The Variegated Monstera

The Basics In Caring For Your Variegated Monstera Plants!

Once you’ve discovered beautiful Monstera plants and think they can’t get any better, you come across the variegated varieties and are blown away by their color variations. Variegated monsteras have the same shape and form you know and love, but they are often seen with white, light green, and sometimes yellow variegations. The Variegated Monstera plants have require care practices similar to the well known green Monstera deliciosa plants. But, they are a bit more sensitive and they do require more light. The variegated varieties are pretty rare, but with some serious searching, or luck, you can find and add one of these beautiful plants to your collection.

Variegated Monstera Plants – The Basics

The Variegation you see in Monstera plants is caused by a genetic mutation. This special mutation prohibits the plant’s cells from producing chlorophyll, which results in discoloration in the tissue. Because they don’t have as much chlorophyll, they have a harder time taking in light. Variegated Monstera plants require at least six hours of bright yet indirect light each day. They need moderate humidity and an air temperature between 65-80ºF. Plant them in well-draining soil and water only when the top one to two inches of soil is dry.

Food

These plants aren’t heavy feeders, but they will benefit from regular doses of houseplant fertilizer. Apply a general houseplant fertilizer once a month in the late spring through early fall. You don’t need to fertilize outside of this time frame.

Repotting

Variegated Monsteras are slow growers, so you don’t need to repot them very often. If they do outgrow their current container, you can move them to a new container that is a few inches bigger than their current container.

Pruning

Monsteras are known for their growth. While the variegated varieties do grow slower than others, they can still become quite large.

You can prune away the leaves of your plant using a pair of sharp, sanitized shears. If you do prune, do so in such a way that you can propagate new plants from the material you cut away.

While plant care is often more involved than the steps listed above, it is important to note that you should not become overwhelmed by rare plants. They require all the love, water, and light as other plants. Sometimes just more or less.