In this guide you'll learn: How & where to buy the monstera acuminata, how to care for your plant and answers to FAQs to keep your plant happy
About the monstera acuminata
The Monstera acuminata is a tropical climbing plant similar to the Monstera adansonii, with smooth, thin green leaves that are fenestrated (with splits / holes) and slightly smaller, darker and more oval leaves than the adansonii.Â
This beautiful plant quickly climbs up trees in its tropical jungle habitat, and still grows quickly indoors when given a trellis or moss pole and the right growing conditions. Like other Monsteras, it uses aerial roots to latch onto surfaces and the leaves grow larger and more fenestrated as it climbs upwards.
This plant will do well indoors and can bring a sense of the jungle to your home or office because of its unique and beautifully-odd foliage. It likes humidity and bright, indirect sunlight, which may need to be considered if your planned location does not suit your plant.
If this is the plant for you, it is a little difficult to find available online, so check out our buyers guide towards the end of this article.
Monstera acuminata in the House & Office
While it’s probably not the best option as your very first plant, most beginners should be able to manage with the acuminata.
The main concern is humidity, as many offices and homes are not perfectly suitable to a thin-leaved tropical plant and some effort to raise the humidity above 50% should be made before bringing this plant to its home.
An ideal spot could be in a bathroom or kitchen, where regular use of kettles, showers and taps help to increase the local humidity, but you can also group it with other plants to achieve a slightly higher humidity too.
Grown indoors, it will thrive in a bright spot near a window with indirect light, but should be kept away from the direct and harsh light near a south-facing window, which may scorch the leaves of your Monstera plant.
Luckily, this plant is easy to grow in almost any location, but can quickly grow tall with new growth if given perfect conditions.Â
In the office this serves as a perfect conversation starter, as the leaves look almost alien to anyone who isn’t well versed in tropical foliage plants.
Monstera acuminata Size
Height: 30-90cm / 12-36in / 1-3ft
Spread: 30cm / 12in / 1ft
Monstera acuminata Care
Light: The monstera acuminata needs bright light, but should never be given direct light. Bright indirect light is found within a few feet of north, east or west facing windows. For south facing windows, keep your plant at least 5-6 feet away, and move it further away if it seems unhappy.
Soil:Â Your plant will be happiest in soil that drains really easily, but still retains some moisture. A chunky mix of potting mix with perlite, coco coir, charcoal, orchid bark and worm castings will help to retain the right level of moisture that won’t cause root rot. Sphagnum moss can be used to retain moisture if needed.
Watering:Â The acuminata will need to be watered at least once per week or more often in most situations, but you can determine when to water by inserting a finger 1-2 inches into the soil – if it is dry, it will need some water, but if the soil sticks to your finger then it can wait at least another couple of days.
Humidity:Â The level of humidity is a large concern and levels under 50% may cause leaf edge burn where the plant transpires (“sweats”) water too quickly. Ideally, keep humidity levels above 60%. You can increase the humidity by grouping it with other plants, misting it daily, using a humidifier, or by setting the pot on top of a shall tray of water and pebbles.
Feeding: Only feed during the spring and summer growing seasons, and with a regular houseplant fertiliser just once or twice per month.
Temperature: As a tropical plant, it likes heat, but will do fine in most indoor temperatures. It thrives at 18-27°C / 64-80°F’. It can certainly survive at lower temperatures but you should ensure that it doesn’t get too cold, and is moved further from cold windows during the winter.
Ailments:Â Yellow leaves could indicate either over watering, or over feeding, so you should cut back on whichever you are doing most often. Leaf edge burn suggests a lack of humidity so you should do what you can to increase it. Overall leaf browning could suggest that the plant receives too much direct light, so should be moved a little further away from the window.Â
Growing Surface: A moist moss pole will allow your plant to climb, just like it would in the wild where it climbs trees at the rainforest floor. As it climbs, the leaves will grow larger and more impressive.
Further care:Â We are producing a more thorough guide to care for the Monstera acuminata which you can read here.
Where To Buy Monstera acuminata online
- Ebay (UK) / (USA)
- Etsy
- Bloombox Club (UK) / (USA)
- Local Facebook Groups
While it is a rare plant in the wild, it is getting increasingly more common in plant stores and garden centres, and many online retailers which specialise in uncommon plants now have it available to purchase.
Why not head to eBay and Etsy where you can find a wide variety of plants to choose from. Make sure to check out the positive reviews and see if there is a reliable return policy in place before making your purchase.
If you’re unfortunate enough to receive an unhealthy plant, make sure not to bring it into the home garden and instead contact the retailer for a refund. By doing this, you’ll help prevent any further damage or spread of pests.
FAQs
Is Monstera acuminata rare?
This epiphytic plant is very rare in the wild, often found growing on trees in Central and South American rainforests. As a houseplant, it is getting easier to find online but it still realatively unknown.
What’s the difference between Monstera adansonii and acuminata?
The foliage differs subtly between the two, with the acuminata having smaller leaves that are smoother and more oval, with more rounded tips, slightly darker colours and a shinier surface. The acuminata also has more fenestrated holes which a typically smaller than those on the adansonii.
Monstera
Incredibly unique, tropical foliage with fenestrated splits and holes and a climbing nature make this a very well sought-after plant for bringing a jungle theme into the home or office. Rare even in the wild, some species can be surprisingly easy to care for if its basic needs are met. Variegated plants can be extremely valuable.
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