Monstera Siltepecana Care 2021

Monstera Siltepecana. This Monstera Siltepecana plant is found in Central America and Mexico. In their early growth stages, these houseplants will grow up like trees and have beautiful greyish-green leaves with dark green veins.

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Monstera Siltepecana profile

In their mature stage, the leaves have an entirely different form from the juvenile leaves. They become dark green and develop fenestrations. There are holes in the leaves.

The Monstera Siltepecana plant begins at the base of a tree as a young plant and creeps up the tree. And then the plant lives into adulthood much higher up.

1. Light requirement

Monstera Siltepecana plant thrives well in partial shade or full shade in its natural environment. However, if you want to grow and care about the plant as a houseplant, it would be best to place it close to a window where it receives bright indirect light.

Please do not take the risk of placing the Monstera Siltepecana plant under direct sunlight because it will burn the leaves. If you put the plant that receives indirect light, the plant will thrive and grow well.

2. Soil

Monstera Siltepecana plant will grow in many different soil types. The best soil for the Monstera Siltepecana plant is a chunky or loose combination of half well-draining potting mix blended with a half orchid mix consists of bark, perlite, charcoal.

The combination will frequently allow you to water, keeping the medium damp but never wet or soggy. Planting in the regular potting mix is excellent, although it will make watering trickier.

3. Temperature

Monstera Siltepecana plant prefers average room temperatures between 68 to 86 °Fahrenheit. The plant originally comes from tropical rain forests.

The temperature is similar to tropical, and a humid atmosphere to make this plant thrive. The plant can survive in temperatures as low as 50℉ahrenheit.

As soon as the plant lives in the cold temperature, it will stop growing. You have to make sure that the plant is at a consistent temperature to thrive well.

4. Humidity

Monstera Siltepecana plant will benefit from higher humidity levels as low as 80%. If you place the plant indoor, the best way to increase humidity is to add a humidifier to the living area.

You can use trays that are filled with pebbles and water. This way, it can help increase the humidity in no time around your Monstera Siltepecana plants. Another way is by grouping the indoor plants closer together at all times.

How to grow and care for Monstera Siltepecana plant

1. Fertilizer

Monstera Siltepecana plant is in its growing stage during spring months and summer months. You can fertilize the plant monthly with a general-purpose water-soluble fertilizer with 20-20-20 NPK formulation.

You can apply the water-soluble fertilizer at the rate of one tablespoon per one gallon of water if you are growing the plant outdoor. If you are growing indoor, apply a half teaspoon of water per two quarts of water.

This houseplant will be very happy to be fertilized during its active growing season. Another way is to apply ¼-diluted fish emulsion with iron.

Or you can apply ¼-diluted complete liquid fertilizer two times in one month. Another organic option is to top-dress the Monstera Siltepecana plants in the spring months with compost, and you can use worm castings.

Using worm castings means that the fertilizer will slowly release nutrients to the roots throughout the active growing season. This organic fertilizer will give the plant continuous food.

2. Watering

Monstera Siltepecana plant has to be watered when the first couple of inches of soil are dry. Push your finger into the soil to check if it is dry.

Monstera Siltepecana plant prefers well-draining soil. If the soil is overly-moist, this condition can lead to root rot.

These plants may grow aerial roots over time. You can start covering these roots with direct them to the soil to get plenty of water or moist sphagnum moss.

Watering will vary depending on your indoor conditions and what is the potting medium used. Do not use a pot with no drainage.

You need to water the plant as much as twice a week to maintain ideal moisture in a well-draining potting medium. If you grow the plant in a regular potting mix, the plant will require much less watering.

If you are not sure whether your plant requires water, it would be best to let the soil dry out before adding more water. The plant will show you signs that it requires water, but do not let it stay dry for too long.

3. Pruning

Monstera Siltepecana plant needs to be pruned because it is an integral part of any plant care routine. Pruning the plant gets rid of leaves that are still utilizing the plant’s resources and is no longer benefiting the plant.

By pruning unwanted leaves, all the energy will be given to support the new growth and healthy leaves. You can also control the shape and the size of the plant by pruning routinely.

Pruning the Monstera Siltepecana plant encourages the plant to put out new leaves and grow its branches. Pruning is an extraordinary practice to the plant because the plant requires help getting rid of dying or dead dying leaves.

It would be best if you pruned because the plant gets enormous, growing up to thirty feet outdoors and ten feet indoors. If you have an eight-foot ceiling, pruning is significant.

Here is how to prune the Monstera Siltepecana plant.

Always wear your gloves. Due to the plant’s toxicity, you must wear gloves, so you do not get irritated skin. Whenever you are propagating or pruning the plant wear protective gloves.
Sterilize your tool. Before you use your tolls for pruning or propagating, make sure you have a sharp pruning shear or a knife and make sure to sterilize these tools. The pruning tools’ sharpness will get an excellent, clean-cut, and not crushing or bruising the stem. Sterilized tools protect your plant from harmful bacteria. If the plant gets a bacterial infection, it would be harder to treat and have a risk of spreading the bacteria to other plants. When you cut or prune, provide the stem a good snip or chop instead of sawing it off. This practice gives the cleanest cut.
Prune in the spring months. If you want to encourage growth, prune the plant while growth spurts in the spring and summer. The best result would be pruning in the spring months, and your plant will recover quicker. Propagating your cuttings from pruning in the spring will encourage the plant to grow more quickly.
Always plan your cuts. You can begin by pruning any old or dead leaves at the base of the stem. Pruning that will encourage growth should be done by cutting where you want the plant to grow. Cut at the top if you want it to produce a taller plant. If you are planning to prune to control the plant’s size, you can prune the plant down to size.
Always cut below a node. If you are planning to propagate your cuttings, ensure that your cutting includes a node. A node is a little nub that grows along the stem located at the opposite a leaf. These nodes will later turn into aerial roots.

