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If you’re familiar with the monster plant, you can tell that it has a strong impact on any indoor space. Taking care of these leaves is not difficult, but sometimes, there are some common problems that the monstera plant encounter, like the curling of the monstera leaves.
Monstera leaves curling is a popular sign of either low humidity or underwatering. Apart from these reasons, there are several reasons why these leaves curl, like heat stress, over watering, an infestation of pests, and also root bounding of the monstera.
In this article, we will be guiding you on the reasons why these leaves curl in dept and provide you with effective solutions to control this problem.
Monstera Leaves Curling
Many of you who harbor plants might have already been familiar with cases like curling, and there have to be reasons and solutions to this problem, some of which I will be listing here.
Please hold on.
See Also: Monstera Leaves Not Splitting
Causes And Solutions to Curling Monstera Leaves
1. Underwatering
Underwatering is one of the major reasons why monstera leaves curl because if you have not been watering your plants enough, they would respond by curling their leaves.
Underwatering should be the first thing you check for in this scenario, and for you to do that, you should check for dry soil, brown leaves with crispy edges, and there should also be some signs of drooping.
How to Fix it
The solution to this case is simple, all you have to do is give your monstera plant a thorough watering until the soil cannot hold water. After that has been done, you do not just stop there; ensure that you check your monstera plant regularly to check for conditions of dryness and foliage of the soil.
2. Low Humidity
you got most of these popular house plants we place in our homes from tropical rainforests where there is consistent temperature and a high humidity level. Our homes tend to be drier than these rainforests; hence, the dryness of the plants will result in them curling in response.
Although monstera plants are a bit more resistant to low humidity, they cannot survive under a humidity level of 40%, and typical symptoms that these leaves begin to show off are leaf curling and brown leaf tips.
You might be unsure of it the curling of these leaves is due to low humidity or underwatering but to settle this, check the soil, and if it is damp; it is most likely to be underwatering, and then make use of a hygrometer or a thermometer to check the plant and if it is below 40%; it is most likely to be low humidity.
How to Fix
There are many ways in which you can increase the humidity of your soil. A few of them include using a pebble tray, making use of a plastic bag to cover your plants, placing them in the bathroom where there is a high amount of humidity, grouping your plants, so they transpire close to each other, and lastly but not least, make use of a humidifier.
3. Pests
Monster plants are not very susceptible to household plant pests, but from time to time, they suffer from household sap suckers like mealy bugs and thrips, which suck on the saps and also affect the foliage and stems.
After these saps have been sucked, the monstera leaves start curling, and although these plants absorb ample nutrients and water from the soil, these pests suck it all out before it gets to the periphery of the leaves.
How to Fix
The best option to curb this is to watch these leaves from the up to the underside closely and inspect for any pests and pick them up by themselves. You would spot most of these pests if you pay attention to them closely, but a few, like the spider mites, are missed from time to time.
To determine if pests have been feeding on your plants, you would see yellow spots that create a ring-like or irregular pattern that shows that pests have been feeding on your plants.
If you suspect a major pest problem, then pickling these pests couldn’t be the solution; instead, you should isolate the affected plants from the rest because one plant being infected is bad, but when it spreads, that’s where the real problem comes in.
To be on the safer side, when you get a new plant, you should isolate it from the rest for about 10 days, and when you are sure that they are 100% okay, you can add them on board with the old ones.
4. Heat Stress
Just like low humidity can lead to leaves curling, a high amount of heat can also lead to its curling.
So, during the heating season or when you are moving your monstera plant through a hot bath, the heat will dry up the water from these plants, and in response, their leaves start to curl to hold on to the little water that’s left.
How to Fix
You should bear in mind that the change in season tends to affect these household plants, and since summer affects the monstera plant, you should keep an eye out for it more during that period.
To control this change during this period, you should ensure that you water your plants regularly; the major aim is to ensure that it has enough water.
5. Unsuitable Pots
Another reason why your monstera leaves are curling is being placed in an inappropriate pot. Your leaves must have overgrown their flowerpot, and the roots must have gotten bigger, so it uses up all the water that has been given fast.
In this case, your plants have become rootbound, making it difficult to meet the plants watering needs. If the soil around the plant feels so dry after just two days when it is watered, it is proof that it cannot retain enough moisture and needs repotting.
How to Fix
Repot your plant in a pot with more space, providing your plant with more space for new roots to grow into. By doing this, you are not only solving the curling problem, but you will also create room for more nutrients to be passed down to the plant.
Conclusion
Monstera leaves curling is usually a sign of a problem that you can always curb. All you need to do is check your plant for the problem it might be facing, and then you can fix it without stress too much.
With a dedicated amount of time and thought, you can come up with what is wrong with your plant and make changes to it.