My monstera almost died after I repotted it wrong

I got this huge monstera from a neighbor moving away and thought I knew what I was doing. Put it in a pot way too big and watered it like crazy for two weeks. Leaves started turning yellow and drooping everywhere. Finally pulled it out, cut off the rotted roots, and stuck it back in a smaller pot with dry soil. It's been 3 weeks and I see two new leaves unfurling now. Anyone else make that rookie mistake with pots?

2 comments

2 Comments

lee6273d agoMost Upvoted

Oh, I used to be one of those people who thought bigger was always better with pots. I figured they'd just grow into the extra space over time. But after losing a couple plants to root rot myself, I finally learned the hard way that they need to be snug in there to dry out properly. Your monstera bouncing back is a good sign, it's amazing how tough these plants are when you give them a chance. Glad you caught it in time.

ben4863d ago

Yeah but the thing is even if you know about root rot it's still so easy to mess up. I've been growing plants for like six years now and I still somehow did the exact same thing with a pothos last month. It's like your brain just goes "big pot equals happy plant" even though you know better. The waiting part is the worst though when you've already messed up and you're just staring at it like "please don't die on me." Glad yours is pushing out new leaves though that's always such a relief.