The Swiss Cheese plant has a variegated form called Monstera Aurea. It has identical gorgeous heavenly leaves, but the vibrant green foliage has yellow marbling, speckles, streaks, or stripes. Due to the low prevalence of this particular form of Monstera, it is regarded as scarce.
Although this plant is widely known as Monstera Aurea, it is also known as Monstera Aurea Marmorata, Monstera Borsigiana Aurea, Monstera Deliciosa Aurea, and other yellow-variegated Monsteras.
Like the Monstera Deliciosa, this plant has holes or splits in its leaves. Additionally, it is indigenous to the jungles of Central America’s tropical regions.
The Monstera Aurea can grow up to 10 to 15 feet tall and 8 feet broad when planted indoors. The plant will require some support to maintain those enormous leaves growing tall because of their size. Instead of a floor pot, it can also be grown in a hanging basket.
Monstera Aurea Care Tips
Although the Monstera Aurea is not a challenging plant to grow, it has particular demands that must be met to be happy and healthy. By making sure the plant has these needs, you will help to keep it from experiencing issues.
1. Position in light, drained soil
The Monstera Aurea requires organically rich, light-textured soil like most other tropical indoor plants. The soil’s pH should ideally range from 5 to 7.5. Using 1 part perlite, 1 part sphagnum moss, 1 part horticultural charcoal, and 3 parts orchid bark, you may create your potting soil for Monstera plants.
As an alternative to producing your growing media, you can buy high-quality potting soil made explicitly for tropical houseplants for your Monstera. Instead of being heavy and solid, the soil should be light and airy to allow extra water to drain freely.
2. Assure that the humidity is appropriate.
The Monstera Aurea requires more humidity because it is a native of rainforests. Ensure the plant has a humidity level of at least 65 percent for best results.
By placing your Monstera plant on a pebble tray or using a humidifier close by, the humidity in the air can be increased.
Simply place the Monstera Aurea on top of a shallow tray filled with tiny pebbles to create a pebble tray. When the plant is watered, extra water will drip into the pebble tray from the container. The humidity level in the Monstera plant area will rise due to water’s natural evaporation.
3. Retain a suitable temperature
As a native of tropical rainforests, the Monstera Aurea requires year-round sunshine and warm temperatures. Monstera may be cultivated outdoors in USA Plant Hardiness Zones 9B to 11. Other locations will require the plant to be brought indoors.
The Monstera Aurea prefers a room temperature of 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, ensure to keep it from harsh conditions, as temperature swings can lead to issues.
Placing the plant next to a front entrance or another area where it can suffer drafts are examples of indoor situations with extreme temperature variations.
4. Water when necessary
Your Monstera may swiftly deteriorate if you don’t water it properly. Waiting until the top two inches of soil are dry before watering is the best approach for ensuring the plant receives the right amount of moisture.
Although Monstera Aurea thrives in moist soil, excessive moisture can cause root rot and other fungus-related issues.
On the other hand, dry, droopy Monstera leaves and stunted development will result from not providing enough water. Therefore, it’s crucial to avoid drowning or overwatering the plant.
5. Give access to bright, indirect lighting
The Monstera Aurea thrives most effectively in environments with direct bright light. The leaves will seem bland and lose their variegation if too much sunlight or light beaming directly on the plant. On the other hand, a plant’s growth will be stunted by insufficient light.
The Monstera Aurea grows best close to an east-facing window where it may get bright, indirect light all day long.
Any window will suffice if you don’t have an east-facing window. To prevent your Monstera from getting burned by the sun, you must ensure the plant is not in direct sunlight.
6. Frequently fertilize
Applying fertilizer monthly will help the Monstera Aurea throughout its busy growing season. Use a slow-release fertilizer made for tropical or Monstera houseplants. Your Monstera should have the fertilizer applied around 6 inches from the base of the plant.
Never apply fertilizer to a plant during its dormant season, and strictly adhere to the application recommendations on the fertilizer’s label. Instead of using commercial fertilizer on your indoor plants, think about amending the soil with organic materials.
Eggshells, spent coffee grounds, green tea leaves, and banana peels are all examples of green household waste that can help your indoor plants grow without the usage of fertilizers from the store.
7. Repotted occasionally
Repotting the Monstera Aurea is good if the plant has outgrown its current container. A Monstera that is root-bound can cause issues for your plant. However, remember that you should repot the plant frequently because it dislikes replacing its current growth container.
