Monstera albo (Monstera deliciosa ‘Albo Borsigiana’) is an extremely hard-to-find yet much-cherished plant among horticulturists. Due to its amazing variegation and prestige reputation, this monstera is at the top of many wish lists throughout the world, with even little plants selling for several hundred dollars. It is a variant of the well-known Monstera deliciosa, distinguished by its split leaves and huge, white spots of natural variegation. Toxic to pets, so take care.
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Albo Monstera Care
These beautiful houseplants originate in the humid tropical woods of Central America. The albo’s care is quite similar to that of the Monstera deliciosa, so you will have a good start if you’ve worked with that plant before. Monstera albo are notoriously fussy, so it is important to remember a few key points.
Provide your monstera albo with a moss pole to promote the development of big, robust leaves. Vining plants like these thrive when provided a moss pole to mimic their natural habitat.
Light
Give your monstera albo lots of bright, indirect light to maintain its vibrant, abundant variegation. The ideal amount of time spent in filtered light is between 6 and 7 hours. The variegated areas of these plants’ leaves are particularly vulnerable to sunburn and should be kept out of direct sunlight. Monstera albos are not suitable low-light plants since they lose their variegation if they do not receive enough light.
Soil
It’s crucial to have a healthy soil mixture that drains efficiently. Plant your monstera albos in a mixture of equal parts perlite, orchid bark, coco peat, and coco coir to provide proper drainage and nutrition. Worm castings and other organic fertilizers can be mixed in for a little more help.
Water
Over watering can cause root rot in tropical plants, so it’s best to let the soil dry out a little bit in between watering. Water thoroughly but not so much that it overflows the pot’s drainage holes; instead, let the top inch or two of soil dry up before watering again.
Conditions of Heat and Dampness
The albo, like other members of the Monstera family, thrives in warm conditions, namely those with a temperature range of 65°F to 80°F. This makes it ideal for greenhouse cultivation; however it may be grown outside in the summer or all year in USDA hardiness zones 9 to 11.
They require more humidity than most homes provide, ideally between 60 and 70 percent. In order to keep it alive, you’ll probably need to increase the humidity by using a humidifier, putting it in a group with other plants, or relocating it to a location with high natural humidity, such a bathroom or kitchen.
Fertilizer
Albo Monstera deliciosas need more careful feeding to create its distinctive variegated leaves. However, these monsteras might die from too much fertiliser, so timing is key. Feed your plant once a month with a balanced liquid fertiliser in addition to a potting mix that is enhanced with natural fertilisers. In the autumn and winter, when the plant is dormant, feeding it is unnecessary.
Various Monstera Albo Types
Monstera albo comes in a wide variety of shapes and colours, so if you can’t locate the one you like, look for another.
- Monstera deliciosa ‘Albo Variegata’ has glossy, dark green foliage with white variegation.
- The ‘Albo Variegata’ variety of Monstera adansonii is exceedingly uncommon and has several holes in each cream and green split leaf.
- Large, largely white, with some green leaves; that’s the Monstera deliciosa ‘Albo Borsigiana’
- adansonii var. variegata (Monstera) Glossy, tricolored dark green, light green, and white leaves characterise the variegated Laniata Albo.
- Monstera Marbled Albo: Extremely rare, with white and green spots on severely split leaves.
Sharing Monstera Albo Seeds
Monstera albo is a popular plant to propagate because of its magnificent white variegation, which occurs naturally in the species. The process is straightforward and quite similar to that used for growing standard Monstera deliciosa. However, unlike ordinary monsteras, variegated monsteras require a very lengthy time to propagate. These striped monsteras may also be purchased as cuttings of either new or established stems, so if you’re wondering what to do with your brand-new monstera albo cutting, here are some pointers.
It’s crucial to know that monstera albo can only be grown from stem cuttings before you get started. The stem must have at least one node, and ideally more than one, for the cutting to be successful.
- Take a cutting of a healthy monstera albo stem using sterilized, sharp pruning shears or scissors. The stem cutting should have one to three nodes and as many leaves as there are nodes.
