Monstera Borsigiana: Ultimate Grow & Care Guide

The holes in Monstera Borsigiana foliage help them to survive in the days of heavy rainfall.

Let these astonishing plants decorate your home by providing them with favorable conditions.

If you want to care for your Monstera Borsigiana with all its requirements, go through this entire article. 

Monstera Borsigiana Plant Overview

Do you know that Monstera plants are known as “Swiss Cheese Plants”?

The name Monstera Borsigiana albo is given after the trait of leaves that produces fenestrations that look like a slice of cheese.

Let’s look at the table for a brief overview of Monstera Borsigiana.  

Monstera Borsigiana: Plant on Sale

Monstera Borsigiana will add glamour and surely give an exotic tropical vibe to your home.

You can visit your local plant store or buy from online stores to get one for yourself or your dear ones. 

Monstera Borsigiana: Ultimate Grow & Care Guide

Unlike flowering plants Calathea, Zebra Plant, and Fiddle Leaf Fig, Monstera Borsigiana does not possess dramatic differences in care requirements from its native plants.

Here is a glance at the optimum requirements of this plant.

1. Sunlight & Temperature

Monstera is a tropical plant that grows in the rainforest canopy and receives bright indirect sunlight through the canopy leaves.

Planting Monstera Borsigiana in too much sunlight scratches and burns the foliage.

In addition, your Monstera will be more prone to overwatering and root rot without proper light and may not develop iconic fenestrations. So make sure it gets plenty of light!

Moreover, the plant shows leggy and stunted growth the exposure to improper sunlight & temperature.

Tips For Maintaining the Ideal Temperature & Lighting Conditions 

• Keep Monstera Borsigiana 2-3 feet away from the window where it gets the bright indirect light. 
• You can keep the plant close to the east-facing window and provide direct sunlight during the morning.  
• Get the help of grow lights if you fail to provide enough light to Borsigiana.
• Alternatively, cover the plant with a frost blanket or plastic bag to protect it from cold drafts.

2. Watering & Humidity

As Monstera Borsigiana is native to tropical regions, it loves moderate watering but doesn’t prefer to sit in dry or over moist soil. 

Yellow leaves, root rot, and slow growth are the symptoms of overwatering and wilting; browning and crispy leaves are the symptoms of underwatering.

Additionally, the plant shows similar symptoms for improper humidity.

Tips For Proper Watering & Humidity

• Water the plant during the morning or day, and avoid watering at night. 
• Always keep the soil moist, but avoid soggy soil.
• Get a moisture meter, and when a moisture meter reads 3-4, water your Borsigiana. 
• Invest in a humidifier. It is the easiest method; you can set a timer to turn it off. 

3. Soil & Fertilization

Monstera Borsigiana prefers slightly acidic soil with a pH of 5.5-6.5. 

DIY Potting Soil: Combine compost potting mix, perlite, sphagnum peat moss, and coco coir in a ratio 2:2:1:1.

Tips to Consider for Preparing Soil Mix 

• If you habitually water your plant more, add a little perlite to the soil. 
• You can prepare DIY compost home with dry leaves, fruit and vegetable peelings, peat moss, egg shells, wood chips, tea leaves, straws, etc. 
• Inspect the soil if they need further treatment to balance pH levels. 
• A fertilizer with an NKP ratio of 20-20-20 or 10-10-10 is ideal for this plant. 
• Alternatively, feed your plants with Miracle-Gro and Burpee.

4. Extended Repotting 

Monstera Borsigiana needs repotting once every 2-3 years.

However, repotting helps the roots to have enough space to grow.

Repot the plant when you see roots creeping out of the drainage holes or growing above the soil.

You need to repot your plant in the growing seasons, which can help provide the plant with an optimum environment so that the plant can adopt repotting shock easily. 

• Firstly, moisten the pot’s soil for at least two hours before repotting. 
• Wear gloves if you don’t want to make your hands dirty. Carefully take the Monstera from the pot.
• Examine the roots and detangle the rootbound to remove the damaged roots and leaves with sterilized pruners or knives.
• Fill the bottom of the pot (that is 2 inches larger in diameter than the used pot) with the fresh potting mix.
• Gently insert the plant into the pot and ensure the roots are safe.
• After transplanting the plant, you need to water the plant with lukewarm water, rain, or distilled water.
• The newly repotted Monstera soil needs to settle down after watering and hold the Sphagnum moss pole. 

5. Occasional Pruning 

The favorable time to prune your Monstera Borsigina is during the growing season (spring and summer).

Prune the dead, damaged, and microbes-infested leaves to make the plants more attractive and healthy.

These organisms suck out the nutrients inside plants and make them yellow, brown, and stunt.

Pruning shears, Gloves, Baskets, and Trowels are some equipment you need for pruning.

