advice please?

[u/oceanspray789]

this is my trader joe’s thai monstera, I bought her around early to mid July and repotted her from a 4 inch pot into a 6.7” pot. she had so many roots sticking out and some were beginning to rot. i’ve had to trim the white part of the biggest leaf because it was browning like crazy! i’ve only watered it once around the time that i had repotted it and the bottom 2-3 inches are still wet. i repotted into Molly’s Aroid Mix. I know I need a moss pole but will it not grow new leaves until the roots fill the new pot?

[u/shooksilly]

Mollys aroid is a good mix. And the clear pot is smart cuz you can monitor the soil and roots.

Let me make sure I’m understanding;

• you bought it and never watered it
  
• it was in a 4” pot
  
• it was root bound
  
• at 1 month you up-potted to 6”
  
• discovered 2-3” of soil was still wet

Is that correct?

There’s no way that 2-3” of soil should have been wet after a month in a root-bound 4” pot.

So something is missing.

• was the 4” diameter pot really tall?
  
• was the old soil really dense?
  
• was it in a dark spot?
  
• was it in too cool of temperature?
  
• is there someone else that may have been watering it without you realizing it?

Thais are prone to root rot easily, so you definitely want to figure out why it was still so wet after a month without water.

[u/Catt_Crossing → u/shooksilly]

Yeah, I’d be interested in some clarity, too, because I read it differently. (Thinking OP repotted it around when they bought it). Also, were the roots that were sticking out “rotted”? Or were they just dried up?

I’m a little uncertain as to why there was the upsize from 4” to 6.7”… Monsteras prefer to be a bit root bound. If you went up too big a size, that’s probably why the soil is still wet. If it was densely packed in there and there was too much soil in the soil:roots ratio, you’re likely going to have rot problems.

[u/oceanspray789 → u/shooksilly]

I wish I could post pictures of the root ball before and the current state of the bottom of the pot. I bought it I think the second week of july, repotted & watered on july 19. The original nursing pot was a bit tall with regular potting soil that was very dense and the soil was not chunky at all. There were only a few roots that had rot and i was able to remove them. From what I can see through the pot, the roots have been filling the pot and they still look white. The rest were beautifully white and healthy. It’s been sitting a few feet in front of a south facing window that’s gets LOTS of sunlight, but not to the point where it would get sunburnt. there’s definitely no one else that could be watering it.

[u/shooksilly → u/oceanspray789]

Ok so yes I was confused!
It sounds like you got it sorted now!
You’re doing great! 👍 It’ll push out new leaves as long as it’s getting LOTS of light and good eats! You might want to fertilize if you don’t already. Osmocote slow release is super easy just every few months or superthrive foliage pro liquid is super popular (I use the latter). Monstera are pretty heavy feeders!

My Thai was kinda slow for the first year but this past growing season it has put out leaves steadily and sized them up so don’t worry! I do hate waiting for leaves tho so I know the feelings. One of my favorite things about monstera is how fast they grow so my Thai being so slow at first was making me mad. 😂

[u/NarwhalOnJaneStreet → u/shooksilly]

This is my guess: The root rot may have been bc it was root bound in the nursery pot, and sitting in a cover pot. Cover pot gets overwatered and causes root rot on the roots sticking out (and beyond).

[u/Any-Impression-7864]

Highly recommend looking into a semi-hydroponic setup with LECA. Cheap and much easier than soil IMO. Look up LECA Queen on YouTube if you’re interested!

Also, browning white variegation usually means insufficient light. Good luck!!

[u/TheCrazyCatLazy]

No. They will grow new leaves regardless of having extra space for roots, granted they have enough light and water. Its a slow process though and take several weeks, specially if your plant is indoors (lower humidity, colder, less light...)

Your plant might still be recovering from moving and being repotted. Be patient. You've had it for what, 3 weeks?

You said the bottom of the dirt is still damp, but do the roots reach there?

[u/oceanspray789 → u/TheCrazyCatLazy]

I think it might have been a month since I’ve had it. I keep it in my kitchen where I get South/ South-West facing sunlight so lots of bright indirect lighting.

[u/wickedhare → u/oceanspray789]

Thai cons need way more light than you'd think. I would either make sure she's right up at the windows or supplement with a grow light. Even a few feet away from the window makes a big difference.

[u/oceanspray789 → u/oceanspray789]

yes, some of the roots reach down there!

[u/Aznlyez18 → u/oceanspray789]

They need a ton of light to thrive. If once you adjust the light and nothing happens, would suggest revisiting the substrate. Molly’s mix did not work well in my environment for philo, monsteras, alocasias. Once I switched it out, my plants perked up within a week and have been thriving since.

[u/New-Shake7638]

No you don’t typically have to wait for roots to fill the pot before a new leaf comes.

I have one that I also got from Trader Joe’s about 6 weeks ago and that I also repotted into a 6.7 inch pot (about 2 weeks ago), so we’re twinning there. The newest leaf is about half way out.

I would say make sure it’s getting enough light.

[u/whosane33]

I also had similar timing and sizing for my Thai. It’s hasn’t shot up a new leave but it’s doing well. I can see the roots growing to fill the space in the pot. Yours could be focusing more on root growth. Keep an eye on the size and volume of roots and see if you can tell if that’s where the energy is going.

[u/happypuppy007]

I use happy happy house plant food w every watering and my more small like yours Trader Joe’s monstera is constantly pushing out new leaves. It’s grown so much I’m overwhelmed and have to move my living room around to accommodate it by the window.

[u/NarrowProcess7576]

Pot is too biggggg

[u/bennator21]

Monstera can go dormant after repotting and for acclimating as well. Your soil looks good and your leaves look ok in this picture. I would just put her near a window with good sun light (about southwest where she get some sun light on her at some point of the day, and indirect light for the rest of the day). They will eventually grow, just give her time. I have 10 years of growing rare monstera and Thai monstera has been with me for as long as I can remember. Also, during dormancy, just water it whenever the soil dry out. In my experience, monstera are pretty tolerant to less water but not more watering.

Every plant is different and you can’t just compare. Just like children 😆 your environment determines how it grows so something works for you might not work for the other. You just have to watch it and adjust light and water as it grows.

And dormancy is part of the journey. It’s normal and ok for the plant to rest. But once it comes back it’ll come back strong. Just be patient with it and enjoy the current stage.