Repotting should only be done if a plant is too small for its container or if it is urgently needed due to an accident or excessive watering.
To ensure that your Monstera has enough room to grow, choose a pot about 2 inches larger than the old one. Remember to always repot in new potting soil as well. When transferring it from the old pot to the new pot, take care not to injure any roots.
8. Propagate if required
Making a new plant from a Monstera Aurea cutting is the process of propagation, which is fantastic for growing your (or someone else’s) collection of plants.
Cutting a 4 to 6-inch stem off the plant and ensuring it has a node and a few healthy leaves will do the trick. If you’d instead grow your Monstera cutting in water, place it node side down into a pot with potting soil.
Another advantage of propagation is that it’s a terrific technique to increase the number of plants you have while also helping to control the growth of your Monstera Aurea. You can present your friends and family the Monstera Aurea cuttings as lovely and considerate gifts.
9. Remove damaged leaves by pruning (or more, if you wish)
Regular trimming is not necessary for the Monstera Aurea, although you might need to remove any damaged or dead leaves.
Always use a set of pruning shears that are fresh and sharp when removing leaves. Additionally, any leaves taken off the plant should be thrown away right away rather than being allowed to rest on the soil’s surface.
If you prune the Monstera Aurea, be careful not to take more than a quarter of the foliage out at once.
As your Monstera will eventually produce new leaves, trimming less than that is fine and even beneficial for the plant. However, going over that limit might hinder the plant’s growth and endanger its life.
Given that this plant doesn’t respond well to vigorous pruning, it is preferable to prune the Monstera Aurea lightly.
10. Examine and eliminate pests
The Monstera Aurea can occasionally encounter pests like other tropical indoor plants. Most of the pests you’ll encounter on Monstera can be readily controlled, which is good news. You can even take the required actions to stop them from happening again.
The most frequent pests you’ll probably encounter here are thrips, mealybugs, and spider mites on your Monstera.
Although annoying, these bugs usually won’t harm the Monstera Aurea too much if discovered in time.
Simply spray insecticidal soap or horticultural oil on the entire plant, including the leaves underside, if you discover these insects on your plant.
11. Manage illnesses
Root rot, which happens when the plant’s roots become water-logged, is the most prevalent illness that can impact your Monstera Aurea.
Avoid overwatering the plant as it is the best approach to avoid this issue. The plant should be planted in a pot with drainage holes at the bottom and in well-draining soil.
It might be challenging to rescue a Monstera Aurea once the plant has root rot. Any dead roots will need to be pulled out, and new soil will need to be added to the plant’s pot.
Preventing your Monstera from being overwatered in the first place is your best line of protection against rot and waterlogged soil.
Stability of Monstera Aurea
Because the Monstera Aurea is stable variegation, it won’t return to being plain. Having said that, poor maintenance may be to blame if your Monstera Aurea starts to lose its variegation.
Both inadequate lighting and excessive watering can prevent the plant from producing those coveted variegated leaves.
The Monstera Albo is the most well-known non-stable Monstera variegation. Not all Monstera variegations are stable. The plant can then stop producing variegated leaves and start producing solely leaves that are solid green.
Thanks to its stability, the Monstera Aurea will continue to produce gorgeous variegated foliage for many years.
Non-stable cultivars might occasionally be more challenging to produce because various factors can make their variegations disappear.
This frequently discourages gardeners from growing the plant, making it more difficult to find and expensive. However, growing a non-stable Monstera variegation can be ideal for gardeners who want a challenge.
Can Monstera Aurea go back?
It won’t revert because Monstera Aurea is a stable variety of Monstera plants. This indicates that the plant will continue to produce its yellow variegation rather than returning to generating only green leaves.
Having said that, some circumstances can make the Aurea lose its variegation.
If you find that the leaves of your Monstera Aurea are beginning to turn brown, you might have a lighting issue on your hands.
The most frequent reason for variegation loss in stable varieties is a lack of chlorophyll. Thankfully, this issue may be solved by just giving the plant extra light.
But remember that once the leaf has lost its variegation, it cannot be regained. This implies that the leaves that aren’t variegated won’t suddenly turn into them. The good news is that future leaves will have that appealing variegation once the issue is fixed.
