indirect sunlight for proper Monstera Adansonii care. Don’t forget to rotate your plant regularly so that all parts can enjoy the sunny day.
Don’t have a window with indirect sunlight at home?
Don’t worry! Make some effort to limit sun exposure.
For this, you can keep your plant in direct sunlight for 2 3 hours and later dwell them anywhere in the home, receiving no sunlight.
A small effort can make a big difference!
For Seasonal Monstera Adansonii Care for light; get a little more conscious when winter approaches and move your plant to a brighter spot.
2. Temperature & Humidity:
Don’t ever amalgamate sunlight with temperature or humidity. These are two different things.
So, along with keeping an eye on the light related needs, you should also know how to maintain proper temperature and give your plant a-similar-to-its-native environment.
The plant loves humidity and thrives beautifully in steamy areas like kitchen shelves or bathroom windows.
Don’t worry about the temperature, as Monstera Adansonii needs 60 degrees Fahrenheit or above temperature to grow well, best during summers.
Worried about winters? Don’t! The plant goes into sleep when winter arrives so that that little cold spells won’t be a big issue.
Nevertheless, keep your plant from frosting cold, air conditions, and heating vents, etc., as they can threaten its health.
For humidity, along with keeping the plant in steamed bathrooms and kitchen shelves, you should never forget to mist your plant.
You can also use place a humidifier near them to create appropriate humidity levels.
3. Watering / Misting Monstera Adansonii:
Don’t follow all the guides you see or find online because everything varies based on your plant’s size, location, soil type, and overall environment of the surrounding.
It means, if someone is watering his plant once in two days, that doesn’t mean the same watering routine will suit your plant too.
As a novice plant keeper, it might be a little difficult for you to understand, but the more you will enter into the houseplants, the more it will become a piece of cake for you.
As a rule of thumb, here is what you should do while watering the Monstera Adansonii plant:
Do the knuckle test:
The knuckle test means you will penetrate your finger in the soil up to your knuckle. If you find it soggy, your plant is full and doesn’t need watering yet.
However, if the soil is only cool and isn’t damp, give your plant some gentle misting.
Never let the soil dry out completely, and do not overwater it!
You can use this method every time before watering the Adansonii plant, but once you become aware of the plant’s routine, forgoing it won’t be an issue.
4. Monstera Adansonii Soil Type:
Either you are planting it in a tiny pot for the first time or transferring it to another giant pot, getting a proper soil is mandatory.
Plants from the Monstera genus are epiphytes; they love moisture but hate drenched roots. So the soil you use should be mixed well with peat moss.
The best thing about peat is that it soaks water and lets the soil retain moisture for long, making the same environment for the Adansonii plant as it had in the Central and South American jungles.
Also, check for soil pH, which should be around 5.5 to 7.0.
5. Fertilization of Monstera Adansonii:
Fertilizing your plant is as necessary as watering because there are many nutrients that plants will require from time to time but cannot produce through photosynthesis.
Fertilizers will provide those nutrients to your plant. However, as all plants aren’t the same in nature and habitat, their nutrients vary as well.
As a novice plant haver, let us tell you, a plant needs fertilization, especially during the growing season. As Monstera Adansonii grows during springs, you will have to give them proper nutrient-enriched fertilizers in that season.
Use 16 x 16 x 16 formula for fertilization.
You know, overfeeding is as hazardous for plants as it is for animals and pets. It means you should never over-fertilize your plant. Also,
- Do not fertilize a bone dry or soaking wet plant as it can build salt in roots and cause root-burns.
- Do not fertilize during extreme cold and hot time as it can bring brown spots on your plant, a kind of disease.
6. Pruning Your Swiss Cheese Plant:
Pruning is an important task to do when it comes to Monstera Adansonii Care or any other plant’s care. It is just like grooming that you often do for your pets from time to time.
Monstera Adansonii is a climber plant, so you can design this decorative genus in any way. You can use the threading technique to accelerate the growth of your Adansonii plant in desirable directions.
Also, to keep it from going out of control, you will have to trim off its top grown leaves during growing seasons, such as spring to autumn.
However, beware of pruning your plant in the sleeping season, like in winters.
Is Monstera Adansonii Toxic?
Monstera is not directly toxic, but it has a wealthy amount of calcium oxalates. That is often insoluble and can cause swelling, vomiting, and burning in pets.
Therefore, it is better to keep it from pets and kids in hanging pots.
Before you end:
Why do people prefer Monstera Adansonii over Obliqua?
Well, Monstera Adansonii plants vine so beautifully around the pot and climb along trellises, making it purely ornamental purpose plant, just like obliquas.
The plant belongs to the same genus and has the same fenestrated leaves with holes, yet easily available for purchase and extremely feasible to take care of at home.
However, real Obliqua is a little hard to find. This is the reason more people love to have monstera Adansonii in homes.
Bottom Line:
This is all about Monstera Adansonii Care. Do you have any more queries or any suggestions? Let us know in the comments below.