The Monstera adansonii is a smaller relative of the insta-famous Monstera deliciosa and quite often mislabelled as Monstera obliqua, a much rarer family member.

With the right care, the cheese vine plant makes a great evergreen indoor houseplant. Because it doesn’t grow as fast and as big as the Monstera deliciosa, it is perfect for smaller spaces. Smaller size, but still a big impact.

It can climb or trail, therefore your Monstera adansonii is perfect to keep as an indoor hanging plant or on a shelf where it can cascade down.

Monstera adansonii Care Tips

Know the basics on how to best care for your Monstera adansonii and make it thrive. It’s not hard, but it does require a little attention.

Light

It is good to know where the Monstera adansonii originates from. What is the native habitat? Knowing this you can try and and mimic this for your plant in your home.

The Monstera adansonii comes from the jungles of Central and South America. In the wild, they grow on tree trunks under coverage of the foliage above. This means it is not used to being in the full-blown sun all day.

Therefore, you want to grow it in indirect sunlight. Put your plant near a window, but just out of the direct sun.

Read More: How to take care of indoor plants in the summer.

Watering

This is where it can get tricky. How often should you water your Monstera?

You can’t just set your alarm. Look at your plant. Are the leaves droopy? Before you do anything, stick your finger into the soil to see how wet or dry it is.

If the top inch of the soil feels just dry, water it. This jungle plant likes its soil to be a bit moist.

That being said, do make sure not to give your plant too much water. Don’t overwater. You’re watering too often if the top layer of soil does not get enough time to dry out and stays wet for several days at a time.

Overall, water and fertilize regularly throughout spring and summer. In winter no more fertilizer and reduce watering.

Humidity

Now we know that the Monstera adansonii comes from deep in the jungle. Therefore it makes sense that it thrives on very high humidity, and high temperatures.

Again, you want to set up the situation. Mimic the plant’s natural conditions. Warm and humid bathrooms or kitchens are a great place to keep your Monstera adansonii plant.

Otherwise, you should mist your plant frequently. Or set it on a humidity tray. You could also get a humidifier and place it near the plant to keep the humidity up.

When to repot a Monstera adansonii

When spring comes along, do a quick root check to see if your Monstera adansonii needs repotting.

Gently remove your plant from the pot, if needed tap the pot to loosen the soil and roots. Support the plant in one hand, and use your other hand to carefully take the pot off.

Look at the roots. Do they have room to grow, or are they circling and really root bound in the pot? If it’s the latter, it is repotting time.

Give your Monstera some well-draining soil mixed with plenty of perlite, and make sure the soil stays moist.