Monstera Pinnatipartita Plant Care Guide

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Monstera Pinnatipartita is a rare and unique houseplant from the Amazon rainforest. This climbing plant has an appearance of fenestrations as the plant matures, and even produces beautiful white waxy flowers.

If you’re thinking about purchasing a Monstera Pinnatipartita, know that this plant is not only unique in appearance but relatively easy to take care of. As long as the plant gets enough indirect sunlight, humidity, and nutrient-rich soil, the plant will thrive.

The key to successfully growing this plant is replicating it’s home environment in the Amazon rainforest to the best of your ability.

Baby Monstera Pinnatipartita do not display fenestrations since they aren’t matured, but as the plant grows tall and gets larger, you’ll notice splits start forming on the leaves.

Where does Monstera Pinnatipartita originate from?

Monstera Pinnatipartita comes from the tropical regions of South and Central America. This plant has a striking appearance due to its intricate leaf patterns and splits, which draws a lot of people to this Monstera.

A member of the Aracae family, Monstera Pinnatipartita prefers a neotropical environment with both moisture and opportunities for climbing up trees.

This plant is also an epiphyte, which means it likes to grow on other plants or trees and use them as support. This allows the plant to reach sunlight much easier. Monstera Pinnatipartita uses its aerial roots to attach itself to plants and trees.

Care and Growing Conditions

Light Requirements

Monstera Pinnatipartita is a plant that thrives in bright indirect sunlight. Never place this plant in direct sunlight as this can easily burn the leaves and hurt your plant.

The best spot for this plant would be near a south, east, or west facing window that gets dappled sunlight. This allows for just the right amount of sunlight exposure.

You can even place this plant in a cabinet like I do for many of my Monsteras. I place my plant under T5 Barrina plant grow lights and run them for about 12 hours a day.

Watering

Just like most tropical houseplants, Monstera Pinnatipartita loves growing in moist soil. This is the kind of plant you never want to sit in bone dry water for days. You will quickly see your plant go downhill if you leave it too long in a dry humidity, low moisture soil content.

If you’re having trouble watering your Monstera Pinnatipartita, you can use leca to grow your plant (which makes knowing when to water so much easier).

Make sure to be careful not to overwater. Overwatering causes root rot and quickly kills off Monstera plants. A moisture meter can help you know when to water or you can simply stick to your finger in about two inches deep and check the soil yourself.

Humidity

Monstera Pinnatipartita is a tropical plant that loves high humidity.

Aim for humidity in the 50%+ range by keeping the plant near humidifiers or in a greenhouse. You need to mimic it’s natural environment, which is a high humidity environment.

Do not place this plant near vents, doors, windows, or other places getting drafts because this can lead to a lot of shifts in temperature and humidity.

Temperature

This plant needs to be kept at warm temperatures (which is between 65-85°F or 18-30°C). This plant is not suited for environments outside in zones below 9, so keep this pant indoors if you’re in a dry environment below zone 9.

Soil Type

A major requirement for Monstera Pinnatipartita is well-draining, high quality soil.

A good mixture includes:

2 parts peat moss
1 part perlite
1 part coco coir

This is a basic blend that will make sure the plants root get proper air flow and moisture retention.

Fertilization

Fertilizer is key to helping your plant grow into a large, mature plant.

Use a balanced fertilizer once a month or every other watering during the growing season, which is typically spring and summer.

A lot of people don’t fertilize in the winter months because they find their plant needs that resting period to go dormant. This is what I do with my houseplants.

A great tip is to always dilute fertilizer in half. This is because too strong of a fertilizer can kill your plants and you don’t want to find out your fertilizer is too strong the hard way.

Propagation and Repotting

Propagating Methods

There are a few different methods for propagating Monstera Pinnatipartita.

A few different methods include stem cuttings, aerial roots, and lead nodes which typically are the most effective approach.

Here’s how to do it:

Stem Cuttings: Get a stem cutting with at least one leaf node. Even better if there’s an aerial root attached to it.
Water Propagation: Place a cutting in a jar of water with the leaf node submerged. Change the water at least once every two weeks to keep the water fresh.
Moist Soil: You can also place a cutting in moist soil, but you won’t see if the cutting is developing roots. I don’t like this method, but you may.

Once you have used one of these methods, wait a few weeks for the roots to grow.

Once the roots are well-established (so a few inches long), transfer the cutting to a pot of your choice.

Repotting Guidelines

It’s time to repot Monstera Pinnatipartita when the plant is root-bound and needing more room for growth. People typically repot these plants once every 2-3 years.

Here are some tips for repotting this plant.

