Okay, here’s my blog post about whether Monstera plants need light, written from my personal experience:
So, I got this Monstera a while back – you know, the one with the cool split leaves? I thought, “Okay, this is gonna be easy. Just water it sometimes, right?” Wrong! I started noticing the leaves weren’t getting those signature splits, and the whole plant just looked kinda… sad.
My first mistake? Sticking it in a dim corner. I figured, “It’s a houseplant, it doesn’t need that much light.” Turns out, I was totally off base. Monsteras are tropical plants, and even though they can tolerate low light, they definitely won’t thrive in it.
My Experiment (aka “Operation Save My Monstera”)
I decided to move my Monstera to a few different spots to see what worked best. Here’s the breakdown:
- Spot #1: The Dark Corner (aka the “Before” picture)
- Result: Sad, leggy growth. No new splits. The plant basically just sat there, looking pathetic.
- Spot #2: Right Next to a North-Facing Window
- Result: A little better. Some new growth, but still not much in the way of splits. It was an improvement, but not amazing.
- Spot #3: A Few Feet Away from an East-Facing Window
- Result:BINGO!This is where the magic started to happen.
It started putting out new leaves with splits! The whole plant just looked perkier and * was like a whole new plant,It was clear that this spot, with its bright, indirect light, was the sweet spot.
What I Learned
Monstera plants definitely need light, and lots of it, but not direct sunlight!.Think “bright, but filtered.” An east-facing window is great, or a spot a few feet back from a south or west-facing window (you might need a sheer curtain to diffuse the light if it’s too intense). If the light is very strong,the leaves might start burning.
I’m no plant expert, just someone who’s learned from trial and error (and a lot of Googling). But from my experience, giving your Monstera the right amount of light is the key to getting those gorgeous, iconic leaves.
