Choosing the best fertilizer for Monstera plants is easy once you know these hardy species’ fertilizing needs. The improper application of fertilizer to Monstera plants can cause adverse reactions. So, we’re walking you through everything you need to know about picking the right Monstera plant food and how to use it to fertilize Monstera plants.
My favorite fertilizer for a Monstera plant is by Leaves and Soul, produced specifically for this plant it really hits all bases, all whilst being super easy to use.
Take a look at some of our recommendations for you, I’m sure one would be a perfect fit for your Monstera.
- Best Indoor Fertilizer for Monstera – Leaves and Soul
- Best Organic Monstera Fertilizer – Neptune’s Harvest Fish & Seaweed Fertilizer
- Best for All Tropical Houseplants – Miracle-Gro tropical food
- Best for All Purpose Big Green Leaves – Bless Your Soil
- Best for Hands-Off Growing – Jobe’s fertilizer food spikes
Product Reviews:
Best Indoor Monstera Fertilizer – Leaves and Soul
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The Leaves and Soul Professional Monstera fertilizer is an excellent liquid 3-1-2 concentration that you can easily mix with water to deliver all the necessary nutrients in an easy-to-digest mix.
You can add 1 to 2 teaspoons per eight cups of water during every other watering to encourage your Monstera plants to grow large and glossy.
And if you have other plants, you need specialized formulas for, Leaves and Soul offers a huge range of plant fertilizers to try out.
Key Features:
- Size: 8 ounces
- Weight: 8 ounces
- Form: liquid
- Frequency of application: every other watering
- Type: organic
- Plant type: tropical
- Indoor/outdoor: indoor
- NPK ratio: 3-1-2
Who’s It Best For:
This easy-to-use plant fertilizer specifically formulated for Monstera plant growth is best for all gardener experience levels. The custom formula is specifically set for Monstera plants, making it a single-plant species fertilizer. If you want a plant fertilizer for different types of plants, move on down the list. Or check out the other custom formulas Leaves and Soul offers.
Best Organic Fertilizer – Neptune’s Harvest Fish & Seaweed Fertilizer
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The Neptune’s Harvest Fish & Seaweed Fertilizer plant food is the ideal fertilizer for growing several cultivars of Monstera, along with many other plants and vegetables.
The gentle NPK ratio and ingredients are gentle enough to use on all sizes and ages of Monstera plants without risking root burns. In addition, it’s so light that you can use it on your plants every one to two weeks.
And the liquid form means it’s easy to prep and use. Add some liquid fertilizer from the bottle into a water jug and add the recommended amount of water. Then apply the solution to the soil to saturate the roots.
Key Features:
- Size: 3 x 3 x 7 inches
- Weight: 18 Fluid Ounces
- Form: Liquid
- Frequency of application: every other watering
- Type: organic
- Plant type: all Monstera
- Indoor/Outdoor: both
- NPK ratio: 2-3-1
Who’s It Best For:
This organic liquid plant food is an excellent fertilizer for your plant care arsenal if you grow several varieties of Monstera plants. But you can also get it to keep your single Monstera happy with regular, frequent feedings. However, if you’re looking for an all-purpose plant fertilizer for Monstera plants and several other specimens, check out our other recommendations!
Best for All Tropical Houseplants – Miracle-Gro tropical food
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Miracle-Gro is a well-known brand for fertilizer products. This specific formula is excellent for Monstera plants, but you can also use it on your tropical houseplants.
In addition to a balanced NPK ratio, there are micronutrients like zinc, magnesium, iron, copper, and manganese. You can use this gentle plant food once a week for instant feedings.