4. Repotting

Monstera Siltepecana plant is a fast-growing houseplant. With that in mind, you will require to re-pot your plant at some point.

Re-potting the Monstera Siltepecana plant is not hard to do, especially when you have a smaller plant. You require to add some support for the plant to grow up as it grows larger.

In the spring months, summer months and early fall are the best time for re-potting your plant. If you live in a regional climate where winter comes early, then summer and spring months are the best time to re-pot.

It recommended not to re-pot in winter because plants like to rest during this time.

The Monstera Siltepecana plant is happy to live in a mix rich in well-drained peat. It is recommended to use similar cocoa fiber, and you can have a more sustainable alternative to compost and peat moss.

Re-potting the plant should mimic the bottom of the tropical rainforest floor. The mix should have rich plant materials that fall on these plants from above and deliver the nutrients they require.

The Monstera Siltepecana plant can grow in small pots but will grow better with larger pot size. You can purchase a pot one size bigger than the previous pot when re-potting. You can re-pot from a 6″ pot to an 8″. They grow fast so if the pot is between 6″ to a 10″ pot.

How to propagate Monstera Siltepecana plant

You can see that the roots of the Monstera Siltepecana plant growing at each node. The node is where the leaf attaches onto the stem or vine or petiole.

You can make cuttings of the node and place the cuttings in the water to grow a little. You can place these cuttings directly into the soil. The root has to be big enough to grow.

You have to make sure every cutting has one or more leaves. Besides that, you need to place at least one node under the soil line or underwater. That is how you propagate the Monstera Siltepecana plant. A very simple practice.

Monstera Siltepecana plant pests and problems

1. Fungus

If your Monstera Siltepecana plant has brown spots on the leaves, this is a fungus. These spots are surrounded by a yellow “halo” around the brown spot.

Excessively wet conditions for long periods cause fungal infections. It gets much worse in conjunction with poor air circulation.

If you have any fungal leaf spots on your Monstera Siltepecana plant, it is best to discover the issue early and prune any infected leaves. Keep the foliage dry to be safe for a while. Do not mist the leaves.

2. Leaf spot

Leaf spot is usually caused by fungus. They will start to grow, join together, and become a large blotch on the leaf. The whole leaf will fall off after turning brown.

To fix this, you need to isolate the plant right away to prevent it from spreading to other plants. Prune the affected leaf off.

3. Root rot

Monstera Siltepecana plant is susceptible to root rot. The root rot is usually caused by over-watering.

Root rot will happen under the soil, and you can not identify it easily. The Monstera Siltepecana plant can display some signals above the soil.

If you see yellowing, distorted or wilting leaves, or falling foliage or stunted growth, it may suffer from root rot. The roots will be mushy and black and may even fall off when you touch them gently.

When the roots can not breathe, and the soil is too wet, the disease will attack the root.

You may have a chance to remove the affected roots if the roots are not black and mushy. You can try rinsing the healthy roots off under clean water.

Or you can re-pot the Monstera Siltepecana plant in a new pot fresh well-draining soil. You may require to prune your plant to provide the plant a better shot at life.

4. Spider mites

Monstera Siltepecana plant is also susceptible to Spider Mites. They are small reddish-brown and have spider-like bodies.

They live in colonies and will be found on the foliage’s underside and the leaf joints of your plant. If your plant is affected by Spider Mites, the leaves are mottled or browning leaves or curled up or shriveling foliage with yellowing marks.

You can treat these mites can be treated through the use of chemical pest/ insecticides or organic ones like Neem Oil.

5. Scale insect

Scale Insects can attack the Monstera Siltepecana plant. They attack the stem and leaf joints over its foliage.

The Scale Insect looks round, flat, and very small in stature. If you notice that the leaf is dropping or the leaves are yellowing, or there are yellowish or white spots on the leaves, stems, or branches, this could be the sign of Scale Insect attack.

You can use Neem Oil to get rid of Scale Insects. You can also use rubbing alcohol, insecticidal soap (homemade or organic), or trim off the infected areas.

Frequently ask question

Why is my Monstera Siltepecana wilting?

Wilting of the leaves is usually caused by the soil is super dry. It can also be caused by really wet soil. Once you notice the plant is wilting, you should immediately inspect the soil moisture.

If the soil has gone bone dry, provide it a good thorough watering right away. On the other hand, if the soil is very wet, you need a drainage hole.

Take the plant out of its pot and evaluate the roots. Remove the dead roots, remove the soil, and re-pot into fresh soil.

Why is my Monstera Siltepecana getting yellow leaves?

The most common reason your Monstera Siltepecana leaves are turning yellow is from the dry soil. If you see the lower leaves are turning yellow, feel the soil.

If the soil has gone too dry or even completely dry, the oldest leaves will turn yellow. Leaves will continue to yellow if you do not water the plant.

Why are my Monstera Siltepecana’s new leaves brown or black before it unfurls?

If your Monstera Siltepecana plant’s new leaves are brown or black before it has even unfurled, your plant is suffering from a bad soil moisture imbalance.

The soil has gone much too dry, or you plant has been wet for too long. You need to learn how to properly water your Monstera Siltepecana.