How to Water Monstera Deliciosa | In-Depth Guide (2022)

How to Water Monstera Deliciosa sounds might be very easy and simple. But still very very tricky especially come to the Monstera Deliciosa which is known as the Swiss Cheese Plant. Here, we are going to talk about How to water Monstera Deliciosa .

Watering your plants Is kind of a basic thing you need to do for your plants. They need water to survive as we need. But, the problem is some people don’t give their plants enough water.

This is one of the trickiest plants I have ever seen when it comes to watering.

So I want to share with you some of the tips that I have learned and I hope they can help you.

Let’s Jump into it

How do I know if My Monstera Needs water?

There are a few different ways to tell if your plants need water. If you look at the leaves they will tell you. You can see the leaves get droopy and they start turning yellow and fall off or they start browning. So, oftentimes you look at the leaves first and you say, whoa! I got a rescue that plant.

 

In this case, I’m just picking it up. By picking it up I know this is really dry. Then, I look at the soil. It looks really dry. Because the soil is shrinking away from the sides of the pot. That is a telltale sign that this indoor plant needs to drink.

What Type of Water is the Best for a Regular Monstera Plant?

When it comes to watering tropical plant like Monstera Deliciosa, It originally comes from South America where they can have rainwater all year.

Rainwater is rich in minerals and contains lots of oxygen compared to tap water. So, rainwater is ideal for your plants.

If you live in a warm country then bring your plants out and let the water handle the job.

If you live in a cold country then you might not dare to bring your plant outside because the cold air can damage your plant.

So what we can do?

If it is raining outside, you can collect that rainwater and give it to your plant and they will be happy. But, if you don’t have any access to rainwater then tap water is the only option for you.

It doesn’t matter any kind of water you choose. But the water is should be always at room temperature.

So the question is tap water is safe for your plant?

The quick answer is “yes”. it is totally safe to use tap water for your plants.

But, in some country tap water contain lots of salt so it can build up in the soil. in overtime, It can damage your plant.

That is the reason why we re-pot our plants once a year or once in two years and change with the new soil.

If you have only tap water, It’s totally okay to go ahead with it.

If you think that the tap water is much polluted, what you can do is you can filter the water and use it or you can also use the bottle’s water if you can afford it.

What is the Optimum pH for Water for Swiss Cheese Plants?

The acidity of the water is measured on a scale of 0 to 14 by pH level . So you want as close to neutral as possible. The neutral is around 7 Ph. So it is usually within 6.5 to 7.5 ph is going to be the range that you want for your Monstera Deliciosa plant.

In the USA, we have 5 pH water which is highly acidic. Acidic means that Most plants and animals can’t service at that level of acidity.

In fact, Plants have trouble taking up certain nutrients when the soil and water are too acidic.

You can also check the pH level by using pH Strips which are very cheap.

When You Should Water Your Monstera Deliciosa Plant?

I have some tips that how you can know your plant needs water. There are 4 main methods that I have been using so far, which are reliable.

01- Finger Test

The first method is very simple you don’t need any equipment, which is a finger test all you have to do is you can use your finger to push it down into the soil.

When the soil is dry, one to two inches (1-2) down into the pot to check the soil moisture, then you know that it’s safe to water again.

Dry soil indicates that the plant needs to drink.

02- Wood stick or bamboo stick

You can just stick your bamboo stick into the soil. if it came out, clean then it means the soil is dry.

Then you need to water.

If you feel that your bamboo stick is very moist, then just wait two-three days and test it again.

This is one of the affordable methods that you can test for your plant.

03- Using a moisture meter ( Soil moisture tester)

This method is very popular among planters. This device can censor the amount of water the roots are holding.

So, you know exactly how much water is in the root.

This method is also very useful so that would be very great if you can invest your money in this device . It costs about 20 dollars.

If the meter shows 1-3 numbers, It indicates that the potting soil is dry and she needs to drink water.

04- Lift your plants and feel it

This is a very simple method you can try with. simply lift the plant pot. If your plant is very very light then the Monstera Deliciosa needs water.

Additional Reading – Monstera Deliciosa | 3 Tricks to Deal with Insects & Pests

How to Water Monstera Deliciosa Thoroughly?

Monstera Deliciosa (Swiss Cheese) Plants need to be watered all the way through they need to be thoroughly watered. If you don’t do that, it’s actually bad for the plants.

If you want your plant to keep lush and full. Then, I recommend watering evenly all the way around the pot instead of watering right in one spot until all that water comes through from the drainage hole.

If you are a bottom waterer, It would be perfect when 20%-30% of water comes out from the hole.

Then collect all this excess water. You have to remember to throw them away

You should never ever let your plants sit in the water. If you don’t throw the water from the saucer, what happens is the roots take all this water back up.

It is technically over watering . overwatered monstera may cause many problems to the plant.

What happens is that the soil is starting to get soggy and wet. So, this soggy soil is leading to the disaster which is root rot which we don’t want to happen.

Therefore, it is very important you got to remember to throw all this excess water away.

If you have a plant that you planted directly in terracotta or a ceramic container. And, there’s no drainage hole, This is another thing I do, I water in it let it soak a little bit & let it go down. Then, Gravity does its magic.

It enables us to live on this planet without floating up into space.

Keep in mind that frequent watering is essential for Monstera Deliciosa Plants.

How much water should you give your Monstera Plant?

It is an impossible question to answer.

But, find a frequency of how often you water that is good for your plant. Use drainage holes and use your finger to feel the soil when it’s time to water again.

But with my experience, you have to have a good frequency & a good monstera deliciosa watering schedule.

Then, always give water during that schedule. the plants actually love that. And, they flourish and grow like crazy. So, find a good frequency depending on how fast your plants are drinking that water.

Additional Reading – Fertilizing Monstera | The Essential Guide

How often water Monstera in winter?

As you may know, Monstera Plants are not growing as much in the winter as they do in the growing season, which generally is the spring and the summer.

Because of this, my Monstera plants don’t need a bit amount of resources and this includes water.

So during this time of the year, we want to cut back on the water. Because we want to prevent overwatering our plants.

If we provide a lot of water very often to our plants, they will not have the time to really absorb it.

As a result, we will overwater them.

Therefore, in the winter season, I usually water my plants every ten days or eleven days, or even every two weeks.

More Tips on How to Water Monstera Deliciosa

• Always use drainage holes in your pots

This is the easiest way for you not to overwater your plants. One of the most common things is that you forget to water some of your plants.

When you see that the plants are starting to wilt & they’re hanging, You should know that they need water.

Most of the time, what happens then is that excess water goes down to the bottom of the pot where most of the roots are. Then, they are now standing in water and this will kill your plants.

So, by having drainage holes, we can make sure that the excess water goes out of the pot & you save your plants.

• Use a higher outer pot than the inner pot of your plant.

You can add gravel stones & Leica to the bottom of this pot. it really doesn’t matter add something to the bottom that raises the inner pot inside of the outer pot.

this is a Safe way to make sure that you never have your plants standing in water.

Because when you water the Monstera plant, the excess water will go through the drainage holes to down into the gravel or into the stones at the bottom.

What you’re actually doing also is that you are having a little bit of water in the bottom that the plant cannot reach. You’re adding to the humidity around the roots.

 

If you want to do Monstera Deliciosa watering like a Ninja, Follow the Tips I have mentioned above.

If you learn something on How to Water Monstera Deliciosa, Please leave a comment down below. Thank you for reading this.