The ease of use also makes this product fabulous for all experience levels. All it takes is four pumps out of the easy-squeeze nozzle into a one-quart water jug, and proceed to water your Monstera. Key Features
- Size: 9 inches by 5 inches by 5 inches
- Weight: 8 ounces
- Form: liquid
- Frequency of application: once a week
- Type: Synthetic
- Plant type: Tropical
- Indoor/outdoor: indoor
- NPK ratio: 1-0.5-1
Who’s It Best For:
This 2-pack of Miracle-Gro Tropical plant food is an excellent fertilizer for beginner gardeners who need instant feeding from a gentle enough solution to use frequently on Monstera and other tropical specimens.
Best for All Purpose Big Green Leaves – Bless Your Soil
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This fertilizer is an all-purpose houseplant feed for encouraging the growth of big green leaves on plants like Monstera and other large, leafy specimens.
A 12-4-8 NPK ratio uses chelated micro foods like sea kelp to boost your plant’s growth and vibrant leaf color, improve immunity with soil microbe support, and won’t harm plant roots.
There’s a simple process: dissolve the desired amount using the included measuring spoon in a jug of water and apply it to your plants every 7 to 14 days. It’s so easy that even beginners can do it!
Key Features:
- Size:
- Weight: 1 pound
- Form: water-soluble powder
- Frequency of application: 7 to 14 days
- Type: naturally derived ingredients seaweed extract
- Plant type: All-purpose
- Indoor/outdoor: indoor
- NPK ratio: 12-4-8
Who’s It Best For:
This seaweed-based solid matter plant fertilizer is a great choice for applying to large-leaf plants like Monstera. You can use this feed every week to bi-monthly without worrying about damage to your plant roots or sensitive green leaves.
Best for Hands-Off Growing – Jobe’s fertilizer food spikes
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Fertilizer food spikes are your answer if you must deliver continuous feeding without forgetting to add fertilizer to your jug during waterings.
These slow-release sticks decompose over 60 days, delivering a balanced organic NPK of 13-4-5. Every time you water your plants, the liquid breaks down the spike further to deliver nutrients to the soil and the roots.
However, be aware that these spikes contain chlorine and urea, which have been known to cause adverse effects in some houseplants.
Key Features:
- Size: 2 inch x 2 inch x 2 inch
- Weight: 0.01 ounce
- Form: slow release
- Frequency of application: every 60 days
- Type: Organic
- Plant type: Tropical
- Indoor/outdoor: indoor
- NPK ratio: 13-4-5
Who’s It Best For:
Plant spikes can be a great way to ensure your Monstera plants get nutrients as needed without having to remember to add fertilizer. Once you insert the sticks into the soil, they break down with water exposure, leaving you with nothing to do for up to 60 days.
What Makes the Best Fertilizer for Monstera Plants?
When shopping for Monstera fertilizers, you’ll see some specifically formulated for the needs and nutritional values of Monstera. But you can also use fertilizers for indoor houseplants or tropical specimens.
Monstera Fertilizer Needs
One of the best traits of Monstera as a houseplant is its ability to grow fast and large. But this accelerated growth requires a lot of energy and nutrients.
Frequent and proper fertilizing is necessary to help Monstera plants recoup the regular loss of nutrients in the growing medium. The strength and type of fertilizer can play a role in the right time to fertilize your Monstera, as can the time of year.
In spring and summer, fertilize your plant once a week to once a month, depending on plant size and product directions. And you can skip fertilizing completely in fall and winter while Monstera plants slip into dormancy.
Confused about how often to fertilize Monstera? You can use a pH tester, like this, or a 3-in-1 meter to determine when your soil is ready for fertilizing.
Monstera Plant NPK Fertilizer Balance Preferences
Monstera plants – like most other greenery – require three primary macronutrients to thrive – nitrogen (N), potassium (K), and phosphorus (P).
When you shop for Monstera fertilizers, you’ll notice that the label typically shows a confusing array of capital letters and single digits. This formula refers to the fertilizer’s macronutrient contents, specifically the NPK content. To decipher the ratio, the number means how many parts of that ingredient are compared to the others.
