How To Fix Curling Leaves on Swiss Cheese Plant (Monstera)

Why Are My Swiss Cheese Plant (Monstera) Leaves Curling_

If you’re an enthusiastic collector of tropical house plants, you probably have the Monstera Deliciosa, also known as the “Swiss Cheese Plant,” in your indoor garden. This plant is famous for the noteworthy leaves that give it a stunning visual appeal.

Keep in mind that “Swiss Cheese Plant” can refer to Monstera Deliciosa or Monstera Adansonii, which has smaller leaves and is a vine type plant. Thankfully both Monsteras will exhibit curling leaves for similar issues so we can address both plants in the same article.

Besides beauty, these leaves also help you know the plant’s health status, making it easy to identify problems before they become fatal.

One such symptom of an issue is curling leaves, which can be due to many reasons such as sunlight, watering, temperature, and many more.

If your treasured Swiss Cheese Plant possesses curled leaves then this article will cover some common issues and solutions for curling leaves.

Below are reasons why your Monstera Deliciosa has curling leaves.

1. Overwatering

Water is an essential element for almost every life form on earth, but too much can be detrimental.

Overwatering plants will lead to a variety of issues and Monstera Deliciosas are no different. Typically the first sign of overwatering is that the leaves will begin to curl.

Swiss Cheese plants prefer to grow in moist soil, similar to what they would be growing in their native tropical environment. However, overwatering can drown the roots and lead to root rot which will result in health issues for the plant.

When To Water A Swiss Cheese Plant

Follow these steps in order to determine when to water a Swiss Cheese plant:

  1. Insert your index finger into the soil 1 to 2 inches deep
  2. Feel for moisture
  3. Water if the soil is dry
  4. Do not water if the soil is wet or moist

The best part of this method is you will notice that the soil dries out faster in summer than it does in winter. So this will change the watering frequency based on the Swiss Cheese plant’s water needs.

Keep in mind that in winter, this plant goes dormant. This means the Swiss Cheese plant rests during the winter where all physiological processes are slowed down and reduced, so the plant will need less water.

If you find that the soil feels too moist or wet then quickly move the pot to direct sunlight for the heat to evaporate part of the moisture and dry the soil’s top layer.

2. Insufficient Watering

Similar to how excess water is detrimental to the health of Swiss Cheese plant, insufficient water can also cause the leaves to curl and change color.

When a Swiss Cheese plant experiences a drought or underwatering, the plant will start to curl its leaves in order to preserve the moisture inside the plant. By curling its leaves, the plant is reducing the surface area exposed to any light.

Prolonged underwatering will not only lead to curling leaves on a Monstera Deliciosa but, eventually, crispy leaf tips followed by dry leaves falling off the plant.

Given that Swiss Cheese plants are known for their beautiful leaves – underwatering is not ideal.

Thankfully underwatering is an easy issue to fix.

When To Water A Swiss Cheese Plant

Follow these steps in order to determine when to water a Swiss Cheese plant:

  1. Insert your index finger into the soil 1 to 2 inches deep
  2. Feel for moisture
  3. Water if the soil is dry
  4. Do not water if the soil is wet or moist

If a Swiss Cheese plant has been underwatered then give the plant a proper soak in water. Ensure that all the soil’s dryness goes away from the water soaking. You can also water the plant’s soil until water starts pouring out of the drainage holes.

Note that the amount of water needed to promote healthy growth for the Monstera Deliciosa depends on the temperature, season, growth rate, and light.

So consider monitoring and altering your watering schedule depending on how quickly your Swiss Cheese plant’s soil dries out.

3. Improper Humidity

Humidity is a strong factor that might make the Monstera Deliciosa’s leaves curl and even change color.

If the leaf tips are brown and the edges are curling gradually then this is a possible sign of low humidity.

Given that Swiss Cheese plants are native to tropical regions, they prefer a higher humidity environment.

Without proper training and equipment, detecting the humidity and judging if it’s high enough for your plant is challenging. Fortunately, hygrometers exist to solve this problem, enabling you to measure the moisture and make some adjustments.

Regardless of whether or not you’re measuring the humidity in the air, there are ways to increase the humidity for your Swiss Cheese plant.

The easiest way is to occasionally mist your plant with water, however, I tend to forget to do this so I’ve listed some alternative options below.

Simple DIY Humidifier: Pebble Tray

Pebble trays are a simple and effective solution to providing more humidity to plants. A pebble tray is exactly what it sounds like – a tray full of pebbles.

Most house plants, including Swiss Cheese plants, are tropical plants that can grow better in a humid environment.

