Monstera plants grow as vines but you can encourage a fuller, denser plant with more leaves by pruning them regularly. Trim the plant back to a healthy node and remove the cutting. You can replant the cutting into the same pot to give it a fuller look or repot it into its own pot for a new plant. Monstera vines can be trained up a grow pole to allow the leaves to reach more light and grow large.
Monstera deliciosa plants will continue to grow long from a single stem. They can grow to over 30 feet wide if they are outdoors in warm, humid conditions. For indoor monstera plants, you can stop them reaching for the sky by trimming them off once they reach the desired height.
The plant will then put more energy into growing large leaves on the existing stems and maintain their current height. You can also train your monstera up a grow pole to grow it denser and bushier. Grow poles help the leaves and stems receive more light and will grow stronger.
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This article will explore easy tips to grow a dense, healthy monstera plant.
How to grow dense, healthy monstera plants – 3 Tips
Here are my top tips to grow a healthy and dense monstera plant at home. These tips will help you to grow more branches in one pot, and stop them from growing long and leggy.
1. Prune regularly
Pruning is important to stop monstera plants from growing endlessly long vines. If left alone, monsteras will grow longer and longer, with leaves growing along the stem. To stop the plant from growing long and falling over you can trim the stem when it has reached the desired height.
Prune the monstera plants in spring and cut the stem just below a growth node with clean secateurs. The cutting can be placed in water to sprout new roots and be planted out in 4-6 weeks.
2. Plant more than one cutting in a pot
Another key to grow a dense, healthy monstera is to grow more than 1 cutting in a pot. Each cutting will grow into its own vine with leaves growing up the stem. Lots of stems means lots of leaves and a denser, fuller plant.
You can even add a new cutting to a monstera plant in an established pot. Just make sure there is enough room to fit the cutting without disturbing the roots of the original monstera.
3. Give them space up a grow pole
A grow pole is the perfect way to encourage monstera plants to grow taller and denser. Training monstera plants up a grow pole will give the stems and leaves more light helping them to grow larger and the plant to grow fuller.
Place grow poles in the soil next to the stem of the plant gently. Make sure you don’t push the pole into any major roots. You can also take the opportunity to repot the plant and place the grow pole next to the root system. Backfill with soil and water it in well.
Encourage the plant to attach to the grow pole with its aerial roots. Use soft cloth or plant ties to keep the stem attached to the grow pole.
Check out grow poles on Amazon here.
How to prune monstera to make it bushier
Pruning monstera to decrease its height and make it bushier is easy. Once the branch has reached the length you want, simply cut it off just below the node, where ethe next leaf join is.
The secret to a bushy monstera plant is actually growing multiple stem cuttings in the one pot. Most pots will come with a single stem cutting that branches out into 2 branches. More stem cuttings will mean that you can grow more leaves in one area.
Monsteras will grow well in a tight pot with other stem cuttings. You can even add a new stem cutting to an old pot to make it look denser.
I like to sprout my stem cuttings in water first, making sure they have an aerial root. I will let them grow roots in water for around 4 weeks and then transfer them to potting soil. You can make a small hole in your current monstera pot and place the cutting in.
Make sure your monstera is growing in good quality potting soil and is watered regularly. Move it to a larger pot if you can’t fit the additional cutting.
Monstera plants will grow best if they are watered regularly and allowed to dry between watering. They need a good quality indoor plant food to give them the nutrients they need to grow lots of leaves. Feed them at the start of spring and fall to keep them growing dense.
Light is important for good monstera growth and to prevent them from growing long, thin stems which bend over. Monstera plants that become leggy can fall over and slow their growth.
For more on this check out my previous article here: How to Fix a Leggy Monstera Deliciosa | 4 Easy Steps to Save Your Plant
How to make Monstera stand up
Monstera plants will get heavier as their stems get longer. Outdoor plants will usually bend right over to touch the soil or will find a wall to climb up to stop the stems from breaking.
Indoor monstera plants will need support if you want them to stand up tall as they are growing. Grow poles are perfect for this. They are usually wooden poles that are covered in coconut coir which is perfect for the aerial roots to grip onto.
You can train your plant to grow up the pole and its aerial roots will wrap around and even grow into the coconut coir. You can water the grow pole to help the plant to absorb extra water.
How to keep a monstera bushier
To keep your monstera bushier it is important to regularly prune your plant. Monsteras are vines that will continue to grow from the ends reaching up longer and longer. Prune monstera plants in spring and do not remove more than 1/3 of the leaves at any one time.
Monstera plants will recover quicker if they do not have too many leaves removed at any one time.
Outdoor monstera plants will send long vines along the ground or up walls and grow leaves along the branch. They will also grow roots along the stems which will reach into the soil to help to stabilize the plant and to absorb water and nutrients.
To keep outdoor monstera plants from taking over the space, trim them regularly at the ends of the vines once they have reached the seize you are looking for,
How to Get a Monstera to Branch | Summary
Monstera plants grow as long vines so will not naturally branch off. You can however grow a dense monstera by growing multiple cuttings in one pot, trimming off long vines and growing them up a coconut coir pole.
Monstera plants will grow more leaves if they are watered well, fed with a slow release indoor plant food in spring and fall and are positioned in bright filtered light for at least 6 hours a day.
I am an accredited practicing dietitian, experienced gardener and a dedicated cook. I love writing and sharing my experience so you can learn from my successes and mistakes.