To make it easier to understand, Monstera plants require a balanced fertilizer with a 3-1-2 ratio, meaning that they need a higher dose of Nitrogen (3) than they do the lowest mineral need – (1) – potassium or the (2) parts of phosphorus.
But what if you see other ratios of numbers? There are several ratios written in a different format that still qualify as a safe Monstera fertilizer, including:
- 6-2-3
- 9-3-6
- 15-5-10
- 12-4-8
- 21-7-14
- 18-6-12
Although these ratios seem vastly different, simplifying the proportions still equals the 3-1-2 balance. The higher the number, the stronger the concentration, so you’ll have to add water to dilute the strength.
Inorganic vs. Organic Fertilizer for Monstera Plants
Organic fertilizers are made with ingredients that naturally degrade as an animal or plant-based product. These ingredients can be the end products or byproducts of natural processes.
But inorganic fertilizers come from synthetic – humanmade – ingredients like chemicals and minerals. These products are usually quick-release formulas that are more inexpensive than organic products due to being mass-produced. And they can make plants grow faster, but they contain harmful ingredients like ammonium, chloride, natural gas, and petroleum.
Fertilizer Types for Monstera Plants
There are several fertilizer forms that you can use on your Monstera plants. While they will be happy with any method of nourishment, the best types are liquid or slow-release granules.
Liquid Based Allows Saturation and Easy Rinsing
Liquid fertilizers provide consistent nourishment and allow you to increase the frequency of how often you feed your Monstera plants in the spring through summer. Be sure you dilute it to a ¼ or ½ strength. A great advantage of liquid fertilizer is that it’s easier to flush out the soil. This format comes in organic or synthetic forms.
Slow Release Requires Less Frequent Refills
You can also find slow-release fertilizers in organic or synthetic forms. The biggest advantage of slow-release forms is that it breaks down over time to provide small doses of nutrients instead of a single full amount. Organic types last longer due to decomposing as the soil slowly breaks down the protective coating.
Another advantage is that you only need to add a slow-release fertilizer to your plants one to two times a year. For example, smaller Monstera can do with one dose, while larger mature Swiss plants might need two feedings.
Granular Solids Have a Longer Shelf Life
If you prefer working with a dry, crystalized medium, you can get synthetic or organic granular fertilizers for Monstera. Fine feed goes directly onto the soil around your Monstera plant. Then you add water to cause the solid pieces to dissolve into the dirt. Or you can dissolve the granules in water and then pour it onto the soil.
There are ups and downs to using this fertilizing medium on Monstera plants. They are superior to liquid fertilizers in that they have a slower release, but they fall short on how long the nutrients stay in the soil compared to slow release. However, you can store dry fertilizers for longer than organic or liquids without losing potency.
Signs That It’s Time to Fertilize Your Monstera
If you’re in tune with your Monstera plant, you’ll be able to tell when to fertilize it by appearance. However, looking at your plant is the best way to decide when to fertilize Monstera. There are two evident physical signs that a Monstera plant needs fertilizing.Monstera Plant Has Slowed Growth
The main way to know that your plant needs fertilizing is stunted or slowed growth. If your Monstera plant stops growing completely, it’s a sure sign that it lacks the nutrients to be healthy.
STOP! Before you reach for the fertilizer, consider the time of year. Swiss Cheese plants go into a slower growth period in fall and winter. So the only time to worry that under-fertilization is causing your plant to grow slowly is if you don’t notice active growth from April to September.
Foliage Develops Yellow Spots
Another sign that your Monstera plant is in desperate need of fertilizer is by examining the foliage. It’s normal for the leaves to split and have holes – it has the nickname Swiss Cheese plant for a reason.
But when your Monstera plants need fertilization, you’ll notice problems like chlorosis – yellow spots – developing on the leaves. So does chlorosis only mean that your Monstera plant lacks the proper nutrients?
Unfortunately, no. Other causes of yellow spots on Monstera leaves are dry soil, pests, poor humidity, overwatering, and improper lighting.
