Aerial roots are roots that grow above the ground floor. In nature they provide nutrients to the plant, help support the plant to climb, and sends itself down to the ground floor to pull more water. In your home, they don’t serve as much of a purpose. Even when you support your monstera, you wouldn’t support it from its aerial roots, you’d support it from its stem. I prefer to guide it down to the pot if I can, to get those nutrients, or let it hang. ✂️Cutting them: this is mainly for aesthetic reasons. There’s no issue with having them on, most times they’re cut because they grow very long and can hang to the ground or because someone doesn’t like the look of it. I think it adds the monsteras character so I keep them on. What’s you’re preference?
Mine grow in a circle at the top of the soil around the inside of the planter. It’s like they want to be hidden lol. It’s just one big continuous circle. It’s like it’s own protection circle or something 😂
I think i have some on my Monstera Adansonii I stuck the tip in water and it grew roots my plant pepped up a bit also still watching for actual growth results
I use it them to water the plant. Stick em in a jar with water, they'll sprout white root, and you just keep adding water to the jar. Really helpful for someone like me who usually over waters or forgets to water
@ThatGworl2023 oh yes absolutely! You can also take a cutting with an air root, or a beginning node of one, stick the whole cutting in water, root included, and watch the white roots form, and then stick em in soil 😁
I just bought my 13th houseplant and first monstera so I'm nervously devouring any and all research & info you've put out on these guys. I went from one to thirteen houseplants in about six weeks 😂 I need an intervention!
One tip from a plant hoarder, (I reached triple digits last month and I dont count the propagations 😆) make sure you look them over THOROUGHLY AT THE STORE! Checks the stems, leaves, UNDERSIDE of the leaves, and new foliage is usually the most attacked so pay attention to those too. I don't do it but some bring a magnifying glass to see even better because some pests like spider mites can be hard to see with the naked eye if they haven't infested the plant with webs. If you're feeling extra cautious, have an area in your home that gets good light where you can quarantine newcomers for a week or two, then find them a more permanent spot after that. It'll save you heartache and hassle in the future! Happy planting 😊
Just a warning my Monstera is picky af it hates my house because we keep it so cold so I HAVE to leave it on my patio in order for it to thrive. They are tropical plants so it makes sense but yeah just keep that in mind when placing it somewhere. Also good lighting is important too, you need a lot of indirect light so the leaves don't burn. Hope your lil bb thrives!!
These plants are bastards to repot😅. Mine welded itself to the inside of the old pot, had to drag it outside cause its a messy job, very heavy with huge leaves and a massive root system, needs repotting or dividing every couple of years cause they grow so fast
I like to encourage mine to the ground (using ties, a bamboo skewer as a stake, and plenty of misting so it stays moist and moldable) for more stability and trim the ones that are too resistant or unruly. Also fun thing with my monstera that I had to deal with the other day-one of the aerial roots did a u-turn and tried to become ingrown. I was able to encourage it out of the sheath it had made a home in and it’s now growing downward. At first when I pulled it out, it was super bulbous and lumpy in comparison to a normal aerial root 😂
So far, my plant is small with only two leaves with starter fenestrations, so I have guided each aerial root back into the pot and I was surprised when I repotted that they are really firmly in there and become part of the root system!!! I plan to continue to do that as long as possible because they seem to stabilize the plant once they get their grip on the soil. I know I will have to cut eventually bc I have a small space and can't have them taking over the house, but my goal is to keep what I can since they do seem to benefit the plant both in stability and nutrients as I assume they are not just anchor roots but below the soil they are thirsty and feeding my plant!
I left them on my previous plant, only to find when I needed to move home that they had rooted into the carpet and attached themselves to the walls and a (clearly, rarely used!) cupboard door! I had to give the plant away as it was too big for this place. Hopefuly, by the time my new one is big enough I will have moved again - to somewhere with decent sized windows!
