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Monstera Adansonii Care Guide (Swiss Cheese Vine)

Monstera adansonii is faster-growing and more vining than its famous cousin Monstera deliciosa. The holes that give it the "Swiss cheese" name develop as the plant matures — and you can encourage them by giving the plant enough light and something to climb.

Adansonii vs. deliciosa: the key differences

Both are monsteras with fenestrated (hole-containing) leaves, but they behave quite differently as houseplants:

	M. adansonii	M. deliciosa
Leaf size	Small to medium (4-12 inches)	Large to very large (1-3 feet)
Fenestration pattern	Oval holes within the leaf; edges stay intact	Holes within the leaf plus cuts from the edge inward
Growth habit	Faster-growing; more vining; trails readily	Slower-growing; more upright; needs substantial support
Space required	Manageable in most homes on a pole or in a basket	Eventually becomes very large; needs floor space
Light sensitivity	More shade-tolerant; still needs indirect light for fenestration	Similar light needs; larger leaves capture more light

Adansonii is better suited for smaller spaces, trailing situations, and people who want a faster-growing monstera. Deliciosa is the choice for dramatic, room-filling scale.

Why the holes form — and how to get more of them

The holes in Monstera adansonii leaves are called fenestrations. They develop as part of the plant's natural maturation process. Juvenile leaves produced by young or stressed plants are small and often entirely solid, with few or no holes. As the plant matures and conditions improve, successive leaves develop progressively more and larger holes.

The two factors that most influence fenestration:

• Light: More light means faster maturation and more pronounced holes. Plants in low light produce small, solid leaves even when otherwise healthy. Moving to bright indirect light produces noticeably larger, more fenestrated leaves within a few growth cycles.
• Climbing: In the wild, adansonii is a climbing vine that attaches to tree trunks with aerial roots. When given a vertical support indoors (a moss pole, bark board, or trellis), the plant's growth hormones shift toward producing more mature-looking leaves. A trailing adansonii in a hanging basket stays more juvenile longer than one climbing a pole in the same light.

If your adansonii is producing solid or barely-fenestrated leaves, the most effective interventions in order are: increase light, provide a vertical support, and ensure the plant is healthy (well-watered, not root-bound).

Light

Monstera adansonii grows and fenestrates best in bright indirect light. An east or west-facing window is ideal. It tolerates medium indirect light (and even survives in lower light) but produces smaller, less fenestrated leaves in reduced light — the plant's way of maximizing the leaf surface area available for photosynthesis when light is limited.

Direct afternoon sun scorches the leaves. A sheer curtain on a south or west window diffuses the light to a safe and beneficial level.

Watering

Let the top 1 to 2 inches of soil dry out between waterings. In bright indirect light during the growing season, this is typically every 7 to 10 days. In lower light or during winter, every 10 to 14 days. Adansonii is more drought-tolerant than many tropicals but does not appreciate sitting in wet soil, which leads to root rot.

The plant signals underwatering through slight leaf wilting, which resolves within a few hours of watering. Overwatering shows as yellowing leaves and eventually soft, blackened stems near the soil line.

Setting up a climbing support

To encourage the plant to climb rather than trail:

1. Insert a moss pole, bamboo stake, or small trellis into the pot as close to the center as possible without damaging the roots.
2. Guide the longest stems toward the support and loosely secure them with soft plant ties or strips of fabric. Do not tie tightly — the stems need room to grow.
3. Mist the moss pole every few days to keep it damp. Aerial roots on the stem will attach and grow into damp moss far more readily than into a dry surface.
4. As the plant grows, continue guiding new stems upward and secure them loosely.

A trailing adansonii in a hanging basket is also beautiful — the cascading stems with holey leaves make an excellent hanging plant. The tradeoff is slower fenestration development compared to a climbing setup.

Propagation

Monstera adansonii propagates very easily in water:

1. Cut a stem just below a node — the point where a leaf attaches. Each cutting needs at least one leaf and one node. The aerial root nub visible at the node will become the root.
2. Remove any leaves that would sit below the water line to prevent rot.
3. Place in a glass of clean water in bright indirect light.
4. Change the water weekly. Roots develop in 1 to 3 weeks.
5. Pot in standard potting mix once roots reach 1 to 2 inches long.

Narrow form vs. wide form

Two distinct forms of M. adansonii are sold in the trade:

• Narrow form: More elongated, lance-shaped leaves; more common in shops; fast-growing; tends to trail readily.
• Wide form: More rounded, broader leaves; thicker stems; the holes tend to be rounder and more pronounced; less commonly available; often more expensive.

Care is identical for both forms. The difference is purely aesthetic.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
No holes or very few holes	Insufficient light; juvenile plant; trailing instead of climbing	Move to brighter indirect light; provide a vertical support to climb
Yellow leaves	Overwatering; root rot; too little light	Allow soil to dry more; check drainage; move to brighter spot
Brown, crispy leaf edges	Low humidity; dry air from heating vents	Increase humidity; move away from vents
Leggy stems with small leaves	Insufficient light	Move to brighter window
Wilting despite moist soil	Root rot	Unpot, trim mushy roots, repot in fresh well-draining mix
Aerial roots dangling in the air	Normal; plant seeking a surface to attach to	Guide toward a moss pole; or tuck into the soil; do not remove

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