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Monstera belongs to the species of evergreen tropical vines and shrubs. It is native to the tropical rainforests of Central America.
Its vibrant leaves with decorative natural holes make it a desirable plant for the embellishment of indoors. The plant thus finds commonplace in households by virtue of its pleasing appearance.
Watering every 1-2 weeks and average humidity keeps the plant looking fresh. The plant does well at a temperature range of 65°F-85°F.
Typically, a monstera will prefer 5 to 8 hours of bright indirect light. A monstera does not like direct sunlight.
Too much direct sunlight can dry and burn the leaves causing them to turn brown and eventually die.
If you’re looking for places where you can put this plant, know its light preferences. Here we will guide you through that.
Does a Monstera like Direct Sunlight?
Monstera, a rainforest plant, does not prefer that much sunlight considering how crowded and deprived of light rainforest plants can be since they do not grow as tall as their neighboring rainforest trees and plants.
They do try to climb up, however. This is because the holes have been thought to permit light to reach the lower plants.
Thus No a monstera does not like direct sunlight. In addition, direct sunlight can cause the leaves of the plant to burn and tan so avoid it to keep your monstera happy.
If your monstera plant is struggling due to light, trying using this to help regulate the lighting.
How Much Direct Sun can a Monstera Take?
Monstera can and cannot tolerate direct sun. Yes, you heard that right. Outdoor and those Monstera plants growing in the rainforest do receive direct sunlight and reflections of sunrays from here and there.
While those plants that are specifically grown indoors and bought from the nursery might get sunburn instantly if placed in direct sunlight.
Therefore it is necessary to provide the right kind of light your plant is already acclimatized to. Direct sunlight for a few hours daily might burn your beautiful monstera leaves if it is used to the cozy indoors near a bright window.
If you’re enjoying this article, check out our article on why is my monstera drooping.
Can a Monstera Grow under LED Light?
If you have a dark indoors or live in an apartment without a balcony or light-facing windows, don’t think you cant grow monstera and adorn your indoors.
Monstera can also grow under artificial light. In fact, artificial light can grant you a Monstera with more giant fenestrated leaves and even better growth because the LED lights contain blue and red wavelengths.
These wavelengths are required for proper growth. Despite that, white LED lights instead of blue or red work best as these are close to nature.
There are many artificial lights out in the market that can act as mini suns for your plant. They provide a greenhouse-level intensity of light.
You can use lights near the plant but not too much near the plant or even hang the lights from the ceiling. You can focus the light onto the plant as well for maximum utilization by your plant.
What Happens if Your Monstera gets too Much Light?
Your monstera needs a balanced amount of light. Neither too much nor too little. If it gets too much direct sunlight, the light can burn the plant’s leaves.
Too much light can also exhaust and dry out the plant. The plant needs to be provided adequate light for the leaves and stems for growing and photosynthesizing their food.
What Happens if Your Monstera gets Too Little Light?
If your Monstera plant does not get sufficient light, it will show slow growth, retarded growth of new foliage, and leggy pedicles.
In addition, the plant will get leggy in the search for light. This will give your plant an untidy and unkept look.
If your monstera plant is struggling due to light, trying using this to help regulate the lighting.
What if Your Monstera Gets No Light?
Although Monstera plants are somewhat hardy as they prefer indirect sunlight, they can show some growth in the dark and can survive for a few days but cannot live entirely in the dark where they do not receive any bits of light.
This is because no light would slow down the growth of the plant and cause it to be gradually deprived of its food and die.
How Much Light Do Monstera Plants Need?
Monstera plants need indirect sunlight for ideally for 5 to 8 hours daily.
This amount of light would promote growth, maintain green foliage, and produce leaves with beautiful natural fenestrations or holes.
For more information about this beloved plant, we have created an article on how to care for a monstera.
Direct Light vs Indirect Light for your Monstera
Outdoor Monstera plants that inhabit tropical rainforests grow below the canopy and receive mostly indirect sunlight reflected from various places.
However, they do also receive some direct sunlight. So a mix of both kinds of light works well for naturally occurring Monstera plants of the rainforest.