Correct pruning will encourage branching and improve the health of the entire plant.

Things to Consider For Pruning

• Cut the stems below the node if you wish to propagate the stem cuttings.  
• Start pruning by cutting and removing older and damaged leaves with sterilized equipment and proceed into the old branches. 
• Do not go over the cutting of 1/3 parts of the plant.
• Use sticky traps to remove whiteflies, thrips, aphids, and leaf miners.
• Use Fungicides and bactericides to treat fungal infections.

Monstera Borsigiana: All About Plant’s Growth

Though the average indoor plant can grow up to 2 meters after maturity, Monstera Borsigiana can reach a whooping height of almost 10 feet (3 meters). 

Monstera Borsigiana has large, waxy, dark-green, and heart-shaped leaves with perforations and holes appearing in the leaves during maturity.

These leaves measure 25–90 cm (10–35.5 in) long by 25–75 cm (10–29.5 in) broad.

But these are self-pollinating flowering plants containing both androecium and gynoecium. The blooms mimic a spathe in a lovely creamy white hue or green color, 8-12 inches long.

The fruit of Monstera Borsigiana grows up to 25 cm (10 in) long and 3–5 cm (1.2–2.0 in) in diameter, and it resembles a green ear of maize covered with hexagonal scales.

When the fruit ripens, these scales or platelets fall off the fruit and release a strong and sweet scent.

Toxicity of Monstera Borsigiana 

The plants that fall under the Araceae family, including Monstera, contain Calcium Oxylate crystals that are mildly toxic to humans and pets. 

ASPCA confirms the same, revealing symptoms like oral irritation, excessive drooling, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing in cats and dogs. 

If you have any emergency due to Monstera Borsigiana, you can get help from the following contacts.

• ASPCA Poison Center at (800) 426-4435.
• American Association of Poison Control Center at (800) 222-1222.

Propagation Methods for Monstera Borsigiana 

 (early spring to early fall). 

There are multiple ways to propagate this Monstera species, but the easiest are stem cuttings and soil medium. 

Propagation Via Stem Cutting

You may need stem cuttings with one or two nodes to continue this propagation method. 

A Monstera will not propagate without a node, and each petiole (the long green stalk that holds the leaf) grows out of the node.

• Carefully cut the healthy stem with a sterilized knife or a pair of shears. 
• Also, prune the stem 1/4 inch below the node but keep the node where the root will sprout from.
• Cut the stem precisely at an angle of 45° to ensure the maximum rooting area.

Propagation in Water Medium

• Fill the glass jar or container with rain or distilled water and use tap water only after letting it sit for a day. It helps to settle down chlorine and chemicals.
• Place the cutting into the jar and ensure the nodes are dipped in the water, whereas the leaf is above the water; otherwise, the leaves will rot.
• Change the water every couple of days.
• Within 6-7 weeks, you will see roots growing.

Propagation in Soil Medium

• Prepare the suitable potting mixture, put it in a pot, moisten the soil by watering it, and apply the rooting hormone.
• Plant the cuttings into the soil and ensure the leaf is above the soil and the node inside the soil. 
• Place the pot in an optimal humid environment, warm temperature, bright indirect light, and moist soil. 
• Cover the plant with a sealable plastic bag to ensure a humid environment and encourage growth. 
• The roots will develop within 5-6 weeks. 
• Transplant the new Monstera Borsigiana in the new pot. 

You can watch the following youtube video to propagate Monstera stem cutting in water and soil medium. 

Propagation Via Air Layering 

Air layering includes a process that enables the plant to grow aerial roots before you prune to have a cutting. Let’s see how you can do this!

• Locate the node and make a small cut with a sterilized knife.
• Apply the rooting hormone to the cut.
• Wrap the cut in the node with Sphagnum moss and seal it with plastic.
• Keep the plant under favorable conditions and water every 2-3 days.
• Cut the stem below the node and baby roots.
• Plant the Monstera Borsigiana in the Next pot.

Propagation Via Seeds

Growing Monstera from seeds is not difficult, but finding the right seeds is challenging. Here is how you can propagate Monstera from seeds.

• Soak the seeds in lukewarm water for 10-12 hours, which will help the seeds germinate faster. 
• Prepare a potting mix with perlite, peat moss, and regular potting soil in a pot or germination tray. 
• Plant the seeds in the soil; you need not cover the seeds with soil. 
• Put the plant in indirect light, warm temperatures, and humid locations, and spray water every 2-3 days to keep the soil moist.
• You can plant seeds in the next pot when the seeds sprout 2-3 inches. 

Monstera Borsigiana vs. Deliciosa

Monstera Borsigiana and Deliciosa have dark green heart-shaped leaves with fenestrations and numerous aerial roots.

It will be easier to show the differences in the table below.