Just got my first ever Monstera leaf to split after moving it to a south facing window in my apartment last month.

4 comments

4 Comments

Actually, the splits are more about wind resistance than light... letting strong jungle winds pass through without tearing the leaf. The light thing is a bit of a mix-up, but the direct sun still helps because it means the plant is mature and strong enough to support those big, fancy leaves.

viola_garcia561mo ago

Yeah, light is everything with those guys. Mine sat for a year with no splits until I finally put it right in front of a bright window. It wasn't even about watering more or less, just that direct sun. Now every new leaf comes in split. It's such a good feeling to finally see it happen.

kim_davis1mo ago

Read an article that said the splits are called fenestrations. They help light pass through to the lower leaves in the wild. Makes total sense why they need that direct sun to trigger them. Your story proves it.

the_rose1mo ago

My fiddle leaf fig was the same way, stuck with solid leaves for ages. I moved it to a south facing window last spring and it put out three split leaves in a row. It's wild how they just won't do the thing they're famous for without that specific light trigger. I guess in a jungle, that direct beam is the signal there's no big tree above blocking light anymore. Makes you respect how smart plants are, lmao.