Mini Monstera

Mini Monstera (Rhaphidophora tetrasperma) gives you the split leaf look of a swiss cheese plant at a size an apartment can actually carry. Trained up a moss pole it climbs to around 2m tall while staying about 60cm wide, so it fills a corner without taking the room. It grows fast, forgives neglect and looks established within a season.

Why you'll love it

• Split leaves at a sensible scale. The deeply cut foliage reads like a monstera on a plant with a 60cm footprint.
• It moves quickly. In warm weather expect a new leaf every two to three weeks, which is rare in an indoor plant.
• Genuinely low maintenance. It tolerates a missed watering and needs no misting or humidifier to look good.
• It climbs where you point it. Aerial roots grip a moss pole or coir totem, and the leaves get larger the higher it climbs.

Where it works best

Indoors. This is the main use, and indoors your climate stops mattering, which counts for a plant this frost tender.

Pots and containers. A 250mm to 300mm pot with a pole set in at potting time is the right start. Trying to add a pole later disturbs roots.

Balconies and courtyards. Outdoors it needs a warm, frost free, sheltered position, so it is a tropical and subtropical option only. Elsewhere, move the pot inside before winter.

Growing Mini Monstera in Australia

Position and climate. Bright indirect light gives the fastest growth and the deepest leaf splits. Low light slows it and produces smaller, unsplit leaves, while hot sun through glass scorches them.

Soil. A chunky aroid mix of potting mix opened up with bark, perlite and coir. Straight potting mix holds too much water around the roots, the most common reason these fail.

Water and feed. Water once the top 3cm to 5cm of mix is dry, then drain the saucer properly. Feed a half strength liquid fertiliser fortnightly from spring to autumn, and stop over winter.

Pruning. Cut a vine back to just above a node whenever it outgrows its space, and the plant branches from there. Those cuttings root readily in water, so a single plant becomes several.

What to expect when it arrives

We grow it in two sizes: a tube, and 200mm pots sold in packs of six. A tube is a young plant with a few small leaves that are often still unsplit, and it will fill a 200mm pot within a season or two. The 200mm plants are established and ready to go straight onto a pole in a decorative pot, which suits a group planting or a set of gifts.

Aroids travel well, though a curled leaf or two after transit is normal. Leave it somewhere bright and indirect for a week before the first water. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95, minimum order of $300 before delivery, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Our monstera care guide covers the same light and watering principles
• How to keep your indoor plants alive
• Browse the full indoor plant range
• More climbing plants

Common questions

Is it actually a monstera?

No. It is a Rhaphidophora, a separate genus that happens to produce similar split leaves, and the name has simply stuck. Care is close enough that monstera advice applies.

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

No. The sap contains calcium oxalate crystals that irritate the mouth and stomach of cats and dogs, and it can irritate skin when you prune. Keep it out of reach of pets that chew foliage.

Why are the new leaves not splitting?

Usually not enough light, or nothing to climb. Move it brighter and give it a moss pole, since the plant only produces its mature split leaves once it is climbing.

Does it have to have a moss pole?

Not strictly. Left to trail from a shelf it stays a smaller leaved vine, but it will not reach 2m or develop its best foliage without support.