Monsteras are great plants to grow indoors and outdoors. They are easy to grow, pretty, and, most importantly, easy to maintain. However, some conditions may lead to the Monstera becoming prone to falling over.
Monstera plants may fall over because of their size. They usually grow to around 10 feet in height. If this plant is large enough, it may not be able to support itself independently. Also, Monstera may fall over when it is not watered correctly or exposed to inadequate light.
This article will go through the most common factors that cause your Monstera to fall over and give you some solutions you can follow in each situation. Additionally, we will show you how to prevent this plant from falling over again.
Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
What Causes Monstera Leaves to Fall over?
Monstera leaves fall over when they grow taller without support. This plant is a heavy grower. And when it grows taller, the stems cannot support the leaves’ weight. As a result, the plant starts to fall over if you don’t give it support in the form of a stake or a trellis.
Other factors may indirectly cause monstera leaves to fall over. Let’s go over every one of them individually:
1. Lack of Support
When monstera becomes too tall, it’s challenging to maintain its balance which causes it to fall over. Generally, plants taller than five feet often need their bases supported to remain upright.
The height of the monstera will rarely go below 8 feet. Therefore, supporting this plant is mandatory if you want it to grow upright.
Solution:
If your monstera needs support, you can use a stake, trellis, garden arbor, or post to keep the plant growing in the right direction.
If you add a stake to help keep your plant growing straight, make sure you use a sturdy one that is the correct height for your plant. If the stakes you use are too short or weak, they may not provide the support needed.
Trellises and arbors can also provide structure for your plant to grow against and are ideal if you are working on a patio or deck.
Posts are a great option if you are working with a garden bed that is already prepared and don’t have the space or time to set up a trellis or arbor. They offer support but also allow you to put a bench, planter, or other accessories along the side of your plant.
For more insights on how to stake your monstera, watch the following video:
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2. Underwatering
Monstera plants are sensitive to underwatering because they have a very thick and short root system, making them susceptible to underwatering. If you don’t provide this plant with enough water, it will grow slowly, and the leaves will curl downwards, which causes them to fall over and the plant to appear droopy.
Solution:
If your monstera is falling over because of underwatering, you can correct this issue by watering the plant thoroughly and letting it sit in a sunny spot.
But, you should also consider that the plant may stay underwatered even if you give it water. This usually happens when the oil or the pot is not appropriate.
Generally, monstera needs moderate drainage that can make the soil feel moist but not soggy. When the soil drains heavily, or the pot has a lot of drainage holes, this plant will usually suffer from underwatering.
As a result, ensure your soil and pot are adequate with monstera needs before thinking about underwatering or overwatering.
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3. Inappropriate Light
Monstera grows straight in its native habitat when it receives bright indirect light. When this plant grows in poor lighting conditions or receives intense direct sunlight, it will start to fall over.
Exposing your monstera to direct sunlight can also damage their leaves. They will start to turn brown or yellow before falling off. In extreme cases, exposure to intense direct light will burn monstera leaves.
When monstera grows in low light, it may grow smaller leaves and be stunted. Also, low-light conditions are commonly associated with algae growth on the leaves.
Solution:
If your monstera is falling over because of low or intense light, move it to a spot that receives bright indirect sunlight and let it sit there. Also, try to remove any burned or dead leaves from the plant because they may carry pests and diseases.
If you grow this plant outdoors, it’s best to bring it back indoors when the weather begins to warm up again.
Additionally, do not hesitate to use grow lights for your monstera when indirect sunlight is unavailable.
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4. Temperature Stress
Monstera is a tropical plant, which makes it sensitive to cold temperatures. If you live somewhere where cold drafts are frequent during winter, then this plant will not be able to grow straight and healthy.
The consequences of cold drafts can go beyond causing your monstera to fall over. Sometimes, a cold draft can cause this plant to turn yellow and wilt.
Solution:
If your monstera has been falling over because of cold drafts, start by checking its health and environmental conditions. If your plant is still alive and healthy, you can begin to remedy the situation.
If your plant is outdoors, it will need to be moved to a sheltered location where it won’t be exposed to extreme temperatures or drafts.
If your plant is indoors, you should check to see if it has any windows that let cold air in. Try to close any doors or windows or move the plant to a location that does not have drafts or extreme temperatures.
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5. Inadequate Fertilizing
When monstera is fertilized heavily, it will produce more foliage. This can lead to increased weight, which makes the plant unstable and cause it to fall over.
Additionally, when monstera grows quickly without any support, the stems will not take their time to adapt and support the heavy leaves. As a result, the plant will start falling over.
Solution:
If your monstera is falling over because of an over-fertilization, then the only choice you have is to change the potting mix. Start by taking your monstera out of the pot, then empty the pot from the potting soil.
After that, you will need to sterilize the pot and put a fresh potting mix into it.