I used to cut them off of a huge golden pothos I had growing in a fish tank. I had no idea what I was doing back then but the tank was right by a window and the leaves on the pothos got as big as monstera leaves, and the aerial roots were massive too.
i used to cut them off, but after some time my monstera’s leaves ended up having huge dry crunchy ends. so i’d say it’s better to keep aerial roots. even better to keep them in the soil so your monstera can drink more and not have dry ends)
Just make sure they lean on the wall, didn’t notice that a few of them were leaning up against the wall, when we try to pull them away to cut them, they were attached to the wall and damaged the wall when we had to pull it off 😮😢
Grow them into a water bottle maybe in the pot maybe on the floor maybe strapped to the stem. Later when you propagate a plant that’s maybe too big, you’ll be glad you did
Just bought my first monstera ever! (Actually I bought two, a medium and a small! The medium one has three aerial roots and I was able to recognise them thanks to you! ❤ tried to put them back in the soil but they’re so stiff, gonna try again in a couple months!
OHMG!they are so beautiful in nature! You inspire me so much Krystal thank you!! Can I ask , I recently got a healthy looking monstera a few months ago. No bugs, and I have not repotted and don't want to disturb the growth. I've gotten 3 new leaves since being in my home but I noticed the 1st one that unrolled was half crispy half beautiful. Thats when I noticed another one that was also half crispy. Its still doing great and I did give it some worm tea when I got her. What do you recommend? Much appreciated!💜
I would discourage cutting them because if there is ever a time when your plant gets root rot, you can still save them by propagating it, but if you cut it there’s no luck for you and your plant!
Krystal! Did you see that short from the TechplantChannel? It was all about big beefy Monstera cuttings. Obviously, you were the first person I thought of when I watched it.
I always leave them! They have purpose! They help support foliage! But he careful, lol those succers can and WILL imbed themselves into carpeting and grow wild!
If you increase humidity that might help. I read somewhere that they hate higher humidity and humid loving plants can get stressed easily in lower humidity causing the mites to smell the stress and seek it out. It's a vicious cycle.
Okay so on Pinterest I saw a thing on putting aerial roots still attached to the plant in water, they used monsteras but mine is too small so I used my devils ivy and she drank like a whole cup right up!
Is it an issue if your Monstera doesn't have aerial roots? I've had my Monstera for months and it's a fairly decent size (not as big as yours but not a baby) and it only has one very short aerial root
Pls advice , I bought a momstera in April spring now it's June and it has grown good roots but no top growth it's same 4 leaves on top of which 1 is about to die , new leaf if light green in colour turning yellow due to too much sunlight but no growth ... What to do ? Why it isn't producing new leaf
I have a monstera that was growing so big and tipping over for the pot it was in. So i divided into 5 pots and with new soil and now they’re ALL dying😭😭😭 I’ve had Chloe for a little over a year and I’m so sad that I’ve killed her. HELP!! Is there anything I can do to save the 5 new plants ??? I repotted them each with miracle grow indoor plant soil and perlite. And also added a bamboo stick to each..😢 what did I do wrong and how can I save Chloe x 5!??
Aerial roots are roots that grow above the ground floor.
In nature they provide nutrients to the plant, help support the plant to climb, and sends itself down to the ground floor to pull more water.
In your home, they don’t serve as much of a purpose. Even when you support your monstera, you wouldn’t support it from its aerial roots, you’d support it from its stem. I prefer to guide it down to the pot if I can, to get those nutrients, or let it hang.
✂️Cutting them: this is mainly for aesthetic reasons. There’s no issue with having them on, most times they’re cut because they grow very long and can hang to the ground or because someone doesn’t like the look of it. I think it adds the monsteras character so I keep them on.
What’s you’re preference?
How gorgeous!! Thanks for teaching me something new!!
Personally, I let them hang loose 😊❤🌱
Sidenote: It's nice to wake up to some plant education🪴 with Krystal. Your personality makes me smile girl. 🙃🤪😃
Mine grow in a circle at the top of the soil around the inside of the planter. It’s like they want to be hidden lol. It’s just one big continuous circle. It’s like it’s own protection circle or something 😂
I think i have some on my Monstera Adansonii I stuck the tip in water and it grew roots my plant pepped up a bit also still watching for actual growth results
I love me some aerial roots!
