advice on a monsterous houseplant

From: William Perez <wpz at sprynet.com> on 1998.12.16 at 04:02:57(2827) I have come across a monstera that needs desperate help, and I'm not sure what to do so I'm seeking advice from all the experts. A friend of mine has had a monstera for a little over twenty years in the same ten inch pot. It has never been fertilized and has never been repotted. The soil mix is grey concrete! I don't know what was used (the plant came with the house), but it looks to me like whoever owned this plant before my friend used garden soil. It is grey and impenetrable, I can't even believe that water makes it through this thing. It's a sad little thing, but remarkable for having the tenacity to hold on to life. It actually does not look like it's suffering, but it is the runtiest thing you ever did see. I want to help it reach its full glory but am afraid that in my efforts to bring it back it will die. After all, if it ain't broke.... I had three thoughts. One would be to put the whole thing in a bigger pot with brand new soil and let the roots brave the new world. I'm afraid though that when watered, and my friend is in the habit of watering it when she vaguely remembers that there is a plant in the house, the water will percolate around the old soil and not into it. My second thought would be to venture into a long term project in which over the course of over a few months, maybe even a year, I slowly reintroduce some new soil. Third, is air layering. Can monsteras be air-layered? I figured I would try that and, if roots were produced, I could repot that portion without severing it from the parent plant. That way there would be two pots and one monstera. This is because traditional propagation is out of the question as far as my friend is concerned. Even though it would be identical she feels that after twenty years the plant has built up enough of a soul that a clone would just be an empty twin. Don't ask. So what is the best course of action? And I thank you all for taking the time to answer my amateurish questions. William Perez +More >

From: "Julius Boos" <ju-bo at email.msn.com> on 1998.12.16 at 15:10:42(2830) >>It's a sad little thing, but remarkable for having the tenacity to hold on to life. It actually does not look like it's suffering, but it is the runtiest thing you ever did see. I want to help it reach its full glory but am afraid that in my efforts to bring it back it will die. +More After all, if it ain't broke....< They are the masochists of the plant world!! >I had three thoughts. One would be to put the whole thing in a bigger pot with brand new soil and let the roots brave the new world. I'm afraid though that when watered, and my friend is in the habit of watering it when she vaguely remembers that there is a plant in the house, the water will percolate around the old soil and not into it.<< I`d choose this option, and try to break off a little (actually as much as I could) of the old soil. Try putting a little of those gel granules in and around the old soil ball, they will tend to "hold" water close to the old soil. The new roots should estadlish themselves into the new soil. Till they do, BEG your friend to remember to water it!!!!!!!! My second thought would be to venture into a long term project in which over the course of over a few months, maybe even a year, I slowly reintroduce some new soil. Third, is air layering. Can monsteras be air-layered? I figured I would try that and, if roots were produced, I could repot that portion without severing it from the parent plant. That way there would be two pots and one monstera. This is because traditional propagation is out of the question as far as my friend is concerned. Even though it would be identical she feels that after twenty years the plant has built up enough of a soul that a clone would just be an empty twin. Don't ask.<< Won`t. Good luck whichever way you choose to go, and have a happy holiday!! So what is the best course of action? And I thank you all for taking the time to answer my amateurish questions. William Perez< Cheers, Julius >

From: plantnut at macconnect.com (Dewey Fisk) on 1998.12.16 at 15:42:41(2831) William, I think I might take the simple approach... Take some wet spaghnum moss in a small soup bowl. Place next to the plant with at least one node laying on the moss. The plant will root in the moss. The bowl should hold enough water to hold over with infrequent waterings. After it is rooted in the spaghnum, it can be cut and a second plant should flourish. The rooted cutting may not have a soul but it should grow better.... Dewey +More Dewey E. Fisk, Plant Nut THE PHILODENDRON PHREAQUE Your Source for Tropical Araceae

From: PHILSCHERER <71211.2545 at compuserve.com> on 1998.12.16 at 15:53:18(2832) Hi William Perez -- Another thought regarding your monstera. You might ju= st soak the whole pot in a large tub of water to loosen the soil and them wa= sh it off and repot. I believe Monsteras are secondary hemi-epiphite which essentially means that they start on the ground, climb trees, and sever contact with the ground at times as they clamber through the canopy. l>

