You bought the Monstera.
It was beautiful. Big green leaves. Maybe a few fenestrations already showing. You found the perfect spot for it, gave it some water, stepped back and admired your newest plant friend.
Then one day...
Yellow leaf.
😐
And just like that, you're standing over the pot examining soil moisture, Googling symptoms, checking roots, moving it closer to the window, moving it away from the window, and wondering what exactly you did to offend this plant.
Welcome to Monstera ownership. 😂
The good news? A struggling Monstera usually isn't being mysterious just for the sake of being dramatic. Changes in its leaves, growth, soil, and overall appearance can give you clues about what it needs.
The trick is learning how to read those clues before changing five things at once.
So before you grab the watering can—or start an emergency repot—let's talk about seven common reasons your Monstera may be struggling.
1. Yellow Leaves Don't Automatically Mean “Overwatered”
We have to start here because somewhere along the way, the plant community collectively decided:
Yellow leaf = too much water.
Not always.
An older lower leaf occasionally yellowing can simply be part of the plant's natural aging process. But multiple yellowing leaves can point toward several possible issues, including excessive moisture, insufficient light, nutrient problems, root stress, or a plant becoming root-bound.
Instead of diagnosing your Monstera from the color yellow alone, look at the whole plant.
- Is the soil still wet several days after watering?
- Are multiple leaves yellowing at once?
- Is the newest growth affected, or only an older bottom leaf?
- Are the leaves yellow and drooping?
- Has anything recently changed—lighting, location, temperature, watering, or repotting?
Think of the yellow leaf as your Monstera saying:
“Hey...something changed.”
Your job is figuring out what.
🌱 Rooted Tip
Don't treat the symptom before identifying the cause.
Cutting off a yellow leaf may improve how the plant looks, but it doesn't correct whatever made that leaf yellow in the first place.
2. You're Watering the Calendar Instead of the Plant
“Water every seven days.”
Sounds convenient.
Your Monstera, unfortunately, did not receive that calendar invite. 😂
How quickly potting media dries can change based on light, temperature, humidity, pot size, plant size, airflow, season, and the type of substrate you're using.
That's why a rigid schedule can get people into trouble.
For Monstera deliciosa, Penn State Extension recommends watering thoroughly and then allowing roughly the upper 1–2 inches of the potting mix to dry before watering again. They also recommend a well-draining mix; prolonged excessive moisture can contribute to root rot.
So instead of:
“It's Sunday. Time to water.”
Try:
“It's Sunday. Time to check.”
Check the soil first.
If it's still noticeably moist, your plant might not need anything yet.
🌱 Rooted Tip
A watering routine is useful.
A watering deadline isn't.
Check consistently. Water based on what the plant and soil are telling you.
3. Your Monstera May Need More Light Than You Think
Monsteras are often marketed as plants that can tolerate lower-light spaces.
And technically...they can survive in less-than-perfect lighting.
But there's a difference between surviving and thriving.
Monsteras naturally grow as climbing tropical plants and perform well indoors with bright light while avoiding harsh direct exposure that can scorch foliage. Insufficient light can contribute to stretched, leggy growth.
So if your Monstera is:
- Producing increasingly small leaves
- Stretching toward a window
- Growing long distances between leaves
- Growing extremely slowly
- Producing immature-looking foliage despite getting larger
...take another look at its light.
And here's one people miss:
“It's next to a window” doesn't automatically mean it's receiving enough usable light.
Direction, distance from the glass, curtains, trees outside, neighboring buildings, and seasonal changes can make a huge difference.
🌱 Rooted Tip
Watch how your plant grows toward the light, not just where you've placed it.
Plants are surprisingly good at snitching on bad placement. 😂
4. The Pot Might Be Working Against You
Sometimes the plant is fine.
The container is the problem.
A pot that's dramatically oversized compared with the root system can hold more moisture than the plant is able to use quickly. Combine that with dense potting media or poor drainage and you've created a root zone that stays wet for a long time.
And Monstera roots don't want to sit around permanently soaked.
Good drainage matters for container plants because prolonged water saturation reduces oxygen around the roots and can contribute to root decline and disease.
On the opposite end, a severely root-bound Monstera can also struggle because there is less available soil to hold moisture and support the plant.
The goal isn't:
“Big plant = gigantic pot.”
It's a container appropriately sized for the root system, with drainage and a substrate that allows a healthy balance of moisture and air.
5. You Repotted It Yesterday. Give It a Minute. 😂
This is where loving your plant can accidentally turn into bothering your plant.
You repot it.
A leaf droops.
You panic.
So you move it.
Then water it again.
Then add fertilizer.
Then check the roots.
Then repot it again.
At that point the Monstera is probably thinking:
“Could you please stop helping me?”
After a major change, watch the plant before immediately changing several more variables.
A little temporary drooping after its roots have been disturbed doesn't automatically mean something catastrophic has happened. What matters is whether the plant begins stabilizing or whether symptoms continue to worsen.
And if things are getting worse, that's when you investigate further.
🌱 Rooted Tip
When troubleshooting, change one major thing at a time whenever possible.
Otherwise, even if your plant improves, you won't know which change actually helped.
6. “Where Are My Fenestrations?!”
Ahhh yes.
The question every Monstera owner eventually asks. 😂
Those signature splits and openings are called fenestrations, and juvenile Monstera leaves naturally begin smaller and more intact. As the plant matures, its leaves can become much larger and develop the characteristic openings and cuts associated with mature Monsteras.
So if you purchased a young Monstera and its newest leaf doesn't look like something hanging in a botanical garden...
Your plant isn't broken.
Give it time.
Light, maturity, growing conditions, and the plant's climbing habit all matter. Providing sturdy support also makes sense because Monstera deliciosa is naturally a climbing vine that uses aerial roots to attach itself as it grows.
A moss pole, plank, trellis, or other sturdy support can give it somewhere to go besides:
sideways across your entire living room.
Because given enough time, it absolutely will try. 😂
7. Sometimes You Actually Need to Check the Roots
Notice we saved this one for last.
That's intentional.
Every imperfect leaf does not require yanking the plant out of its pot.
But if your Monstera has persistent yellowing, declining growth, wilting despite wet soil, or soil that remains saturated for an unusually long time, checking the root system may be justified.
Healthy roots should generally feel firm. Root-rot symptoms can include darkened, soft or limp roots, loss of healthy root tips, yellowing foliage, reduced vigor, and slowed growth.
If you discover damaged roots, correcting the conditions that caused the problem matters just as much as removing unhealthy tissue.
Otherwise...
fresh pot + same problem = same problem in a fresh pot.
Before You Give Up on Your Monstera...
One struggling leaf doesn't mean you're bad at plants.
And one rough season doesn't mean your Monstera is finished.
Plant care is less about memorizing a perfect schedule and more about learning to observe.
Check the soil.
Look at the roots when there's a reason to.
Pay attention to new growth.
Notice how quickly the pot dries.
Watch where the plant reaches for light.
And most importantly, resist the urge to change everything at once.
Your Monstera doesn't need perfection.
It needs consistency, observation, and a little patience.
And sometimes?
It just needs you to put the watering can down. 😂🪴
At En’Joi Plant Haven, we believe understanding your plants is part of learning to En’Joi them. That's what Rooted Conversations is all about—talking honestly about plant care, plant culture, the occasional plant struggle, and everything growing in between.
Rooted in Quality... Grown with Care.
🌱 Keep the Conversation Growing
Have a Monstera problem we didn't cover?
Or maybe yours is thriving and you've learned something the hard way?
We'd love to hear about it.
Because every plant has a story—and sometimes the best advice comes from plant friends growing right alongside us.
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