Time: Repot during the spring season, which is just before growth starts again.
Pot Size: Choose a pot that is 2-3 inches wider than the root ball.
Potting Mix: Use a well-draining mix that includes potting soil, perlite, and orchid bark. This mix is great for aeration around the roots and helps retain moisture.
Light Requirements: Place your plant in a spot getting 6-8 hours of light per day. Artificial lighting with plant grow lights work as well.

Work slowly and be patient when repotting since this is a stressful time for your plant.

Problem Solving

Recognizing Common Pests and Diseases

Pests and diseases are unfortunately a common occurrence when it comes to plants. Fortunately, there are quite a few things you can do to minimize pests.

First, make sure to watch your plants and check on them every so often. This helps you detect pest signs early on, and the earlier you find these little guys, the better.

Watch for signs of spider mites, mealybugs, scale insects, fungus gnats, etc. All of these pests can cause damage to your plants or just be super annoying to get rid of (fungus gnats). Look closely at your plant for discolored spots, yellowing, webs, and chew marks.

Diseases can show up by yellowing leaves, wilting leaves, or strange markings on the leaves. This can all be a sign of bacterial infection or a fungus issue.

Before bringing any new plants, it’s ideal to quarantine them and not immediately place them with your other plants. Not going to lie, I did this at first, but found that I don’t have the patience to do this anymore.

I also recommend a pesticide called Azamax, which quickly gets rid of pests. Make sure to never overwater your plants which definitely can cause issues.

Preventing and Treating Root Rot

Root rot is common with houseplant growers, especially if you’re new to plants.

It’s hard to know when to water plants at first, which is why it’s sometimes better to err on the side of less water versus overwatering.

If roots become wet for too long, they develop root rot and can quickly destroy the plant. Prevent root rot by doing the following:

Keep proper drainage by using well-draining soil.
Avoid overwatering and allow the soil to slightly dry out in between each watering

If you think you overwatered your Monstera, here’s what to do:

Remove the plant from the pot and check the roots.
Cut away any soft or soggy, rotten roots with clean scissors.
Treat any healthy roots with a fungicide.
Repot the plant in new, fresh, well-draining soil.
Water cautiously and monitor the plant closely.

Dealing with Legginess

You may find that your plant starts to get leggy. If this happens, do the following:

Move the plant closer to a window so it receives more light, but never put in direct sunlight.
Rotate your plant every month or so all sides receive equal light exposure.
Consider pruning back leggy stems to promote new, fuller growth.

Pruning and Shaping

You wan to make sure to prune your Monstera Pinnatipartita so it can maintain its shape and avoid any damaged or unhealthy growth.

This is beneficial for the appearance of the plant and also can promote healthy new growth.

To start pruning, identify damaged or dead leaves. With a clean pair of sheers, make a clean cut close to the main stem and make sure not to harm the stem itself.

Besides pruning, it’s also helpful to shape your Monstera Pinnatipartita to help maintain its ornamental appearance.

Here are a few tips for sharing this plant:

Provide support: Use a moss pole or trellis to encourage your plant to grow tall. As the plant matures, the leaves will develop deeper fenestrations and a more striking, impressive appearance.
Train the plant: Train the plant by tieing the vines to a trellis or moss pole by using twine to encourage the plant to grow in a particular direction.
Limit bushiness: Prevent this plant from becoming too bushy by trimming back any excess growth.

Toxicity and Pets

Plants can cause toxicity if ingested, which is why you should be careful if you keep this plant around pets.

This plant is toxic to both humans and pets if ingested.

So if you little babies around or pets that like to munch on random things, this may not be the plant for you. This plant contains insoluable calcium oxalate crystals which are quite harmful when chewed or ingested.

Comparing Monstera Varieties

Monsteras are awesome and I have quite a few different varieties. If you love Monstera Pinnatipartita’s, you should check out these other plants as well.

Monstera Deliciosa is probably the most poular variety. You can almost always find this plant at grocery stores near the checkout counter. This plants foliage matures into beautiful fenestrations and can get quite large in your home (up to 10 ft tall!). These plants definitely need some kind of support like a moss poll in order to grow tall and mature.

Monstera Adansonii are fun oval-shaped plants that have a more compact appearance. About 50% of the leaves contain oval-shaped holes

Variegated Monstera is a rare plant that is quite sought after due to its beautiful variegation. The foliage typically features a mix of green, white, and yellow colors. These plants need slightly more care than a regular Monstera Deliciosa.

Monstera Peru is a plant with textured foliage and is more slow growing.

Key Points To Remember

Monstera Pinnatipartita is an impressive houseplant with attractive leaves that become more fenestration as they get older.

This statement plant gets the most beautiful fenestrations so if you can get your hands on one, snap it up immediately!