I use it them to water the plant. Stick em in a jar with water, they'll sprout white root, and you just keep adding water to the jar. Really helpful for someone like me who usually over waters or forgets to water
genius.
My gf does this. She’s a brainiac.
When I see the white roots can I plant it in soil?
Ohhhh thankyou for this tip!!!
@ThatGworl2023 oh yes absolutely! You can also take a cutting with an air root, or a beginning node of one, stick the whole cutting in water, root included, and watch the white roots form, and then stick em in soil 😁
I just bought my 13th houseplant and first monstera so I'm nervously devouring any and all research & info you've put out on these guys. I went from one to thirteen houseplants in about six weeks 😂 I need an intervention!
She's the perfect teacher for all plant parents.
One tip from a plant hoarder, (I reached triple digits last month and I dont count the propagations 😆) make sure you look them over THOROUGHLY AT THE STORE! Checks the stems, leaves, UNDERSIDE of the leaves, and new foliage is usually the most attacked so pay attention to those too. I don't do it but some bring a magnifying glass to see even better because some pests like spider mites can be hard to see with the naked eye if they haven't infested the plant with webs. If you're feeling extra cautious, have an area in your home that gets good light where you can quarantine newcomers for a week or two, then find them a more permanent spot after that. It'll save you heartache and hassle in the future! Happy planting 😊
@@DelightfulDissident thank you so much!! I appreciate any and all advice. 🤗
Just a warning my Monstera is picky af it hates my house because we keep it so cold so I HAVE to leave it on my patio in order for it to thrive. They are tropical plants so it makes sense but yeah just keep that in mind when placing it somewhere. Also good lighting is important too, you need a lot of indirect light so the leaves don't burn. Hope your lil bb thrives!!
These plants are bastards to repot😅. Mine welded itself to the inside of the old pot, had to drag it outside cause its a messy job, very heavy with huge leaves and a massive root system, needs repotting or dividing every couple of years cause they grow so fast
Those things in the wild ! Are BEAUTIFUL!!!
Makes me wonder if those roots are what Tarzan used to swing from. 😅
This!! They actually areee
WOW! I had no idea the aerial roots in the wild were so…wild!
I like to encourage mine to the ground (using ties, a bamboo skewer as a stake, and plenty of misting so it stays moist and moldable) for more stability and trim the ones that are too resistant or unruly.
Also fun thing with my monstera that I had to deal with the other day-one of the aerial roots did a u-turn and tried to become ingrown. I was able to encourage it out of the sheath it had made a home in and it’s now growing downward. At first when I pulled it out, it was super bulbous and lumpy in comparison to a normal aerial root 😂
I love the aerial roots. I love the jungle type feel they make. Some ill guide back into the soil, and some i let grow crazy.
I just adopted 2 babies yesterday. Thank you for this. ❤🌿🍃🌱
So far, my plant is small with only two leaves with starter fenestrations, so I have guided each aerial root back into the pot and I was surprised when I repotted that they are really firmly in there and become part of the root system!!! I plan to continue to do that as long as possible because they seem to stabilize the plant once they get their grip on the soil. I know I will have to cut eventually bc I have a small space and can't have them taking over the house, but my goal is to keep what I can since they do seem to benefit the plant both in stability and nutrients as I assume they are not just anchor roots but below the soil they are thirsty and feeding my plant!
I left them on my previous plant, only to find when I needed to move home that they had rooted into the carpet and attached themselves to the walls and a (clearly, rarely used!) cupboard door! I had to give the plant away as it was too big for this place. Hopefuly, by the time my new one is big enough I will have moved again - to somewhere with decent sized windows!
Omg 😂😂😂
wow!! I didn’t realize hot big those got in nature! i’ve never even seen one besides from in a pot, that’s beautiful!
I used to cut them off of a huge golden pothos I had growing in a fish tank. I had no idea what I was doing back then but the tank was right by a window and the leaves on the pothos got as big as monstera leaves, and the aerial roots were massive too.