However, those that you buy from the nursery require bright light but filtered through a window or reflected light from the glass of a greenhouse.
Thus they do require bright light to strive, but it should be indirect. Medium to low indirect light for 10 hours and more can also do just fine for your monstera plant.
What Kind of Light Does Your Monstera Need?
Medium to high-intensity light filtered through any surface like a window is needed for your monstera plant to show proper foliage growth.
Avoid too much dim lighting and too much intense direct sunlight, which can scorch the leaves of your monstera.
As mentioned before, you can also use artificial white LED light closer to natural sunlight to aid the growth of your plant if you live in an area where there isn’t much daylight.
Despite the ideal conditions mentioned, monstera is not a demanding plant and is quite hardy. It can do adequately well in a wide variety of lighting conditions.
If your monstera plant is struggling due to light, trying using this to help regulate the lighting.
Signs your Monstera Plant Needs More Light
If your plant is not showing adequate growth, then it may be needing more sunlight.
Also, if the plant does not show its characteristic holes and fenestrations of the leaves, it is an indicator of light deprivation. Signs of yellowing of the leaves and pedicles may also indicate that your plant needs more light.
In addition, the soil of the plant’s container isn’t drying out and stays constantly damp, then try providing more light to speed up the drying.
Where is the Best Spot to Put Your Monstera Plant?
The ideal place to put your Monstera plant would be in your living room near a brightly lit window that receives most of the low to medium-intensity sunlight of your house throughout the day.
You can also place your plant near an east-facing or north-facing window that doesn’t receive much sunlight if the sunlight is of high intensity.
Damp conditions of a sunny bathroom window may also be suitable.
How Do I Make My Monstera Grow Faster?
The key ingredient to make your Monstera plant grow healthier and faster is a sufficient amount of bright indirect light.
Avoid direct light that causes dark spots that do not heal. If lighting isn’t the issue, then there might be other problems your plant might be facing.
1) Check to see whether your plant requires fertilizer. Spring and summer months are growing seasons and specifically demand a bit more fertilizer than usual for growth.
Monstera doesn’t grow too much during the winter season, so avoid fertilizing your plant during that period.
Too much imbalance in salt concentration of the soil and pH can retard the growth of your plant.
If there is salt buildup, flood the pot with water and then allow the water to drain off so that the excess nutrients are washed away.
2) Also, make sure your plant is clean and dust-free.
Wiping the dust and dirt off the leaves and spraying the leaves with neem oil is an excellent way to maintain your plant and keep it safe from pests. In addition, cleanliness can promote faster growth.
3) Being a tropical plant use a humidifier or a pebble tray to maintain adequate humidity for your plant. Tropical plants generally prefer damp and humid conditions to grow.
You can also place your plant near a bright window in the washroom so that it gets both indirect lights from the sun as well as humid conditions.
4) Too little watering and overwatering can also cause the growth of your plant to retard. Make sure to water your plant when the top 2 inches of the pot’s soil gets dry.
You can also try misting the plant with a spray bottle. Remember to use distilled water for your plant as excessive minerals might sound tempting but are not beneficial for the plant.
5) If your plant has overgrown its pot, then it may not grow much. Try repotting for it to continue growing. A crowded pot doesn’t allow room for the roots of the plant to spread.
Final Thoughts
Monstera is a beautiful, vibrant tropical plant that favors yours indoors by adorning it with its exotic fenestrated leaves.
The plant does well in medium-intensity indirect sunlight, ideally for 10 hours a day. However, it cannot tolerate direct sunlight. Direct sunlight can damage its leaves and cause burns.
It can also be grown under artificial LED lights. Yellowing and slow growth are indicators that your plant needs more sunlight.
Make sure to check its lighting essentials and other parameters that help it grow appropriately, like fertilizer, watering, humidity, and repotting.
About the Author:
Saad Ansar
Saad is an avid gardener himself and is a great lover of plants, animals, photography, & people. Currently, he is focused on photographing indoor plants & captioning beautiful outdoor sceneries. In addition, he writes and rewrites in-depth articles on nature and science.
