Your garden will feel complete after getting a Monstera Deliciosa plant. These large and exotic plants make a strong impression indoors. It is exciting to see your plants shooting new leaves, but Monstera takes too long to unfurl the new leaves.
This tight curling of new leaves is regular.
However, curling can also be a sign of underwatering, low humidity, pest infections, or heat stress.
Your plants are not just a source of decoration, but they also require a lot of care. Many factors will need your attention, and one such topic is the unfurling of Monstera leaves.
Do Monstera leaves grow bigger after unfurling?
Monstera leaves will not split after unfurling. Splits are present much before the unfurling takes place. Do not unfurl the leaves with your hands. Manual unfurling will make the leaves stunted, and they will not split anymore. So it is significant to keep your hands off the leaves and let them unfurl naturally.
The splitting of leaves depends on the age of your plant and how you take care of it.
Keep your plants in proper sunlight, water them well, and keep a check on pests. Processes like unfurling and splitting of leaves should not be forceful in any plant.
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How long does it take for a Monstera leaf to unfurl?
Monstera leaves can unfurl within the duration of 1 to 7 weeks. The rate of unfurling will be quicker when you provide a perfect environment and proper care to the plants.
Unfurling also depends on what kind of Monstera climber you have in your garden and how old the plant is. Some plants can unfurl the leaves in one week also when given proper care.
The time taken by a Monstera leaf to unfold depends on other factors like humidity level, watering frequency, pests, amount of sunlight received, age, and nutrition of the plant.
You can see the Monstera leaves unfurling in less than a week in somebody else’s garden.
But do not get disappointed if yours does not unfurl that quickly.
Every plant is different, and so it grows differently. Some of the leaves of the same plant may uncurl at a faster rate than the others. It is normal, and there is no need to worry about it.
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Reasons why Monstera plant leaves take time to unfurl?
Monstera species curl their leaves to reduce the surface area and transpiration. It is common in plants and indicates stress levels. Anything contributing to water loss can trigger leaf curling. Let us look at some causes of curling along with their remedies.
1. Underwatering
The leaves of your Monstera plants will curl up if you are not watering them enough. It is one of the primary reasons for leaf curling.
To investigate, check the soil, look for crispy leaf tips and edges, and signs of drooping. Lack of water will also make the pot much lighter than normal.
To resolve this issue, water your plants well. Try to soak the soil with water and let it drain out from the holes of the pots. Check out for dry soil in the plant pots regularly.
When from the top 1 to 2 inches of the soil feel dry to touch, water them. Check the soil dryness every one to two days.
The water needs of your plant depend on many factors, like plants’ growth rate, the season of the year, plant and pot size, temperature, and area humidity.
Change watering frequency according to these factors. Do you forget to water your plants? Set a reminder on your phone every few days to ensure watering regularly.
2. Pests
Monstera plants are susceptible to infestations and attacks by sap-suckers like spider mites, mealybugs, and thrips. These can suck the juices from plants and can feast on stems and foliage.
Pest attacks lead to water loss from plants which they cover up by curling the leaves.
The roots of plants can absorb enough water and nutrients from the soil, but the pests can deplete these nutrients before reaching the leaves. So although you water the soil well, leaves do not get it and result in their curling.
Inspect the top and undersides of leaves and stems closely to look for pests.
Many pests can get detected with naked eyes, and you may need to use a magnifying glass to find out about spider mites as they are too tiny.
Yellow spots or rings on leaves are a sign that a pest is feeding on your leaves.
3. Low humidity
Monstera is a tropical plant, and it might experience lower humidity levels in your house. Curling of leaves is a common response when humidity levels reach below 40%.
If your plant has problems solely due to humidity, it will not wilt. You can use a digital hygrometer to check the humidity in your house.
You can group the plants to raise the humidity levels.
Other ways of creating a humid microclimate are using a humidity tray under plants, using pebbles to make the pot sit just above the water level, and using a humidifier.
4. Heat Stress
High temperatures, especially a sudden change in weather, can lead to the curling up of leaves. Unreasonably hot weather is not perfect for Monstera plants and can cause problems.
Heat and airflow cause a plant to lose water very quickly. This rapid water loss causes leaves to curl up so that they can hold onto some water and reduce the surface area for transpiration.
You can encounter heat problems as the season changes.
There might be a need to change the plant location in the summer season to prevent direct sunlight.
So, react to the changing weather in the best possible way to maintain the health of your house plants.
5. Wrong pot
Monstera leaves curl up when the roots do not get enough space to grow.
Your plants might have grown up and are still in the same pot. In such a case, the roots cannot absorb sufficient water and nutrients from the soil, resulting in leaf curl.
Think of repotting all the house plants once in a while when they have grown large.
If the soil becomes dry within 1-2 days of watering, it is time to report and change the soil. Roots that come out of the drainage holes of pots are also an indication.
Check out our recommended pot here
6. Overwatering
Overwatering is the most serious cause of the curling of Monstera leaves. It can make your plant sticky, and such a thing is also a threat to other house plants.
The roots of plants can die due to constantly soggy soil.
The plant will not get the required nutrients resulting in wilting.
Due to overwatering, the soil will always look wet. Other signs that you can look for are yellowing of leaves, wilting of plants, curling of leaves, and brown tips on the leaves.
The best way to check for this issue is by examining the roots of plants. Lift the plant from the pot to check if the roots have rotted up. Rotten roots are black or brown and often have a decaying smell.
If the mushy roots are lesser, you can remove them and repot the plant. If almost all the roots get destroyed, then there are lesser chances of the plant surviving.
You can fix a problem related to the curling of leaves with ease.
All you need to do is address these issues correctly to ensure healthy plants in your house garden.
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Can you speed up the process?
Yes, you can speed up the process. Monstera plants need around 50% to 70% humidity, so you can help your plants unfurl their leaves by increasing the humidity levels.
These climber plants need indirect sunlight, so you can slightly increase the amount of light received. Another way in which you can do this is to enhance the temperature conditions around your plants.
Do Monstera leaves unfurl with holes?
The young leaves do not have holes. Leaves develop holes as they age. Monstera plants get mostly hidden from the sunlight, and the leaves need to perform photosynthesis.
Slotted leaves have a higher probability of catching rays than whole leaves. The young leaves live in the lower tier of the climbers, where light rarely reaches. So, holes are of no use in young leaves, and these get formed as they grow older.
Final Thoughts
All the passionate gardeners want Monstera plants in their house garden.
Although these plants provide a magnificent look to your indoor space, they also need a lot of care.
If you are much new to gardening, you need to learn about many requirements and processes of plants, the unfurling of leaves is one such factor that needs attention.
Unfurling should be done naturally, and you must keep your hands off the leaves.
It will take 1-2 weeks but this time can vary widely depending on plant type, environment, and care that you give to your plants.