The simple answer is no. Drooping Monstera leaves are repairable, and if you address the problem as quickly as possible, your Monstera should recover to full health.
Drooping Monstera leaves are generally an indication of a minor issue that may be easily solved.
Be sure to take a good look at the plant, paying particular attention to the leaves and soil, before making any assumptions about its care or environment.
With a little time and effort, you should be able to accurately pinpoint the reason of Monstera leaves drooping, enabling you to make some modifications to restore your plant’s health.
Once you have relocated or changed the care of your monstera, keep a close eye on how the leaves are changing to ensure that it is beginning to appear a bit healthier.
Read More: Monstera Leaves Care – A Complete Guide
Table of Contents
Should I Consider Pruning my Monstera?
Why does my Monstera need pruning?
There are three primary reasons why you should prune your Monstera plant on a regular basis even if you don’t want to:
- Pruning eliminates dead leaves that are no longer contributing to photosynthesis but are still using nutrients and water resources. Cutting these leaves means that more energy can be used to support healthy foliage and new growth.
- It is easy for Monstera to become untidy because of its quick growth; however, by cutting the damaged leaves, you may prevent the disease or pest from spreading to other sections of the plant.
How often should you prune?
The frequency with which you prune your Monstera will vary according on its age and size. A young Monstera will typically need cutting once a year.
To maintain a uniform shape, a mature and thicker Monstera plant may need to be cut regularly.
Other Monstera species, such as Monstera Adansonii, Siltepecana, and Peru, grow more quicker than Monstera Deliciosa. You may need to cut them monthly.
How to PruneYour Monstera?
Before you prune off your Monstera plant leaves, consider the following:
- Pruning the Monstera leaves should be done in the early spring.
- Prepare the necessary tools.
- Find the Monstera nodes.
- Plan ahead of time and select where to make cuts.
- If necessary, cut the aerial roots.
If you wish to propagate your Monstera cuttings, you should cut at least 2 inches below the node using a clean and sharp shear. Instead of cutting below the node, remove diseased and dead leaves by cutting above the node.
Prune in early Spring
Cutting off your Monstera leaves is best done in early spring, before the plant begins to grow. This is the time of year when the days get longer and the plants may recover more quickly from cutting damage.
Cutting off your Monstera leaves should be avoided in the fall and early winter when your Monstera is about to go into dormancy. There is just not enough sunshine to support photosynthesis, which is necessary to drive growth and heal pruning damage.
Prepare the tools needed
When pruning your Mpnstera leaves, ensure you have the following materials on hand:
● Sharp pruning shears or knife.
● Thick gloves.
You’ll need easy-to-grasp shears with a sharp blade to cut off your Monstera leaves.
Pruning using dull scissors may result in rough, incorrect cuts that shred the stems, resulting in bigger wounds that take longer to heal.
Keep in mind! Before you start cutting your Monstera plant, ensure you disinfect all tools to stop diseases from passing across.
Make sure to wear gloves because the Monstera plant has sap that can make your skin hurt.
Identify the Monstera nodes
Identifying the node at which you want to cut your plant is a critical step before beginning any pruning.
Aerial roots, new leaves, and stems emerge from the Monstera’s nodes.
You may locate your Monstera nodes by checking for spots on the stems that are lighter and risen higher than most of the other parts of the stem.
Although a node may just have one leaf emerging from it, many huge plants have multiple leaves emerging from a single node.
Plan and Decide where to cut
In order to propagate a Monstera, you must cut the internode at least two inches below the node. In this way, new roots can form.
Remember that when you cut below a node, you leave a part of stem that cannot develop new stems or leaves.
- A clean cut above the node is preferable when shaping plants or removing dying leaves. Regrowth will follow the same path.
- By cutting at an angle of 45 degrees rather than straight through, more surface area is created, which increases water absorption.
- Avoid cutting the plant too much, since every cut causes a wound.
If your plant is unmanageable, cut the most productive nodes with a lot of leaves and stems growing out of them. In this way, you can remove a lot without putting your plant at risk of getting sick or getting shocked.
Should you cut the aerial roots?
Unlike underground roots, aerial roots grow above the ground.
Aerial roots are utilized in nature to help Monstera climb bigger trees so that it may obtain more light in the top canopy.
They may grow to be exceedingly lengthy and do not have a pleasing look. Trimming them is an option if they’ve gotten out of control.
When removing aerial roots, be careful to cut them as near to the node without actually destroying the node. A deep cut may result in damage to the node or stem, which may increase the risk of disease.
What to do with pruned leaves?
After you have cut your Monstera leaves, you might reuse the cuttings for various applications such as propagating them or utilizing dead leaves to generate compost.
Propagate your cuttings
Making a new plant from an old plant’s cuttings is known as propagation.
Cuttings may be rooted either in soil or water. Which approach you pick is often determined by your own preferences.
As a personal preference, I prefer propagating my Monstera cuttings in water so that I can keep track of how big the roots are and whether they are rotting.
Make sure that the cutting is not overwatered if you intend to plant it in soil. Overwatering can cause bacteria and mold to grow, which can be harmful or fatal to your plant cutting.
Conclusion
Should I cut off drooping monstera leaves?
You should not cut off your drooping Monstera leaves, It tends to be a solvable problem if caught early so I wouldn’t worry too much.
Lack of water is the most common reason of Monstera leaf drooping. They want their soil to remain somewhat damp at all times. “
Overwatering, inadequate lighting, fertilizer issues, pests, and transplant stress are all possible reasons. The first step in restoring your plant is to figure out what’s wrong with it.
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