Monstera Deliciosa Buying Guide

Buying a monstera deliciosa (or Swiss Cheese plant) is a clever decision!

Monstera is a stunning plant that is relatively easy to look after, it will reward you with a fast-growing, tropical foliage that will add a wow factor to any space.

Where can I buy a Monstera Deliciosa?

Monstera Deliciosa is a very popular plant. Most of the time you will be able to find it at your local garden centre or the indoor plants area of big stores such as IKEA, B&Q (in the UK) or The Home Depot (in the States). Sometimes, even supermarkets will have it!

Whenever possible, we recommend that you buy your monstera deliciosa in person, this way you can make sure to get the plant you are buying is best fit for your needs. However, buying online can be convenient for many.

If you are thinking about buying your monstera online, we recommend that you buy from a stablished and reputable online shop with a proven delivery service that minimises damage during transit.

Asking for a picture of the actual plant you are buying is ideal so that you can apply some of the tips below.

3 Things to Consider Before Buying a Monstera Deliciosa

But before you bring your monstera home, there are a few things that you may want to think about. These are the things that we normally consider before buying a new monstera (and many of these tips will apply for other plants too):

1. Where will the plant be located?

Remember that monstera deliciosa is a plant that will grow big when its needs are met. If you have a relatively small space, you may want to opt for a young plant. This way, you will have the opportunity to train it to stay within the space you have available. If you have a generous space for your new plant, you can still choose to get a small plant so that it stablishes itself at home over the years or you can always buy a mature plant that will make an automatic impact!

2. What is the light situation there?

Monsteras thrive in bright indirect light, however, you can train them to live under different conditions within reason. If you feel like there is not enough light for your monstera to thrive, then you can try supplementing the existing natural light with some extra lighting, like a LED grow light. If, on the contrary, the place you have assigned for your monstera is under direct sunlight, your monstera will likely need a long period of acclimatization in order to build up tolerance and avoid having its leaves scorched. If the light is too intense and it is not practical for you to acclimatize your new plant, you can try to shield it using a net curtain or blinds which would be perfect to mimic the environment where monstera naturally comes from as it is perfectly happy to receive dappled sunshine.

3. Budget

It is a good idea to have a budget in mind, although monsteras are generally priced competitively, they can get expensive if you are buying a novel variety or a large and mature specimen.

Other Considerations:

Are you going to stake your monstera? You don´t need to answer this straight away, but if you know that you do want a staked monstera then we suggest planning to do this sooner rather than later so that you train the plant up the pole early on and also to avoid disrupting the roots once the plant is stablished.

Are you using a decorative pot? Many people will leave their new plant in the nursery pot it came in until re-potting is needed. If you will be keeping the nursery pot, please bear in mind that you are still likely to need a pot sauces to avoid water going on the floor when you water your new plant. Using a decorative pot to cover the nursery pot will create a better decorative impact that will add colour and texture, making a statement or blending in with your home decor.

Top 5 Tips for Choosing the Right Monstera Deliciosa for your Home

1. Look around the shop…

Do all plants in general appear to be well looked after? Stressed plants can lead to disappointment so look out for any signs that the plants are neglected.

Are plants being kept indoors? If you plan to keep your monstera deliciosa as an indoor plant, then we suggest that you only buy one from a shop that has it stored indoors (unless you can tell they are outside briefly to be sold immediately). The more time a plant spends outside, the more likely it is to become a home for bugs (more on that below), which is something to avoid at all costs!

2. Picking the Right Size for you

If you are lucky, the shop will have a couple of size options for you to choose from.

Consider what size is the right for you, taking into account the space you have planned for your monstera and your budget.

Small, young plants are cheaper and will have the flexibility to grow the way it´s right for you: trained up a pole or perhaps with a wild and free “bushy” form. They will also be able to adapt and grow into their new living quarters more easily. The downside is that most of the leaves will be small and heart-shaped with only have a few (if any) leaves with splits as they only start appearing after a couple of years as the plant matures.

Older monsteras will feature many more leaves which will be bigger, many of the leaves will have nice splits and, if you are lucky, they will already have one or more leaves with the extremely sought-after fenestrations.

Lastly, there are tall staked monsteras that are 100% ready to dominate your living room! Although expensive, these are well established plants that will make an immediate impact in your home. This is the best way to go if you are impatient and don´t wish to go into the trouble of training your monstera to look good around a pole.

3. Choosing the Right Monstera, What to Look For

You are finally standing in front of a lovely row of promising monsteras, this is what to look for to make sure you bring home the best monstera for you:

NUMBER OF STEMS – Look around the plants and you will notice that most pots will have multiple stems in them. Each stem is a separate monstera plant, so I tend to look for those plants that have the most stems and start from there, although you may prefer plants that have a tidy, strong and mature stem. Whichever way you want to go, stems most be sturdy and healthy looking. Avoid stems with heavy scratches or any other visible recent damage/injuries that could potentially impact the health and growth of your new plant. Look at the direction the stems are growing towards (the aerial roots are at the back of the plant), it is possible that the stems will be facing different directions, this could impact staking, but it is something that can be fixed during re-potting. If you plan to stake your monstera, make sure to buy one where the stems are not yet too firm to be trained up a pole as this could make the staking process more difficult.

Tight, compact growth (leaves that are not too far away from each other on the stem) indicate that the plant has grown in ideal conditions and it´s happy.

CHECK OUT THE LEAVES – Leaves must be a deep green (or lighter green if newly unfurled) and free from spots, yellowing, or dried out tips. The first few leaves will have no splits but the newest (and biggest) leaves, if mature enough, should have them. If you are looking at more matured plants, you may find that some of them will even have leaves with fenestrations! this is a huge plus.

ROOTS – If possible, remove the plant from the pot to reveal the roots. Are the roots filling up the pot nicely? Is there any obvious rotting or bad smell? You want to see white, cream or light tan roots that are firm and not mushy or brittle.

4. Look for any signs of pests

Inspect the plant thoroughly for any signs of pets. Are there any “bugs” on the leaves, stems or soil? Are there any flies (fungus gnats) flying around? Is there a cotton-like residue anywhere on the plant? Any spider webs? Any black spots? If you spot anything worrying it may be best to try to buy your monstera a different time unless you are confident that you can deal with the issue at home. Even if you are prepared to deal with a pest infestation (that will potentially spread to the rest of the plants in your household) it is still good to know what you are getting yourself into. Even reputable nurseries and shops can sometimes succumb to the odd infestation. Do a quick scan around all the plants.

That´s it, you are ready to take your new monstera deliciosa home with you!

5 Taking your new monstera Home

When taking your monstera home, be careful and avoid any possible damage, specially to the stem and the newest leaves as this is where the next leaves will come from.

If taking the plant home by car, make sure to have a waterproof layer so that any moisture leaving the pot doesn´t sip into your car´s seat or carpet.

Depending on the size of your monstera, the easiest way to take it home may be to lay it on its side on the back seats or car boot. You can use a piece of fabric, a large tissue or cardboard to round up the leaves if necessary. If the Monstera is too large, you may need to collapse the seats (if possible) to accommodate the plant. If the plant is too large for you, you can always check with the shop as they may be able to deliver the plant for you.

This is the Monstera I Ended Up Buying

Here are some extra tips:

Once the plant is home, wait for the top 1-2 inches of the soil to dry out before watering for the first time.
Avoid fertilizing the plant in the first three months as the soil may have slow-release fertilizers and you can cause damage to the plant.
Assess whether your monstera needs re-potting or staking and plan accordingly.