From: goroff at idcnet.com (Iza & Carol Goroff) on 1998.12.16 at 19:07:01(2833) Monsteras are easily air layered. However, my suggestion is to place the rootball (with plant attached) in a bucket of water in the hope that the soil will eventually fall off of the roots and repot into a larger pot with a peat perlite based compost. Perhaps one of the commercial root stimulating products could be used, although that probably is not necessary. Iza Goroff +More Whitewater Wisconsin >The soil mix is grey concrete! I don't know what was used >(the plant came with the house), but it looks to me like whoever owned >this plant before my friend used garden soil. It is grey and >impenetrable, I can't even believe that water makes it through this >thing.

From: Piabinha at aol.com on 1998.12.16 at 19:14:15(2834) william, since you asked an "amateurish" question, here goes an amateur's answer :-) since monstera is an epiphyte, you can try to get it to climb up a pole of osmunda fiber, sphagnum-covered branch etc. once it establishes by growing roots up this pole, you can sever the potted portion and voila, a rejuvenated plant with new roots with a more "natural" habit. btw, a kind soul (kevin martyn) in this list sent me cuttings of the variegated monstera a few months ago. it's still growing very well in water. another option, if there is aereal growth with roots, is to cut it off and root it in moist sphagnum or water. +More tsuh yang chen, nyc (where the Anthurium gracile won't stop fruiting)

From: William Perez <wpz at sprynet.com> on 1998.12.19 at 05:53:17(2846) > Thank you all for the advice. It seems to me that monstera is just another > aspidistra or snake plant but, of course, with a little more character. So, it being the indestructible little monster that it is I think I will try a few of the suggestions, all at the same time. I'm going to play with this plant and see what I can come up with. I can't wait! Stay tuned... +More Thanks, William

From: hermine <hermine at endangeredspecies.com> on 1998.12.19 at 17:12:26(2847) At 11:53 PM 12/18/98 -0600, William Perez wrote: >> Thank you all for the advice. It seems to me that monstera is just another >> aspidistra or snake plant but, of course, with a little more character. +More > Did somebody say SNAKE PLANT? The Sansevieria, to which I have pledged my life? and perceives it to be a plant of little character? aye, there will be a keel hauling tonight, i fear. hermine

From: William Perez <wpz at sprynet.com> on 1998.12.20 at 01:31:29(2849) hermine wrote: > At 11:53 PM 12/18/98 -0600, William Perez wrote: > >> Thank you all for the advice. It seems to me that monstera is just another > >> aspidistra or snake plant but, of course, with a little more character. +More > > > Did somebody say SNAKE PLANT? The Sansevieria, to which I have pledged my > life? and perceives it to be a plant of little character? aye, there will > be a keel hauling tonight, i fear. > > hermine Oops! Sorry, Hermine. In fact I love Sansevieria as well as Aspidistra. What would my apartment be without them?? William

From: hermine <hermine at endangeredspecies.com> on 1998.12.20 at 03:19:50(2850) >> > >> Did somebody say SNAKE PLANT? The Sansevieria, to which I have pledged my >> life? and perceives it to be a plant of little character? aye, there will +More >> be a keel hauling tonight, i fear. >> >> hermine > >Oops! Sorry, Hermine. In fact I love Sansevieria as well as Aspidistra. What >would my apartment be without them?? > >William The ASPIDISTRA! so many variegated forms! and they ask for so little! (sobbing now)! but yes, they are not aroids, this is true. I do not know as I would have the STRENGTH to deal with picky aroids if i could not fall back on my durable Sansevierias and variegated Aspidistras! Especially since we were lulled foolishly by a balmy early winter, only to feel the Winter of my Discontent land in the unheated greenhouse. this is the sound of me pulling out my hair, put your head up close to the monitor, as I must use tweezers. We did not get our heating system turned on or...it lacks a necessary organ. something. i am in mild to horrid despair. hermine > >

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