Finally, plant your monstera in the new potting soil and water it thoroughly, then put it in a location that receives bright indirect light.
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6. Bugs: Mealy Bugs and Red Spider Mites
Bugs such as scale insects, spider mites, mealybugs, and whitefly can also cause monstera to fall off. In fact, these bugs are known to feed on monstera tissues, leaving an unsightly “drip line” along the leaf veins and causing the leaf to wither and fall over.
Solution:
If your monstera has been falling over because of bugs, you should remove them using your hands if they are visible. Otherwise, it would help if you tried spraying the plant with an organic spray, like a mixture of water and white vinegar or even a solution of baking soda and water. This will help to eliminate the bugs.
Be sure to apply the solution directly to the leaves and on the undersides. Don’t use any other detergents, such as hand soap or fabric softener, because these chemicals can harm your houseplants.
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7. Transplant Shock
Transplant shock is a common problem that often occurs when you move a monstera from one environment to another. It is caused by light conditions, water supply, and/or soil composition changes.
Transplant shock is more frequent among young monsteras after re-poting. If the plant is still developing and doesn’t have a mature root system, it will easily stress out after tiny environmental changes. This may make the plant fall over because the roots and stems become weak and can no longer hold the plant’s weight.
Solution:
If you decide to move your monstera to a different location, give it a good week or two to get acclimated to its new surroundings.
You can do this by gradually adjusting the new environment’s light, temperature, and humidity until you reach the optimum level. For example, if you transfer your plant from outdoor to indoor, you can use grow lights to adjust light, a humidifier to monitor humidity, and heating pads to keep the plant warm.
If you decide to repot your monstera into a new potting soil or a new pot, make sure that you use soil that has the same properties as the old one and a pot with the same material as the previous one.
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How Do You Prevent Monstera from Falling over and Encourage It to Grow Upwards?
To prevent monstera from falling over, you should provide it with the same conditions that it receives when it grows in its native habitat, namely, warm temperature, high humidity, and bright indirect light. Additionally, you should provide this plant with support if you want to guarantee that it will never fall over.
Here is a complete list of actions that you should take to prevent monstera from falling over:
Adequate Watering
To avoid underwatering or overwatering your monstera, you should check the soil once a week using a moister meter. If the moister meter indicates that the soil is too dry, add more water. If not, don’t add any water.
Stable Temperature
The best temperature for growing monstera is between 55 and 65 degrees F. It would help if you used a heating pad to keep the temperature within this range.
To protect this plant from cold drafts, you should bring it inside during winter and keep the windows closed. If it is still cold, place your plant inside a large pot to warm the air surrounding it.
You can also use a cold frame or a greenhouse for growing this plant during winter. A greenhouse provides a safe place to grow your plants during the cold season when no other options are available. Greenhouses also allow you to protect your plants from cold winds, rain, and snow.
Appropriate Light
Monstera requires bright indirect sunlight to grow healthy and straight leaves. To provide this kind of light, try to place this plant near a south-facing window or in your yard where it can receive indirect sunlight. If you can’t put it in the sun, make sure you use grow light to keep the plant healthy.
Bugs Prevention
To keep bugs away from your plant, keep the temperature warm and avoid overwatering. Additionally, it is important to have good-quality soil that does not attract insects.
To make your soil unattractive to bugs, remove all weeds and dead leaves in your planting area. This will prevent the eggs and larvae of many insects from finding a place to hatch.
Adequate Fertilizing
To avoid overfertilizing your monstera, you should fertilize it only during spring and summer using a balanced fertilizer with a 3:2:1 NPK ratio. Additionally, don’t fertilize this plant more than once every two weeks, as it may grow faster than usual and develop droopy leaves.
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How Do I Know If My Monstera Needs Support?
Monstera will need support if you want it to grow exclusively upright. But if you enjoy your plant looking slightly droopy, then support is not required.
Generally, monstera plants are heavy growers. They have deep roots and often need to be propped up. There are several different ways to do this. You can use a wooden dowel, a trellis, a garden stake, moss, or a coco coir pole.
Each one of the solutions above has its advantages and its drawbacks. A wooden dowel, for example, is very easy to plant in the ground. However, it is not sturdy enough to support the weight of the plant. On the other hand, a trellis or garden stake is more stable, but you can’t plant it right in the ground. The moss or coco coir is more appropriate to be planted directly in the ground.
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How Do You Stake a Leaning Monstera?
To stake a leaning monstera plant, prepare a stake and gardening wire, then follow the subsequent steps:
Step 1: smash the stake about 2 to 3 inches away from the plant and dig it into the pot so that it is buried about an inch or two into the soil. Make sure you are not hurting the roots.
Step 2: attach the plant to the stake using a wire. To do this, start by wrapping the wire around the plant several times. Then, push the plant down onto the stake and tighten it using the wire.
Step 3: keep watching the plant regularly and tie the new leaves that may start to look droopy.
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