I need to save my Monstera Deliciosa. Can anyone help?

[Ant]

I have a monstera deliciosa and it has grown in such a way that soon it will be unable to support itself. I have had the plant for a couple of years and I'm quite attatched to it, so, I would like to try and salvage the healthier parts and grow individual plants using cane supports or moss poles.

Can someone please help? I would be very grateful of any advice.

[gardening_guru]

Hello Ant,

Is your Monstera deliciosa producing any aerial roots on the main stem? If so, you can remove the growing tip including some aerial roots and pot it up in some compost. Keep just moist and this should produce a new plant.
Alternatively you could try air layering.
Air layering involves removing a half inch ring of bark with a sharp knife and putting some hormone rooting powder on the newly damaged section of stem. Then wrap this section of stem in damp sphagnum moss and enclose in clear polythene, sealing either end with wire ties. 6-8 weeks later the humid conditions inside the polythene should have produced some new roots. You can now remove the polythene and moss and then carefuuly severe the rooted section just below the newly formed roots and pot up.
the parent plant will continue to grow despite the 'operation'.

[Ant]

Thankyou very much for taking the time to offer me some advice. I decided to go with you first suggestion so now all I have to do is wait and see. Reading the second suggestion has left me wondering about ring bark. I'm not sure what this is and would be grateful if you could describe/explain this to me.
Thanks Again

[gardening_guru]

Hello Ant

Bark ringing for air layering purposes simply means using a sharp, clean knife and cutting around the entire stem to the suggested width measurement. Imagine a ring on you finger as a strip of bark on a tree. It is that strip that you aiming to remove and paint with hormone rooting compound. If you did not cover the wound with plastic this technique would kill the plant above the wound and it is, I think a recognised way to kill an unwanted tree.

George.