Want that tropical forest look inside your home?

Introducing Monstera deliciosa, or the Swiss Cheese Plant to add an exotic touch to your surroundings.

Gardening has been rising to be among top hobbies of millennials globally until COVID-19 hit the world earlier this year. And in lockdown, gardening has become even more popular as it connects people with nature and lets people pursue their passion for plants staying at home.

Indoor plants of all kinds are currently a rage among gardeners and the more exotic the plant, the more popular they seem to become.  

The tropical plant, Monstera deliciosa, native to Mexico and Panama is an epiphyte that in its natural environs grows upon trees is among the sought-after indoor plants though naturally, it grows wild in forests. 

Monstera deliciosa is among the most popular plants globally for its unusual leaves and showy appearance. It is also very used widely in design and prints with large perforated foliage you may have seen could very well be those of a Monstera deliciosa plant.

Monstera deliciosa has large, green, perforated leaves with the holes in the leaves resembling those in Swiss cheese, giving the plant the name, the Swiss-cheese plant. 

The Swiss cheese plant's another name is Mexican Breadfruit as its fruits resemble an ear of corn, though smaller in size, with a flavour of pineapple, banana and mango.

Its leathery, glossy and heart-shaped leaves complement a wide range of spaces and imbue a green look to a corner.

The word Monstera in the name of the plant refers to its ability to grow tall with large leaves as some specimens reach a hundred foot in height with leaves that are two to three feet in length and width. 

There is no consensus on why Monstera deliciosa leaves have large holes or perforations on them. One reason is that the apertures maximise the area for capturing sunlight when a plant grows in the shade below canopies of forest trees. Another reason is that the perforations let water pass through rains, giving Monstera deliciosa one of its many names, the Hurricane Plant.

Its architectural qualities, ease of cultivation, and tolerance of a wide range of conditions make it an ideal plant for indoor gardening, making Monstera deliciosa is a popular plant for the home or office.

Be forewarned though, Montera deliciosa is a poisonous plant and eating the unripe fruit or leaves causes irritation to people and pets. 

If you want to grow a Monstera deliciosa at home, please note that the plant needs a warm and humid environment, regular watering and mild sunlight. In forests, Monstera deliciosa grows as an epiphyte with its roots clutching to the bark of trees the plant grows on.  

At homes, Monstera deliciosa needs a trellis or rough wall to grow and as support, if you plan to let the plant grow aerially. 

In gardens, Monstera deliciosa can climb on trees and in such planting, the plant can keep growing on the tree and develop large leaves. The plant can flower and bear fruits only outdoors, and if the growing environment is warm and humid.

As the plant is now trendy, it is available in planters of different sizes at plant nurseries. For apartments with small spaces, the smaller sized, Monstera deliciosa plants are the right choice. Retaining a Monstera deliciosa in a small plant and pruning the plant helps to keep the space requirements of the plant to the minimum.  

Do note that the typical perforations of the plant appear only in larger plants, which have more than five leaves. So, if you want the typical Monstera deliciosa plant with perforated leaves, either buy a plant with such leaves to start with or grow and transplant your plant from a nursery into a larger pot.

Cutting leaves of Monstera deliciosa and placing them in water in clear glass vases also is a good idea for interior decoration. 

Leaves from pruning of a Monstera deliciosa plant can remain green in water for four weeks if you keep changing the water regularly to prevent it from spoilage. The plant can be propagated by taking cuttings of a mature plant or by air layering.

At Rustomjee Urbania, we have an extensive collection of Monstera deliciosa plants at the podium level of Azziano Phase II. These plants were planted in 2019 and are still not too large. 

When bigger they will be quite a sight as the planting has more than fifty plants.   

Urbania township also has Monstera deliciosa growing on trees in front of Azziano Phase I. Inside the fencing that is adjacent to the water pipeline there are Monstera deliciosa that are growing on some trees. Keep an eye out for these Monstera deliciosa plants as they are likely to keep growing tall and with large leaves.

For the coming monsoon, if you want to give an exotic look to your apartment, do think of growing a Monstera deliciosa plant. 

It is an easy to grow plant that likes warm, humid environments and is available in a different size to suit your space and budget. The plant needs minimal care, including watering and is rarely affected by any plant pests. To keep Monstera deliciosa compact at your home, minimise the nutrient feed, and thus the plant remains small and manageable.

Some of the members of Urbania Gardening group already grow Monstera deliciosa plants at their homes. Today, we start the weekly Urbania Gardening hour in which we help our group members to learn about plant care.  

Today's weekly session on Zoom shall have a video tutorial on all aspects of growing Monstera deliciosa including plant selection, space selection, care and maintenance.  

In our weekly online meetings, Urbania Gardening Hour shall also have demonstrations of gardening methods and solutions to the plant problems that our group members have.  

Like I said at the start, gardening is a hobby that is becoming even more popular in lockdown and Urbania Gardening group members' interest in their hobby is evidence of such a phenomenon.