Monstera

Its architectural qualities, ease of cultivation, and tolerance of a wide range of conditions make it widely cultivated indoors. For this reason it is a popular plant for the home or office throughout the temperate northern hemisphere. It prefers bright indirect light and temperatures of 20–30 °C (68–86 °F). It is usually watered when the soil has slightly dried out (after around one or two weeks). It requires a well-draining, peat-based soil to thrive, such as a soil made with perlite and pieces of bark. Flowering is rare when grown indoors. In the UK Monstera deliciosa and the cultivar 'Variegata' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Monstera deliciosa is commonly grown outdoors as an ornamental plant in the tropics and subtropics. The plant requires a lot of space and a rich and loose soil (ideally garden soil and compost in equal parts). If it grows in the ground it is better to plant it near a tree, where it can climb, if not against a trellis. It is a "moderately greedy plant", in that it needs to be watered just to keep the soil slightly moist. Its hardiness is 11 (that is to say the coldest at −1 °C or 30 °F). It cannot withstand these temperatures for more than a few hours, but it can live outside in certain temperate regions (Mediterranean coast, Brittany). A steady minimum temperature of at least 13–15 °C (55–59 °F) is preferable, allowing continuous growth. Growth ceases below 10 °C (50 °F) and it is killed by frost. It needs very bright exposure, but not full sun. Forcing a M. deliciosa to flower outside of its typical tropical habitat proves to be difficult. Specific conditions need to be met for the plant to flower. However, in its tropical and subtropical habitat, the plant flowers easily. In ideal conditions it flowers about three years after planting. The plant can be propagated by taking cuttings of a mature plant or by air layering. Indoor cultivation Its architectural qualities, ease of cultivation, and tolerance of a wide range of conditions make it widely cultivated indoors. For this reason it is a popular plant for the home or office throughout the temperate northern hemisphere. It prefers bright indirect light and temperatures of 20–30 °C (68–86 °F). It is usually watered when the soil has slightly dried out (after around one or two weeks). It requires a well-draining, peat-based soil to thrive, such as a soil made with perlite and pieces of bark. Flowering is rare when grown indoors. In the UK Monstera deliciosa and the cultivar 'Variegata' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.