Monstera plant: black spots and leaves that won’t unwrap

[ab2020]

Hello!
My monstera plant is big and keeps growing, you can see a new leaf sprouting in one of the pictures, but I’m having some trouble with it recently and I’m wondering if it’s sick and what to do about it. You can see that there are dark brown spots forming on some of the leafs. Should I cut off those leaves? Is it fungal? Also, the new leaves don’t unwrap fully. Half of the leave usually stays wrapped up and then gets black areas and dies. You can see this in the pictures. I would greatly appreciate any advice on the black spots and on the leaves that don’t unwrap fully. The monsters gets partial sunlight. I water it heavily, but only about once every week or week and a half. I added some new soil to the top recently and repotted it a few months ago, but I haven’t been fertilizing it. My house is not noticeably damp or dry and none of my other houseplants show similar spots.

Thank you for your help!
A

 

[oneeye]

When you added extra soil you increased the water holding capacity in the roots zone. Too much water for too long of a period of time will cut off the oxygen needed in the roots. If you continued to water as before then the roots will stay wet too long and cause the brown spots on the leaves. Let the soil dry a little extra before watering and the spots should stop. You can prune the leaves with the spots off because they won't get better and won't hurt the plant.

 

[ab2020]

When you added extra soil you increased the water holding capacity in the roots zone. Too much water for too long of a period of time will cut off the oxygen needed in the roots. If you continued to water as before then the roots will stay wet too long and cause the brown spots on the leaves. Let the soil dry a little extra before watering and the spots should stop. You can prune the leaves with the spots off because they won't get better and won't hurt the plant.

Hey there! Thank so much. So should I just water it with longer intervals in between and let it really dry out, or should I repot it back into something smaller? And is there benefit to cutting off the leaves, like will it spread if I don't? Also if you have any suggestions on how to best cut them off (if needed), I'd appreciate it!

 

[oneeye]

If you could gently remove the excess soil without damaging the roots it would be best. Monstera like to have compact roots that are restricted in their containers. However if you want to try to wing it with what you have now, then you need to allow the soil to dry well between waterings. One way I water freshly transplanted plants in large pot, is to only water the inside of the container and leave the outside a little dry for a period of time, while the plant gets used to larger root zone. I just water inside the large container in the middle only leaving the outer edges dry. When the roots fill the container in a few months then water the whole container. You don't have to cut the leaves unless you want to for appearance. Make your cuts at the base of the plant not leaving any kind of stub. You can root monstera leaves in water.

 

[oneeye]

This is what i'm talking about by placing a small plant in a large container of potting soil, but only watering the small root ball inside and leaving the outer edges dry for a while. This way you don't flood the roots of a small plant with too much water. With this method you can transplant small plants into large pots and slowly introduce them to a larger volume of water. It can take 4 weeks before the plant fills up the larger container and take a full watering.. .

 

[The Growing Plants]

This is what i'm talking about by placing a small plant in a large container of potting soil, but only watering the small root ball inside and leaving the outer edges dry for a while. This way you don't flood the roots of a small plant with too much water. With this method you can transplant small plants into large pots and slowly introduce them to a larger volume of water. It can take 4 weeks before the plant fills up the larger container and take a full watering.. .

I love the idea! this way you don't have to worry about repotting it and slowing your plant's growth every time you move it out of its pot... Have you had any trouble with root rot using that method?