Hi All!, I have two Monstera's that I have had for a year. About 5-6 months ago I re-potted them because the soil they had come in was rock solid to the point that I could not poke holes into the soil with a wood skewer. I took them to the kitchen sink to run water over the plastic pot and dirt and used my hands to remove the old dirt after the water finally loosen it up. At the time I noticed that for such a large plant I didn't think there was much root to the plant. Any how I used a combination of moisture control dirt and orchid potting mix. For months after that I watched my poor babies become sad, but the remained green and new leaves arrived. Mid May, so almost 2 months ago one of the pots knocked over and that is when I noticed that the plant has maybe just 1 inch roots left on. Thinking it got root rot I gave it new soil and I have since just left them alone. My question is any opinions or suggestions on what I can do? Should I leave them alone? Could I add some rooting hormone to the little roots? Should I remove them from dirt and put them in water to root? Should I cut off the leaves that are all sad? Some of the leaves have recently started to brown and yellow and I am just so concerned. Thank you everyone :)
Yes, I'd guess too little roots to support plants of that size. I'd like to see what other folks suggest as remedies--it'd be a shame to have to cut back to rebalance it, so hopefully there are other solutions.
I don't know much about this, but I would say no to putting it in water - the water roots are not the same as what it needs in soil. And you may as well cut off unattractive leaves - they will not green up. Also, you know that the oldest leaves will always die off, right? There should always be some leaves dying and new leaves growing. Those bands holding up the stems - make sure that you keep loosening them as the stems fatten up or more stems are added. I haven't seen that done before, but maybe it's a thing and the plants are happy enough to be grown like that. And there are drainage holes in the bottom of that pot?
The plants are clearly in distress; the leaves are wilting and the lower stems are shrivelling. You have noted there is little root mass to speak of. So with that and knowing the nature of this plant I would attempt to encourage the growth of aerial roots using air layering on stem sections higher up that are still in fairly good condition. Pack selected nodes with sphagnum moss and keep it constantly moist. Normally a cut is made just under the node but I'm not sure that should be done in this case. If you don't make a cut then you're not committing yourself in case the lower portion makes a miraculous recovery. Perhaps other can jump in with their opinion. Also, I would loosen the ties as they're cutting into the stems as can be seen in the fourth photo. Consider using a better support system for the long term.
