Central and South American tropical forests are home to several types of monsters. Their habitats are humid, warm, and prone to downpours, which makes them thrive in these conditions. Often, people believe Monsteras love moist conditions, which can make them overwatered.
Though they often get soaked with rainfall, Monstera cannot thrive in soggy soil. It is rich in humus and is found in significant quantities on the forest floor. A Swiss cheese plant requires moist soil that is never soggy, created by replicated drainage speed.
There is no need to worry about overwatering the Monstera! Nonetheless, there is hope. The information you learn will help you identify whether your plant has been overwatered and how to deal with it if it has. Your overwatered Monstera can be restored to health in no time with these steps!
About Monsteras
Monstera climbing plants are found throughout Central and Tropical America and the surrounding islands. There are seven species of aroid plants in the Araceae family, of which this one is an aroid.
Two species are prevalent, Monstera deliciosa and Monstera adansonii. Several species of houseplants have large, fenestrated, split, or both mature leaves. There is no distrust that you will enjoy hemiepiphytes. Moreover, tropical rainforests with warm and humid conditions are home to these plants. Aside from indirect lighting, they require direct lighting as well.
Is it possible to overwater Monstera?
When you have overwatered monstera, they can die, including Monsteras. A Monstera plant can be damaged by overwatering. In overwatered soil, mold can develop, and root rot can occur.
Overwatering Monstera plant can happen if you overwater it at once, water it too often, or plant it in soil that won’t drain well. It is crucial to identify the causes of overwatering so that the problem can be corrected.
Overwatered Monstera Signs
Overwatered Monstera can be detected by observing a few symptoms. A monstera’s roots can suffer from over-watering since it denies them oxygen and drains the soil of essential nutrients. As well as root rot, fungal infections, and bacterial infections, overwatering can make them challenging to treat. You must look for the signs of overwatered Monstera. An overwatered monstera exhibits the following symptoms:
Leaves with yellow or brown spots
A problem with overwatering may lead to yellow monstera leaves. Yellow leaves indicate that the plant is suffering from excessive water.
Excess water clogs the soil with oxygen, affecting the roots’ performance. Leaving a tree’s roots unchecked for an extended period can suffocate, drown, and rot. The roots cannot absorb water and other minerals, causing the leaves to turn yellow or develop dark brown spots.
There are also chances that your plant has drooping leaves, indicating watering problems. This can be prevented by maintaining soil moisture between waterings.
Pot odor
- A foul smell could be coming from the potting medium. Poor drainage, overwatering, and inadequate aeration can cause odor.
- Bacteria can negatively affect the health of your plants. Smells are primarily used to indicate anaerobic respiration and oxygen deprivation.
- By removing the Monstera from foul-smelling soil and potting medium, you can keep it healthy.
Soil fungi
There are fungi in the soil that can be easily detected. Although fungi are a natural part of nature, some have the potential to threaten the health of your plants and the potting medium.
Long, white threads, as well as the presence of fungi in your soil near the base of your Monstera, are signs of fungus infection. Providing too much water to your plants encourages fungi growth.
- Consider taking a handful of the soil you suspect is infected with fungal spores to a lab for further testing and analysis to determine what fungi affect your plants.
- Drying time of more than a week for waterlogged soil
- It takes a long period for water to dry out when plants are overwatered.
- Flooding soil harms your Monstera’s health since these plants prefer well-drained, free-draining soils. You can also prevent waterlogging by choosing a suitable potting medium and letting excess water drain through your pot’s drainage hole.
Rotten roots
Root rot is commonly caused by overwatering. Due to the disease’s effect on roots, your plant may dry out without treatment.
- Wet soils and large amounts of water are believed to benefit Pythium, Aphanomyces, and other commonly associated fungi.
- It is sometimes necessary to uproot the plant, remove the affected sections, and apply fungicides to reduce the damage.
Overwatered Monstera: How to Save It
Fix soggy soil
Unless there are visible waterlogging symptoms, you should dry the soil if it is only too wet.
- The plant should not be watered, and excess water should be drained away for a few days.
- Make sure the soil is moist at two inches deep by sticking your finger.
- Using a tilted pot and tapping it to let air enter, the soil can be separated from the pot. Creating air pockets will speed up the drying process of the soil.
- Monstera should be planted in a pot with enough holes for water to drain. Under the pot, put a saucer that will catch any water that drains out.
- By imitating the wind, the room will appear windy. The soil will be dried more quickly and efficiently if you do this. Putting a fan nearby will help you achieve this.
- The uptake of water will be increased if good lighting conditions are provided. Plant Monstera in a room with plenty of sunlight. It would be best if the sunlight were indirect.
- Provide the soil with nutrients it lacks by fertilizing it.
Shriveled Monstera
When its leaves are yellow, wilt, or stink, your Monstera overflows with water.
If the root rots, it will cause a lot of problems. Plant parts that have been damaged need to be assessed and treated.
Leaves should be pruned carefully to preserve as much recovery energy as possible. Plants should maintain their overall health.
- The root must be checked. Make sure the Monstera is very carefully taken out of the pot. To avoid damaging the roots, remove the soil slowly.
- Healthy roots should be white. If most of the roots are still white, you can let them dry on paper without removing the plant from the pot.
- Monstera should not be fertilized immediately after being returned to the soil. It is best to leave stressed plants alone until they can recover.
Rot treatment
Root rot is an example of already-done damage. You must determine whether or not you can still save the Monstera once you have identified it.
Even though the plant’s worst fears have come true, there is still hope. There are several ways to treat root rot:
- You should remove the rotten parts if you still see white, healthy details of the root amid the brown, slimy appearance.
- Ensure the affected roots and soil are thoroughly washed under running water.
- The rotten pieces should be carefully cut with sharp scissors without damaging the white parts.
- Make sure you apply a fungicide solution to stop the damage from spreading.
- It is essential to repot your plant in a clean and fresh potting mix. Check the drainage system to make sure it is working correctly.
- Prevent pathogens from spreading by keeping the pot clean.
Treatment for fungi
An ideal habitat for fungus reproduction is swampy soil. The decay of roots is caused by a fungus, which is a decomposing organism.
Additionally, they deplete the soil of nutrients, which makes it harder for plants to resorb them. You can beat the fungus by following these steps:
- The pot should be removed entirely from the plant.
- It is essential to clean the root carefully to avoid stressing or injuring it if it has been affected by old soil. Use sterilized scissors to cut off the parts of the plant that have already been damaged. The rest of the area should be treated with fungicide.
- Invest in clean, airy soil with good drainage instead of old, musty soil. Keeping soil for planting is not a good idea because it spreads fungus.
- Get rid of all the infected compost in the pot by washing it thoroughly with hot water and detergent.
- Fresh, healthy, and the new potting mix should be used to repot the plant.
- You can still save some of your Monstera even if it isn’t doing well after those treatments.
- Make a new plant by cutting off the healthy trunk and allowing it to root. Plant it in a fresh potting mix once adventitious roots have formed, and monitor its progress.
Final Thoughts
You can save your overwatered monstera! Follow these steps to help your Monstera recover if you think it has been overwatered. Remember to follow these simple tips to avoid overwatering your Monstera plant.
For more gardening tips, follow kitchenandgardening!