How to Fertilize Monstera Plants
Monstera plants require different levels of fertilization depending on the season. Like most plants, they need fertilizing more in the active growing season.
The process of how to apply fertilizer for Monstera varies by your chosen fertilizer type. Here are a few tips when fertilizing Monstera. First, reduce liquid houseplant fertilizers to half the listed strength for more frequent applications, small plants, or when starting fertilization. You can use this solution (or start at a low dose and work up to half-strength) during Monstera watering.
When using a 20-20-20 all-purpose fertilizer for indoor Monstera plants, combine ½ teaspoon with one gallon of water. Increase the dosage to one teaspoon for outdoor growing Monstera. Double the dosage for a 10-10-10 mix.
Start adding slow-release and granular fertilizers to Monstera in the early spring. Make sure you split the recommended dosage in half. And each brand will have different recommendations for future applications, so read the directions!
Evidence That You’ve Overfertilized Your Monstera
Although Monstera plants enjoy daily doses of fertilizer, too much of a good thing will cause an adverse reaction. Rather than boosting your plant’s health, over fertilizing harms your plants.
A white crusty buildup on the soil is the first sign that you’ve added too much fertilizer to your Monstera plant. This layer of crust is a buildup of salts found in all types and forms of fertilizer.
Another sign that you’ve made the error of giving your Monstera plants too much fertilizer food is wilting or crispy leaves. While wilting leaves are one of the first signs of not being fertile enough, if you’ve been applying fertilizer regularly, wilting leaves will mean the opposite. If you stop feeding your plant, you should notice the leaves rebound quickly.
If the edges of the leaves start to burn or turn yellow or brown, it’s a scream for help. This situation means you’ve added too much fertilizer, causing a chemical burn. Give your plant a few days of rest from feeding to recover. It might also be a wise idea to try reducing the potency of your fertilizer by diluting it with water. Unfortunately, you might have the dosage too strong.
Stalled growth can also be concerning if you regularly fertilize your plants. Proper fertilizing will cause Monstera to have excellent healthy growth. So, when it suddenly stops growing, despite the addition of food, it means you’ve added too much or too strong fertilizer. Stop feeding your plant and reduce the fertilizer potency before resuming several days later.
If you’re worried that your Monstera plant is suffering from too much fertilization, flush the soil by pouring water over the dirt until it drains and runs clear. It may help to repeat this process a few times. However, only do this method to plants with well-draining soil.
FAQ About Monstera Fertilizer
How Often Should I Fertilize Monstera?
The frequency of Monstera fertilization varies with the plant’s age and size. You can feed your Monstera plant once a week, every two weeks, or once a month. It is not necessary to provide plants in the fall or winter.
Is Miracle Grow Good for Monstera
Miracle Grow is a popular synthetic plant food for Monstera. The biggest advantage is that you can get Miracle Grow in different formulas, including ones specifically meant for the needs of Monstera plants.
Are Coffee Grounds Good for Monstera?
Although coffee grounds are a compostable material that you can add to many plants, it’s not recommended for Monstera, as it can encourage fungus growth on the soil.
Make Your Monstera Look Its Best With the Right Fertilizer
Picking the best monstera deliciosa fertilizer isn’t as hard as you may fear. We’ve shown you our five favorite choices for the best fertilizer for monstera plants. Remember that you can get plant food in liquid, slow-release, or granular forms. As a refresher, our favorite five fertilizers for the Monstera plant are:
- Best Indoor Fertilizer for Monstera – Leaves, and Soul liquid balanced fertilizer
- Best Organic Monstera fertilizer – Neptune’s Harvest Fish & Seaweed Fertilizer
- Best for Tropical Plants – Miracle-Gro tropical houseplant food
- Best All-Purpose Indoor Big Green Leaf plants – Bless Your Soil
- Hands-Off Fertilization – Jobe’s fertilizer food spikes
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