Wow. Seeing those roots in nature is absolutely *stunning*
I love these plants at home but they serve even more in nature
I love your videos. You’re so wholesome and funny
Wholesome? There’s tons of dirty jokes in most videos. 😁
i used to cut them off, but after some time my monstera’s leaves ended up having huge dry crunchy ends. so i’d say it’s better to keep aerial roots. even better to keep them in the soil so your monstera can drink more and not have dry ends)
I had one Ariel root find the pot next to it. When I repotted them I was so surprised how deep it grew into the other pot.
Wow I never knew this. Ty so much Krystal 🤝☀️
I weave mine around the pot... looks cool
Ow, what a great idea, will try that, too👍🏻
Just make sure they lean on the wall, didn’t notice that a few of them were leaning up against the wall, when we try to pull them away to cut them, they were attached to the wall and damaged the wall when we had to pull it off 😮😢
Tarzan swinging vines lol
Those Ariel roots in nature were soo crazy! wow I love that for them. 😅
Thanks for helping me realize that I’m a plant lover
😲 love! 💘 ❤ 💕 seeing them in nature is amazing thank you for showing that!
I have mine in a mason jar that I fill with water. It looks really cool
Anyone else say NOooo out loud when she cut it? No just me! Lol.
Me too!! Also when people put them back in the soil. That just creates roots bounding and not great for the plant.
I looooove how you’re using vids of plants in the wild from ur trips!!!
You are so knowledgeable!!! Just love your videos!
Grow them into a water bottle maybe in the pot maybe on the floor maybe strapped to the stem. Later when you propagate a plant that’s maybe too big, you’ll be glad you did
Just bought my first monstera ever! (Actually I bought two, a medium and a small! The medium one has three aerial roots and I was able to recognise them thanks to you! ❤ tried to put them back in the soil but they’re so stiff, gonna try again in a couple months!
OHMG!they are so beautiful in nature! You inspire me so much Krystal thank you!! Can I ask , I recently got a healthy looking monstera a few months ago. No bugs, and I have not repotted and don't want to disturb the growth. I've gotten 3 new leaves since being in my home but I noticed the 1st one that unrolled was half crispy half beautiful. Thats when I noticed another one that was also half crispy. Its still doing great and I did give it some worm tea when I got her. What do you recommend? Much appreciated!💜
I like how they look
I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOUR CHANNEL ☮️🌿🌿
Beautiful reference specimen!! OneLove ❣️
I love that nature shot. So beautiful 😍
That’s what Tarzan was swinging from in the jungle 😂
Tarzan didn't swing from vines, he swung from aerial roots!
My philodendrons do this when placed outdoors and growing quickly. I just leave them alone, thanks for the possibilities.
I always let them hang and do whatever they want 💚 creeped out a lot of guests but comforted me greatly that my plant was able to express himself 😂
Not me growing up in Florida my first 18 yrs of life and now at the age of 27 realizing these are monstera trees
I would discourage cutting them because if there is ever a time when your plant gets root rot, you can still save them by propagating it, but if you cut it there’s no luck for you and your plant!
Krystal! Did you see that short from the TechplantChannel? It was all about big beefy Monstera cuttings. Obviously, you were the first person I thought of when I watched it.
Gotta love those thick & beefy stems
I have absolutely insane aerial roots on my wondering jew of all things and it's growing so fast, i don't think it's supposed to have them lmao
I always leave them! They have purpose! They help support foliage! But he careful, lol those succers can and WILL imbed themselves into carpeting and grow wild!
or you wrap them around a moss pole and only water the pole and the roots will absorb the water from the pole
Those are what Tarzan used to swing around the jungle.
You can put a cup of water on the soil and put the roots in water. The plant will grow faster that way
They look as if I could climb them 👀
Don't cut them off. They suck in atmospheric water. They allso previde support.
Guide them into the soil or around a gro pole.
I pop them down in to the soil, mostly so the cat doesn't try chewing them.
I want one soo bad!
