I stopped my monstera leaves curling by making these easy changes – now its statement foliage is the best its ever looked

I've been growing my Monstera deliciosa for around three years now and have experienced nearly every problem possible with it. From pest infestations to yellowing foliage, and my monstera leaves curling. Thanks to this, I've mastered how to quickly overcome these issues and now my houseplant is in the best shape it's ever been.

Monstera care is fairly straightforward, but you will experience monstera leaves curling if your plant isn't growing in an optimal environment. More specifically, improper moisture management, both in watering and humidity, is most often the culprit.

But don't fret. I was able to stop my monstera leaves curling by making quick and easy adjustments in care, and it's foliage has been perky and bright ever since. Here's what I did to resolve this issue:

What causes curling monstera leaves?

In my experience, it's common to spot a monstera drooping before their leaves start to curl. If you're able to get on top of the problem early, you'll likely be able to stop curling from happening. However, if you don't catch it in time, don't worry. You can perk your monstera up again by making a few changes to your care regime.

What causes curling monstera leaves?

There are a few different causes for monstera leaves curling, and it's all to do with stress. More often than not, curling foliage is a response to incorrect moisture levels, but stress from insufficient lighting may also contribute to the issue.

In my case, my monstera started curling during winter. I discovered this was linked to winter houseplant care and improper watering during this season.

This is because monsteras aren't actively growing in fall and winter and you need to reduce watering. I made the common houseplant mistake, however, of overwatering my plant during this time.

This oversaturation can result in houseplant root rot causing not only curling leaves, but also causing yellow monstera leaves.

At the same time, long periods of drought and underwatering can also result in monstera leaves curling.

It's a simple fix, though. I now use this soil moisture meter from Amazon to identify when it's time to top up my monstera's water and haven't had trouble getting watering right since.

Along the same lines, these tropical indoor plants may start to curl from a lack of humidity. They enjoy humidity levels between 60-80%, but mine grows just as well in the lower humidity in my home.

If a lack of humidity is causing curling leaves, however, you may want to adopt methods to increase humidity for indoor plants. This includes placing a humidifier (from Amazon) near your monstera, or even making your monstera a bathroom plant where it can soak up moisture from your shower.

Since improving my watering regime and making efforts to increase humidity levels for my monstera (I personally position mine among other plants and regularly use a plant mister, like this one from Amazon), my monstera has perked up. I haven't spotted a curling leaf since, and new leaves emerge healthily.

FAQs

Can pests cause monstera leaves to curl?

While it's most common for monstera leaves to curl from improper watering or a lack of humidity, some pests can also be the cause. This is especially true if your plant has become stressed and weak from spider mite, aphid, or thrips damage. It's wise to regularly check for pests for this reason and act fast to get rid of them. Going forward, provide optimal care to nurture your monstera back to good health.

Your monstera can also have a droopy appearance if it isn't receiving sufficient light. For this reason, you should take the time to train an overgrown monstera to give it a better structure that allows its foliage to reach more light. Ever since installing moss poles (from Amazon), my monstera has had much more robust growth.