- If you want to see the nodes at the cutting’s base, you should take off the lowest one or two leaves and leave at least one leaf at the top.
- The next step is to select a medium for rooting your cutting. Swamp moss, water, leca (lightweight expanded clay aggregate), and perlite are all viable options.
- Get your chosen medium ready in a small container. Rooting mediums, whether they’re made of sphagnum moss, leca, or perlite, should be wet ahead of time and kept at a steady moisture level throughout.
- Place the cutting in the prepared medium so that the nodes at the bottom are covered but the remaining leaves are above ground.
- Cut in a spot that gets lots of indirect sunlight. Over the next four weeks, roots should begin to develop. Maintain a steady moisture level in the rooting media, or replace the water if you’re rooting in it.
- Rooted cuttings should be moved to a rich, well-drained potting mix after they reach at least 2 to 3 inches in length. Prepare the soil by watering it before planting the clipping.
- For the first week or two, your newly potted cutting should be exposed to bright, indirect light, and the soil should be kept at a consistent moisture level.
Care of Monstera Albo in Containers
Due to their sluggish growth rate, these monsteras should only require repotting every two to three years. Repotting your monstera albo in the spring or summer is recommended. Do not repot your plant when it’s in hibernation throughout the winter. Select a container that is at least one size, or two to three inches in diameter, bigger than the preceding container.
The first step is to gently release the rootball without damaging the plant’s roots by taking it out of its previous pot. As much of the previous dirt as possible should be dug up. Then, transfer the plant’s root ball to the new container, cover it with potting mix, and give it a good soaking in water. Put it back where it was and start watering it again on a regular basis.
Insect Pests & Typical Plant Diseases
Spider mites, scale, mealybugs, fungus gnats, and thrips are only some of the typical pests of houseplants. The easiest approach to detect pest problems early is to conduct routine inspections of your plant. Insecticide spraying on the plant at regular intervals might also help.
Growing a Flowering Monstera Albo
The plant’s rarest feature, however, is its tubular greenish flower (spadix) of 4 to 6 inches in length, which is encircled by a white spathe. Monstera albo blooms seldom when planted indoors, and when it does, the flowers are dwarfed by the plant’s spectacular foliage. In addition, a monstera albo may not blossom for several years after it has been planted.
If you are feeling ambitious, you may try growing the plant in a greenhouse with regulated conditions to help it blossom. It requires bright light (direct sunshine in the winter), warm air temperatures of around 79 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit, and high humidity of 60 to 80 percent to thrive outside of a greenhouse.
Monstera albo has a number of common issues
If you have experience caring for other varieties of monstera, you should have no trouble taking care of Monstera albo. However, there are a few challenges that are typical when keeping tropical plants inside, just like any other houseplant.
Leaves Drooping
There are a few reasons why your monstera albo might have limp, drooping leaves. When you first bring a plant into your house, it may experience a period of shock. It might take some time for someone who is very environment-dependent to feel comfortable in a new setting. Give it conditions similar to those it was likely born into, such as high humidity and warm temperatures. You may have under watered your plant or caused root rot if its leaves continue to droop after it has become established in your house.
Change to Yellow
If your plant’s leaves are turning yellow, it is a sign that something is wrong with its habitat. It is usually a symptom of neglect, such as excessive or insufficient watering, inadequate lighting, or poor fertilization. To determine the most likely reason, you should examine the plant’s growth conditions.
Defeat of Variability
If your plant is losing its coloration, it may not be getting enough light. Light it with intense indirect light for at least six or seven hours. If you are unable to give your albo with sufficient natural light, you may want to consider adding a grow light to your arrangement.
Browning Leaves
Leaves becoming brown are caused by a lack of humidity, under watering, or too much direct sunlight. White Monstera albo leaves are more likely to develop brown spots than their green Monstera deliciosa counterparts.
Amanda Byers is a graduate of Columbia, where she played volleyball and annoyed a lot of professors. Now as Zobuz’s entertainment and Lifestyle Editor, she enjoys writing about delicious BBQ, outrageous style trends and all things Buzz worthy.
