If you don't have much time...
Light: bright, indirect light
Water: water thoroughly when soil is about half way dry, allow excess to drain away.
Humidity: Enjoys high humidity
Food: Feed every second time you water in spring and summer
General info
The Monstera Deliciosa is probably the most iconic house plant, famous for the holes in their leaves, which explains the nickname 'Swiss Cheese Plant'. These holes are called fenestrations, and as the plant matures, new leaves will have more fenestrations. It is totally normal for the small baby leaves on a younger plant to not have holes.
The Monstera Deliciosa is native to Central America, formally discovered by the botanical world in the 20th century but known to indigenous peoples long before. It is part of Araceae - the Aroid family, they are one of the few Aroids that produce edible fruit, 'deliciosa' references the deliciousness of the fruit produced by the plant! Sadly, they rarely flower or produce any fruit when grown indoors.
Care info
Bright light lover
Happiest in medium to bright indirect light. Direct sunlight will scorch the leaves but too shady and the plant will grow much slower and produce smaller leaves.
Go for a bright room but spots that get direct sunlight all day.
Forgiving when it comes to water
From my experience, the Monstera Deliciosa is very drought tolerant. Water only when the soil is dry roughly half way down the pot or more, depending on how much light the plant receives this may be every 1-3 weeks. Avoid overwatering - this means water thoroughly but not too regularly, 'little and often' is not a good approach.
I like to occasionally put my Monstera in the shower and give it a good rinse and water whilst there. This cleans the leaves whilst giving it a thorough water. Always allow the excess water to drain out the bottom of the pot before you place it back into the decorative pot.
Jungle humidity
Normal household humidity will be fine, but they are jungle plants so do enjoy higher humidity conditions in the wild so if you want to give them optimum conditions it is beneficial to increase humidity. You can do this by misting the plant regularly, keeping the plant in a bathroom, or using a humidifier.
Give them a feed
Is it always a good idea to feed your plants during their growing season, this is usually throughout spring and summer. I would usually feed my Monstera Deliciosa every second time I water it, this usually works out about once a month. You can get the perfect houseplant food here.
Not too cold
Happiest between 18-30°C, avoid dropping below 15°C.
Repotting
Your Monstera will probably need repotting every 1-2 years, in my experience the are pretty fast growing so every year is more likely. It is best to repot in Spring and only do so if the plant has outgrown it's current pot ie roots protruding out the bottom of the pot.
Increase the pot size by around 2 inches in diameter, you don't want to give the plant too much space because this can lead to root rot.
Use a well draining potting mix, they like lots of air around their roots. Our Perfect Potting Mix is a perfect match for the Monstera Deliciosa.
Pearls of wisdom
Don't panic if the small leaves at the bottom of the plant go yellow and die off, these are the oldest leaves on the plant from when the plant was smaller and it is normal for these to die as new leaves come in. These smaller leaves are not 'baby leaves' that will grow bigger, the new leaves that come in will be bigger in size as the plant matures.
Common Problems Diagnosed
Yellowing leaves, wet soil, black stems? Overwatered.
Leaves turning brown or crispy at the edges? Likely underwatered
Not growing? Probably not getting enough light
The Monstera is general pretty pest free, but it is always good to check your plant regularly for pests, if you see any bugs on the leaves, wipe all the leaves down, treat with a pesticide such as neem oil, and quarantine away from your other plants until you are sure they are all gone.