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Monstera Thai Constellation

Monstera Thai Constellation

SKU:DB895-med

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Regular price $80.00
Regular price Sale price $80.00
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Size
  • Description
  • General Aroid Culture
  • Description
  • Species/Hybrid: species

    Plant size: example plants shown. Exact variegation varies from leaf to leaf and plant to plant. *Not the exact plant for sale, but representative from the group* Medium size may not have fenestrations yet. L should have started some fenestrations. XL has definite fenestrations.

    Shipping for XL size will be calculated separately after arrival to me based on your particular plant's dimensions and box size needs.

    Pot size: varies

    Fragrant: No

    Culture: Dr. Bill's Orchids Culture Guide- Aroids

  • General Aroid Culture
  • Dr. Bill's Orchids Intro to Aroid Cultivation
    Temperature

    : When dealing with Aroid species, there is a lot of variation in preferred temperatures as Aroids come from many different elevations. It is not easy to give a blanket statement. For the “lowland” type species, they are usually liking warm and humid temperatures without large drops in temp at night. For highland species, it seems that they don’t want it hot, but prefer intermediate temperatures and want a cooler night period. Research the species you’re looking to grow. As a baseline, I would recommend temperatures 65-85F, not going below 60F, which is why they tend to do well in average household temperatures (if not on the warm side of house temps).

    Light Again, a widely varied topic depending on the Type and species that you’re going, but most Aroids will do well with 500-2500 footcandles (aka 5000-26000 lux, aka 100-500 umol/m2/s PPFD). However, even if a particular plant is supposed to do well at a given light range- you may have to adjust the amount of light that particular plant is getting- might be too much that it scorches or not enough. You want to give it as much light as needed for good leaf development and strong/ growth. Aroids can also do very well under artificial lights or a sunny windowsill. Plants should not touch most lamps/lights as it can cause burning.
    Watering

    Pure water is generally the “ideal” source due to lack of salt buildup and some Aroids can be particularly sensitive to salt levels. Usually will do best with distilled, rain, or reverse osmosis (RO) water. Tap water can contain extra dissolved salts and minerals that may cause it to not grow as well and/or eventually die out. (Some regions may be able to use Tap water, just depends on your water source quality. Personally, I use RO water). If you fertilize with a soluble fertilizer, it is good to leach the pot out regularly to avoid accumulation of salts.

    Fertilizer

    Fertilizer is a large topic of debate in the Aroid world (in my experience) some sources will say that they don’t need fertilizer, others say only use delayed release granular, and yet even more will say use whatever soluble fertilizer you want. In all of this confusion, I would say that if you are using soluble fertilizer, make sure that it is at a dilute concentration to avoid salt buildup in the pots, or if you decide to use granular, start with half of the recommended portion for houseplants and if the plant looks like it is deficient in nutrients or could use some “help” for promoting and holding new leaf growths, then you can always increase from there. Be careful that some delayed release fertilizers are truly TIME activated or they are TEMPERATURE activated. If using a temperature activated delayed release granular fertilizer and keeping temperatures regularly over 70-80F, it can over-fertilize your plant by releasing too much salts as you water. No matter the media you’re using, a regular leaching with pure water is necessary. *Also, depending if your plant hails from an area that has alkaline soils, keep an eye out for aborted new growths and increase incidence of root/stem/leaf rot= signs that your plant may be calcium deficient.

    Humidity Normally a humidity level of 40+% is recommended. During the winter, humidity can go down some, but still want to keep it higher- helps promote nice, pretty leaves. They will tolerate lower humidity levels, if the roots are kept appropriately moist/watered.
    Potting

    Aroids appreciate a well-draining, porous media that allows for good oxygen exchange, but is still moisture-retentive. There is a lot of variation among the Aroid growers of what recipe they have tweaked for their conditions, however, the blanket statement I want to make is that usually peat-based “soil-less” potting medias from the big box stores will be too dense/water retentive right out of the bag. I add orchid bark, additional perlite, and some charcoal to my mix to help aeration and keep the soil mix “fresh” (aka avoiding toxin and decomposing material). Usually it’s when soils get water logged that you get root rot in a hurry!

    Dormancy Alocasia and Colocasia, among other types, can have a dormancy, but this is usually when the rhizomes have not had enough water and/or the temperatures have become too cold. Most Aroids with warm temperatures, light, and water supplies, will grow and stay evergreen year-round.
    Other notes:
    • it is not uncommon for your plant to arrive with a dead or dying leaf/leaves. These plants can/will throw big tantrums from shipping stress, but tend to recover in a few days up to a week or two without any issues going forward.
    • Generally easy-going plants, but they can be prone to scale and mealybugs if you don’t keep a close eye on them.
    • Leaves turning brown and/or crispy at leaf edges are usually a sign that it has been underwatered, high salt content in the water or potting media, sudden change in humidity of conditions, or potassium deficiency.
    • Wilting, leaf curl (of a leaf that has already unfurled like in Monstera types) usually is from underwatering
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