Thank you! I find them annoying 😮
Port Jackson fig is my favourite plant that has aerial roots 🥲
bro i’ve been fighting spider lights for the last freaking month omg my alocasias spawn them in pretty sure
I’m the same. I bought my first alocasia and found a bunch of spider mites, must be common with those types of plants
If you increase humidity that might help. I read somewhere that they hate higher humidity and humid loving plants can get stressed easily in lower humidity causing the mites to smell the stress and seek it out. It's a vicious cycle.
Where is that location? So beautiful…
TIL: jungle vines are roots
i wish i could grow aerial roots on my plants too 😢
You could stick a little Tarzan swinging on them 😂
I feel the need to direct you to Tom Cardy's aerial roots song 😂
If you guide them back in the soil, does it do anything / grow any new stems?
Okay so on Pinterest I saw a thing on putting aerial roots still attached to the plant in water, they used monsteras but mine is too small so I used my devils ivy and she drank like a whole cup right up!
I'm honestly scared of those things. THEY LOOK LIKE WORMSSS
I wanna know where you live because I want to grow these but I'm in georgia😢 so idk if it will grow well
If you cut the aerial roots off can you grow another plant from them?
I wrapped yarn around mine 😂
krystal, you heal my soul
I stick them in water with a little bit of fertilizer. They root then you can cut the peice it's attached to off. Then you have a baby
Those are vines for Tarzan's swinging pleasure.
Just wondering why you don’t use moss poles?
Or you could put in a moss pole and rap the aerial roots around it and secure it
Oh wow look at how tall they get in nature that’s crazy
I put a cup of water near my monstera and airal roots inside this cup . I think my monstera happy with this.
Don't cut Tarzan's transportation system 💀😂
Hold up…. My monstera gets THAT big? I knew big but daaang
Fish aquarium I have a 175gallon with monstera anthurium and bamboo out of the pot as well as aquatic plants under water add fish
So you're telling me tarzan is hanging onto aerial roots instead of vines?
I have a small form about 3 feet tall with roots over 30 feet! They make me laugh so they just keep going...
I accidentally broke an aerial root. Is there a way I can save it, or should I cut it off?
Isn’t this where Tarzan used to hang?
What do you do with the ones you keep?
Is it an issue if your Monstera doesn't have aerial roots? I've had my Monstera for months and it's a fairly decent size (not as big as yours but not a baby) and it only has one very short aerial root
If you encourage an airial root into another pot can you then cut it below the root do you get a new plant half started or will it die?
Good question! I know it's been a while but I'm hoping someone answers this question. I'm tempted to try for myself
I'd leave them too.
My mint plant has aerial roots, to bad it has all white-spotted leaves 😢
Why does yours look so thin in the vine? Mine are thicker, shorter, but faster growing.
Can you put them in water? My monsters just started growing some
Pls advice , I bought a momstera in April spring now it's June and it has grown good roots but no top growth it's same 4 leaves on top of which 1 is about to die , new leaf if light green in colour turning yellow due to too much sunlight but no growth ... What to do ? Why it isn't producing new leaf
What fertilizer do you use for your monstera?
It’s dynagrow foliage pro
I thought the plant will loose all the leaves if we cut them off?
Nope, not the aerial roots no.
ohthanks
How old is this plant??? My monstera has the teeniest tiniest aerial roots
I have a monstera that was growing so big and tipping over for the pot it was in. So i divided into 5 pots and with new soil and now they’re ALL dying😭😭😭 I’ve had Chloe for a little over a year and I’m so sad that I’ve killed her. HELP!! Is there anything I can do to save the 5 new plants ???
I repotted them each with miracle grow indoor plant soil and perlite. And also added a bamboo stick to each..😢 what did I do wrong and how can I save Chloe x 5!??
Also I did this on Memorial Day Monday and the soil is still damp from watering that day….
Aren’t they also for balance & stability?
What do you cut them with? I have them and I’m not sure what type of shears to use?
TARZAAAAAN!!!
So you get a free aerial root curtain on your balcony on a two story house!? Noted!
I would.....IF I HAD A MONSTERA 😭
Give me a monster 😭, in India this plant is sooo expensive, I'm a college student I can't afford this
Wow!! Do you ever get fruit from them?