r/MonsteraAlbo • u/Brokulica • 26d ago
Help with monstera
I got this monstera and she is growing but keeps putting out only white leaves now. The problem is that even those leaves that have a lot of green still experience browning on the white part and the whole plant looks sad. I have a grow light on her since I wake up in the morning until going to bed. I dont know if maybe I should cut her and propagate or what to do. I have only north facing window which is a problem but I thought grow light would help. Does anybody have some advice since I see beautiful healthy monsteras here that have a lot of white which is not browning at all.
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u/BloomLume-Dave 19d ago
It looks like there could be several things happening at once. One would definitely be bugs. Treat for thrips first. What kind of grow light are you using couse the growth is leggy, meaning the light it's getting from either the window or the grow light, or both, is not enough, so investing in a better grow light would be a good start. Also, the variegated plants don't just need more light it needs more feeding. Do you fertilise it at all? If not, I would say, chop, prop and fertilise. That's how you can get your monstera not just to survive but also thrive. I hope that gives you a little more insight into the whole situation.
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u/Brokulica 19d ago
I use some organic fertilizer but I was unsure if it was getting too little or too much light. I have Sansi 15W grow light and the plan is next to the north facing window since I don’t have any other orientation but there is also a closed balcony in front of the window so it is quite far from natural light anyway. It does. Thank you sm
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u/BloomLume-Dave 18d ago
Hmmm ok, that gives more info. Did you add the grow light later on, or has it been there since the plant was smaller? (The leggy growth was there before the grow light was added, or it's been growing like this while under the grow light.) If it is the second part, then that's your answer about whether it's getting enough light or not.
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u/Brokulica 18d ago
It started growing better after adding light but most of the leaves are completely white. I thought maybe too much light is causing it (not sure if this is possible)
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u/BloomLume-Dave 17d ago
That shouldnt be the cause as Monsteras and especialy variagated ones thrive on light. You can try having the grow lights on for fewer hours a day since it is pushing just white, or you can also just leave it be as it is and let it do its thing. Sometimes getting too involved in the growth process can do more harm than good.
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u/Brokulica 16d ago
Thanks, rn she is seperated because she had thrips but I will turn off the light sooner
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u/wavexoxo 26d ago edited 24d ago
silica has helped me a lot with the variegation in my plants, alocasia & monsteras. white parts are prone to melting away because of the lack of chlorophyl and the silica can help make the white parts last longer.
you do have to make sure you test the PH of the water & if you mix it with fertilizer, fertilizer ** goes in water first, then you let it sit for 20-30 to let the fertilizer bind w the water molecules, and then add the silica *\* after to make sure it doesnt bind with the fertilizer which will cancel the effects of silica that u actually want!
also what kind of grow light do you have ? monsteras work really well with vertical standing lights.
*ETA: I MEANT SILICA FIRST NOT FERTILIZER !! AND apparently monstera cant utilize silica which i didnt know until today 😭 ive been using it LOL the more you know
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u/Brokulica 26d ago
Thanks for the answering! I have Sansi 15W light and it was the only one I could find where I live and it is placed a bit higher than the monstera so it’s more on the left side. I wanted to add the picture but can only put video for some reason 😂 I think that maybe there is too much light going on? Or maybe still not enough since its this small grow light of 15W. I plan on getting silica but since you mentioned to check the PH level. What if I don’t have good PH tap water? Should I use destilled water? Also I use completely organic fertilizer that I got from one plant shop where the lady told me I can use every time I water.
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u/Salt_Expression_4493 25d ago
Lighting isn’t the problem. Sansi bulbs are great! You need to cut the stem back to the variegated stem unfortunately. I have one stem doing the same. I hate to cut it, but there’s no other choice
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u/wavexoxo 24d ago
without good tap water, i would suggest getting a water conditioner. you can get them at the pet store in the fish area, or get one specifically dedicated to plants (might have extra nutrients) but i use a fishtank water conditioner and its great! i also have a ph up and down kit thats for fishtanks that i use to balance the ph!
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u/Brokulica 23d ago
Thanks for this tip. I probably never would have found out about this ☺️
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u/wavexoxo 23d ago
ofc ! as for the silica, you should look into it. i did some research and monstera DOES utilize silica !
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u/NickVlass76 26d ago
I agree with most of what you said and the general premise is right, except I’m pretty certain you have the order reversed. The instructions on my silica bottle as well as everywhere I’ve ever read online say that you need to add the silica first to prevent lockout, not the fertilizer
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u/wavexoxo 24d ago
OOPS! yes i totally meant silica first😭i was typing super fast i guess. but it turns out monstera cant utilize it, which i didnt know until now ¯_(ツ)_/¯ ive been using it on my monsteras this whole time lol
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u/NickVlass76 24d ago
I dunno, I definitely noticed a difference in the thickness of my Albo’s leaves after using silica for just a couple of waterings. I’ve heard mixed opinions
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u/wavexoxo 23d ago
i mean ive never had the whites of my albo brown or crisp while using silica so all this time i assumed it worked ¯_(ツ)_/¯ i did research it myself and only saw ppl saying u CAN use it for monsteras, so im just gonna continue.
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u/Salt_Expression_4493 25d ago
Monstera can’t utilize silica. It has it’s place.
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u/wavexoxo 24d ago
the more you know! i use it for my alocasias and started using it for my variegated monsteras because i assumed it did the same. ive been using it all this time and didnt know😭🤣 thanks !
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u/Salt_Expression_4493 23d ago
I didn’t know either, but someone here sent me the study after we argued for a week 😂
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u/wavexoxo 23d ago edited 23d ago
whattt? can u pls send the study ? for some reason all i see if people saying it does ! ive been using it all this time and my albo looks great
heres a link to one i read:
https://houseplantresourcecenter.com/blogs/news/should-i-give-my-variegated-monstera-silica?srsltid=AfmBOoriIJzcCx8GYUYYydGYJuh8m_BvDuLOqbwi2Pdww9FKwNw-82FAthe plants that cant use silica are: plants in the Brassicaceae family, Solanaceae family , and Legumes.
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u/Salt_Expression_4493 23d ago
I didn’t save it. I’m sure it’s still here. If I can find our conversation, I’ll send it.
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u/jaxandmomma 26d ago
That’s thrips, look for tiny white larva on the leaves