Why are my leaves turning yellow?

Yellowing leaves are often a sign of overwatering or poor drainage.

Does it need direct sunlight?

No, it prefers bright, indirect light to maintain its vibrant green color.

Plant guide

Swiss Cheese Plant.

Monstera adansonii adansonii

Pronounced mon-STAIR-uh ad-an-SO-nee-eye

Also known as Adanson's monstera

Monstera adansonii — Photo by chrisdt (CC BY) via gbif

This charming vining plant is famous for the unique holes in its leaves. It is a fantastic choice if you want a tropical look in your home. It grows quickly and loves to climb.

Another photo of Swiss Cheese Plant — Photo by Francis Pérez (CC BY) via iNaturalist

At a glance

Care level: Easy
Plant type: Tropical vine
Light: Bright indirect light is best.
Indoor light: Bright indirect
Water: Every 7 to 10 days
Mature size: 3 to 8 feet indoors
Growth rate: Fast
Hardiness: USDA 10 to 12
Bloom time: Rarely in home settings, usually late spring to summer

Care

Keep the soil consistently moist but never soggy. Watch for yellowing leaves which often signal overwatering. Provide a moss pole to encourage larger leaf growth.

Watering: Water when the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch.
Feeding: Feed with a balanced liquid fertilizer during the growing season.
Pruning: Trim back long stems to keep the plant bushy and tidy.
Repotting: Repot when the roots start growing out of the drainage holes.
Soil: Well draining aroid mix
Soil pH: 5.5 to 7.0
Temperature: 15 to 27°C
Humidity: 60 to 90%
Drought tolerance: Low
Lifespan: Perennial, typically 5 to 10 years with proper care.
Deer and rabbits: Moderate

Signs it needs repotting

Roots growing out of the drainage holes.
Water running straight through the pot without soaking in.
The plant stops growing despite good light and care.

Safety

People: This plant is toxic to humans if ingested and can cause skin irritation upon contact with sap.
Pets: This plant is toxic to cats and dogs if ingested.
Children: Keep this plant out of reach of children as ingestion of any part can cause painful swelling and difficulty swallowing.
Contact allergens: The sap contains calcium oxalate crystals that can cause skin irritation or rashes.
Airborne allergens: There is no significant evidence of respiratory allergies associated with this plant.
Edibility: The plant contains calcium oxalate crystals which cause severe mouth and throat irritation if ingested.

How to identify it

Heart shaped leaves with holes
Deep green leaf color
Vining growth habit
Textured leaf surface

Height: 1 to 3m
Spread: 0.3 to 0.6m
Leaves: dark green, evergreen
Flowers: cream, white, 5 to 10cm
Fruit: green, yellow, Rarely produced in cultivation

Problems to watch for

Brown Leaf EdgesCommon
Fungus GnatsCommon
Root RotCommon
Spider MitesCommon
ChlorosisUncommon
MealybugsUncommon
Scale InsectsUncommon
ThripsUncommon

By symptom

Check your swiss cheese plant from a photo

Pocket Botanist looks at a photo of your plant and tells you what's wrong and what to try first.

Growing it

Propagation: cuttings, division
When to plant: spring, summer
Overwintering: Bring the plant indoors if you keep it outside during summer. Keep it away from cold drafts and reduce watering slightly as growth slows in winter.
In containers: It grows very well in pots and looks excellent in hanging baskets, provided the container has drainage holes.

Stem Cuttings

1. Identify a stem with at least one node and a healthy leaf.
2. Use clean shears to cut just below the node.
3. Place the cutting in a jar of water or directly into moist potting mix.
4. Keep in bright, indirect light until roots develop.

Group tropical plants together to create a microclimate that naturally increases local humidity.

Grows well with

Peace Lily — They share similar humidity and light requirements.
Philodendron — Both are vining tropical plants that thrive in the same environment.

Similar species

Monstera deliciosa — A larger relative with much bigger, split leaves.
Epipremnum aureum — A common vining houseplant with similar care needs.

Science

Family: Araceae
Genus: Monstera
Order: Alismatales
Class: Liliopsida
Native range: Central and South America
Conservation: Not currently listed as endangered, but wild collection should be avoided to protect local populations.

It grows as an epiphyte in tropical rainforests, using its aerial roots to climb trees toward the canopy light.

Value to wildlife: nectar source
Pollinators: bees, beetles
Uses: houseplant, hanging basket, indoor climber

Through the year

JFMAMJJASOND

Flowering

Fruiting

Foliage

Ecological indicators

Salinity: 2/9
Soil reaction: 6/9
Light: 5/9
Temperature: 7/9
Moisture: 6/9
Nutrients: 5/9

Taxonomy resolved against GBIF.

Questions people ask

Why are my leaves turning yellow?: Yellowing leaves are often a sign of overwatering or poor drainage.
Does it need direct sunlight?: No, it prefers bright, indirect light to maintain its vibrant green color.

Where the name comes from

The name Monstera refers to the unusual, monstrous appearance of the leaves, while adansonii honors the French botanist Michel Adanson.

Good to know

It is often called the Swiss Cheese Vine due to its unique leaf holes.
This plant is a vining epiphyte that naturally climbs trees in the wild.
It grows much faster when given a moss pole to climb.

Also in

Plants toxic to cats and dogs

Keep your swiss cheese plant growing

This page is a general guide. Save your plant in Pocket Botanist and you get care reminders timed for this plant, plus a care history that shows what worked.

Get the app

This guide was generated with AI and checked against GBIF taxonomy. It is general information, not horticultural or veterinary advice. Read about how we build these guides.