You can tell when your Monstera deliciosa is doing well when it starts to produce three different types of roots: Subterranean roots, Aerial roots and Aerial-subterranean roots. Let’s take a closer look at all three
- Subterranean roots.
Subterranean roots – you won’t often see these on a Monstera deliciosa. These are the roots that are safe under the potting mix. If the plant grows too big for its pot, you may see these roots sticking out the bottom of the pot which means it’s time to fetch a slightly bigger pot and refresh the potting mix. I know that the picture above shows the subterranean roots of a Philodendron Black Cardinal and not a Monstera deliciosa but I wasn’t about to tip out my Monstera just for a photo of its roots. I shall replace this image with a Monstera deliciosa root mass when it comes time to repot, until then you will still get the idea from this Philodendron Black Cardinal.
2. Aerial roots
Aerial roots – these are the roots that grow from the nodes along the stem of the Monstera deliciosa. In the wild these roots seek out the nearest tree trunk for support. The root will nestle itself into the tree and won’t take any nourishment or water from the tree, which makes the Monstera deliciosa in this stage of its life an epiphyte not a parasite. In the wild, the early life stage of the Monstera deliciosa is on the ground, which means over its whole life, the Monstera deliciosa is a hemi-epiphyte. These are plants that don’t spend their entire life cycle in the forest canopy. Their seeds germinate on the forest floor and start to seek for a support tree. As a long scaly runner the seedling creeps on the ground. First leaves are developed when it reaches a suitable support tree. As it climbs the tree, Monstera deliciosa develops two kinds of roots: aerial roots that anchor the plant to the tree and long, dangling aerial-subterranean roots that grow vigorously downwards.
3. Aerial-subterranean roots
Aerial-subterranean roots: when the Monstera deliciosa starts to put on size and weight, it will need to provide itself with greater access to water. It does this by turning some of its aerial roots downwards to grow into the ground or potting mix. In the wild, these roots give the Monstera deliciosa the nutrients and water it needs to survive. By this time, the original lower part of the plant, the one that started on the forest floor and climbed the trunk, has died.
As an experiment, I have provided one of the aerial-subterranean roots on this Monstera deliciosa with its own little bottle of water. In response the plant has bulked up: the stems have become thicker and I anticipate it will start to produce more leaves.