Pebble Tray humidifier

In order to make a pebble tray:

  1. Select a shallow tray that is larger than the base of the plant’s pot
  2. Fill the tray with a single layer of pebbles
  3. Add water so it rises to about halfway up the rocks

That’s it! You have now created a simple but effective pebble tray for increasing humidity.

Next just place your plant on top of the pebbles and add water to your tray if it ever dries out.

Humidifier: Easy Way To Increase Room’s Humidity

One simple solution is to periodically mist your indoor houseplants to increase the humidity. However, this is manual and, personally, I’m too lazy to continually spray my plants every so often.

An easier solution is to place a humidifier in the room with all of your tropical plants. A humidifier will allow you to adjust the settings to provide the right amount of humidity year round.

Humidifier For Indoor Plants

I use this humidifier in my room and the water reservoir lasts for about 2 days before needing to be refilled. I highly recommend it for a low maintenance way of keeping the room humid for your houseplants.

4. Pests

Besides the elements, pests are a constant threat to all plant species including the Monstera Deliciosa.

If you find your Monstera Deliciosa having curling leaves and you have been providing the plant with its basic needs then it’s most likely infested with pests.

The Swiss Cheese plant’s common pests include spider mites, mealybugs, spider mites, and thrips.

These pests feed on the plant’s juices, resulting in the loss of vital fluids and nutrients which will cause the leaves to curl.

These bugs are so menacing that despite you watering the plant thoroughly and the soil looking fine, the bugs will continue to reduce the plant’s moisture content and reproduce, ensuring nutrients and water do not get to the leaves.

Inspecting And Eliminating Pests

To eliminate these pests, inspect the stem joints’ underside and leaves to spot problems. One primary symptom of pest infection is the presence of spots and yellow rings on the leaves.

You can eliminate a small infestation by treating your Swiss Cheese plant with neem oil; however, quarantining this plant away from other healthy plants prevents further infestation and damage to other plants.

Another solution is to use homemade or commercial insecticidal sprays to kill the pests

Fortunately, there is a way to make homemade insecticidal soap that is kid and pet-safe.

View this guide to learn how to make your own homemade insecticidal soapy spray.

5. Over Fertilization

Most of the time, new plant enthusiasts pour excess love on their new plant by feeding it with a lot of fertilizer, hoping it will grow big and strong.

While fertilization provides crucial elements for the plant’s development, over-fertilization is harmful and can damage the soil’s microorganisms and cause the leaves to change color and shape.

Over fertilizing may also cause the Swiss Cheese plant’s leaves to curl as the roots will be unable to absorb the nutrients and water it needs from all the excess nutrients.

Ironically, over fertilizing may block or plug up the roots from absorbing the nutrients and water it needs.

So make sure to follow the recommended amount of fertilizer when applying it to your plants.

For this reason, ensure you monitor how much fertilizer you apply and keep it in moderate quantities to promote growth.

If you suspect you may have over-fertilized your Swiss Cheese plant then you can do one of the following options:

  1. You can repot the plant with new potting mix soil
  2. You can flush the excess nutrients out by running a large amount of water through the soil and allowing it to drain away

Soaking and draining the soil helps remove the excess fertilizer, but only works if overfertilization was mild.

In most cases repotting is a better option since the plant will be placed in soil that has the proper nutrient balance.

6. Improper Pot Size

Monstera plants spread their roots wide and prefer growing vertically which means they need the root space in order to grow properly.

So if you have a pot that’s too small to accommodate the roots of the Swiss Cheese plant completely then the growth will be stunted which can cause the leaves to bend and curl.

Keep in mind that since Swiss Cheese plants are a climbing plant which means their leaves will bend if the aerial roots have a place to attach themselves.

So when you first receive or purchase a Swiss Cheese plant, you should transfer it into a larger pot to ensure it has extra room to grow.

Swiss Cheese plants should be repotted every two years until the plant sits in a pot that is about 8 inches wide.

Final Thoughts

Taking care of a plant might seem tricky at first but once you start to understand the plant’s natural environment and work backwards – you will be able to discover the root cause of your issue.

Thankfully, curling leaves is an early indicator of stress which usually means there’s plenty of time to find and fix the issue. Keep in mind that the most common culprits for curling leaves are overwatering, underwatering, humidity, pests, overfertilization, and pot size.

With the proper attention and care, your Swiss Cheese plant will grow up nice and big so you can have some of those iconic leaves with holes in your plant collection.

Steven

Learn how to catch, grow, and cook your own food. Whether you're searching for food tips and recipes or growing your own plants, there's something for you here! So let's learn how to catch, grow, and cook our food together.

Recent Posts