There’s a lot of talk about the “wide leaf” and “narrow leaf” forms of this plant. I do have both plants and I treat them the same. Both like humidity and bright light. This larger, totem-bound plant lives next to an east window and a northern facing sliding glass door where it also has a humidifier. The smaller “narrow leaf” plant lives on a shelf where it receives indirect light from both a south and an east window. This plant doesn’t have supplementary humidity, but it gets an occasional misting. A third plant, the “Trending Tropicals” Adansonii that was the subject of a blog post or two, has since been potted in with the large Adansonii totem. A final and new plant, a 6-7 ft. long “wide”leaf” Adansonii lives on a high shelf receiving exposure from East, north and west windows, All of the plants grow quickly when they’re happy. They can be super finicky plants when it comes to water. The biggest issue is to be careful and consistent. They’ve been known to throw yellow or brown leaves if the watering schedule isn’t just right for them. A moisture meter helps, look for the gauge to read around 2-3 before watering. On the dry side, but not bone dry. This does seem to help with leaf yellowing and the plants are happier. Take care to mist these plants whenever possible as they seem to be a plant that enjoys getting its leaves wet regularly. Be aware: misting will not ever raise the humidity levels inside the home - so luckily that’s not the goal. What it will do is refresh the leaves. In their natural environment, these plants would have water on their leaves off and on throughout the day. Monstera Adansonii has more papery, rough leaves (on a micro level) than say, the glossy feel of Monstera Delicious or Peru. For that reason, I find that Adansonii (and Siltepecana, who has a similar feeling to the leaves) are more sensitive to and appreciative of humidity and moisture on the leaves.
Some Tips:
This is not a plant that likes to be over-potted. Try a terra-cotta pot a size up from the nursery pot if it’s necessary to repot. If it isn’t necessary, a cache pot will spruce things up for you in the mean time. Give your misting hand a workout, nit to raise humidity but to give the leaves a boost. Trust me, they like getting wet. This is a light feeder, but it does like the occasional fertilizer. Once a month is good when it’s in active growth. With this plant, it all boils down to water and humidity.