How to Care for a Monstera in Winter: The Complete UK Guide

Monstera plants are tropical by nature, and winter in the UK asks a great deal of them.

Shorter days reduce the light reaching east- and north-facing windows to a fraction of what a Monstera’s light requirements demand in summer.

Central heating dries the air significantly, bringing indoor humidity well below the 50 to 60 percent that keeps a Monstera thriving.

Growth slows or stops entirely, which means the plant’s tolerance for overwatering drops sharply, and the consequences of getting the care wrong are more serious than in the warmer months.

The good news is that Monstera Deliciosa and its relatives are resilient plants.

If you understand what changes in winter and adjust accordingly, most plants come through the cold season in excellent shape and push out healthy new leaves as soon as spring arrives.

This guide covers every aspect of Monstera care through winter, from the essentials of watering and light through to diagnosing the cold-season problems that catch growers out most often.

Monstera Winter Care at a Glance

Use this table as your quick-reference guide and refer to the sections below for the detail behind each row.

Does Monstera Go Dormant in Winter?

Monstera Deliciosa does not go fully dormant in the way that a deciduous tree or a spring-flowering bulb does.

What happens is more accurately described as a slowdown: the plant’s metabolic rate drops in response to lower light levels and cooler temperatures, growth slows significantly, and in many cases stops producing new leaves entirely between November and February.

The plant remains alive and functional, its existing leaves continue to photosynthesise, and the root system keeps working.

The practical consequence of this slowdown is significant.

Because the plant is not actively growing, it uses very little water and essentially no nutrients.

The soil dries out far more slowly than in summer, which is the underlying reason overwatering becomes such a frequent problem in winter even among growers who manage their watering well at other times of year.

You should also expect fewer or no new leaves between late autumn and early spring. A Monstera that has stopped growing is not a dying Monstera.

For the specific signs that distinguish normal seasonal slowdown from a genuine problem, see the guide to why your Monstera is not growing.

Temperature: What Range Does a Monstera Need in Winter?

Monstera Deliciosa is native to the tropical rainforests of southern Mexico and Central America, where temperatures rarely drop below 18 degrees Celsius even at night.

This tropical origin, which you can read about in more detail in the guide to whether Monstera is a tropical plant, explains why the plant is poorly suited to UK winters and needs to be managed carefully.

The key temperature thresholds to understand are these.

In most centrally heated UK homes, indoor temperatures stay above 15 degrees Celsius even in winter, which means a Monstera on an interior wall is usually safe.

The danger areas are windowsills in rooms that are not heated overnight, conservatories, porches, and any position where a leaf or stem makes direct contact with a single-glazed window.

Glass conducts cold extremely efficiently. A Monstera leaf touching a cold pane can suffer localised cold damage within hours on a sharp winter night.

Check the position of every leaf that is near a window and ensure there is a gap of at least several centimetres between the plant and the glass.

Watering a Monstera in Winter

Overwatering in winter is the single most common cause of Monstera decline during the cold months, and it happens most often not because growers are careless but because they continue their summer watering schedule without accounting for the plant’s dramatically reduced water use.

A Monstera that needed watering every seven to ten days in summer may only need water every two to four weeks in winter.

The Monstera watering schedule explains this in full, but the key principle is this: always check the soil before you water, and never water based on a fixed calendar date alone.

Push your finger two to three inches into the potting mix. If it feels damp at that depth, do not water. If it feels dry throughout, water thoroughly.

When you do water, water fully. Pour water slowly until it runs freely from the drainage holes, then stop and allow the soil to drain completely before returning the pot to its saucer.

Empty the saucer if water collects in it. A Monstera sitting in standing water in winter is at serious risk of root rot because the cold, stagnant conditions around the roots are exactly what the fungal pathogens responsible for root rot prefer.

Signs you are overwatering in winter

Lower leaves yellowing and dropping while the soil remains consistently wet is the clearest sign.

Soggy, dark-coloured soil that smells sour or musty indicates that root rot may already have developed.

If you suspect root rot, check the guide to fixing root rot in a Monstera immediately and act before the damage becomes irreversible. Root rot moves quickly in cold, wet soil.

Signs you are underwatering in winter

This is less common in winter but does happen, particularly in homes where central heating creates very warm, dry conditions or where the plant is near a heat source.

The soil at two to three inches depth will be bone dry.

The leaves may curl or begin to droop, and if the plant is also showing yellow or brown leaf tips, see the guide to why Monstera leaves curl for a breakdown of drought-related symptoms.

If the potting mix has dried completely and is pulling away from the edges of the pot, water it two or three times in succession to allow full rehydration, or soak the pot in a basin of lukewarm water for twenty minutes.

Light for Monstera in Winter

Light is the aspect of winter Monstera care that most growers underestimate.

In the UK, December daylight hours in most of the country average around seven to eight hours, compared to sixteen or more in late June.

The intensity of the light is also dramatically lower, with the sun sitting much lower in the sky and often obscured by cloud cover.

A Monstera positioned two to three metres back from a window in summer may be receiving adequate indirect light.

The same position in December may receive almost none. Without sufficient light, the plant cannot photosynthesise efficiently enough to stay healthy, and pale or yellowing leaves are often the result.

Winter is also when Monstera leaves fail to split or fenestrate even on mature plants, often because insufficient light prevents the plant from producing the energy needed for full leaf development.

How to maximise winter light

Move the plant closer to the brightest window in the room.

In UK homes, south-facing windows receive the most winter light.

A Monstera can be positioned one to two metres from a south-facing window in winter without risk of bleaching, because winter sun is far less intense than summer sun.

East-facing windows are the next best option. West-facing windows receive less winter light but are still preferable to north-facing positions, which receive almost no direct light at all in winter.

Clean the leaves every three to four weeks in winter. Dust is invisible in low light but it accumulates on the leaf surface and reduces the amount of light reaching the chlorophyll.

A clean, damp cloth run gently across each leaf takes only a few minutes and makes a measurable difference. The guide to cleaning Monstera leaves explains the correct technique.

Using grow lights in winter

If your home does not have a south-facing window, or if the plant is in a room where moving it closer to the window is not practical, a grow light is the most effective solution.

Full-spectrum LED grow lights placed 30 to 60 cm above the plant for 12 to 14 hours per day can fully compensate for inadequate winter light.

The guide to the best grow lights for Monstera covers specific product recommendations at a range of price points.

Grow lights are particularly worth considering if your Monstera showed signs of leggy, stretched growth in winter last year, or if new leaves were noticeably smaller and paler than summer growth.

A leggy Monstera with long internodes between leaves is one of the clearest indicators that the plant has been light-starved over an extended period.

Humidity for Monstera in Winter

Winter humidity management is one of the most overlooked aspects of Monstera care in the UK, partly because humidity is invisible and partly because the effects of low humidity develop slowly enough that growers often attribute the symptoms to other causes.

Monstera plants prefer humidity levels between 50 and 60 percent. During UK summers, ambient indoor humidity often sits within or close to this range naturally.

In winter, when central heating is running, indoor humidity can drop to 20 to 30 percent, well below what the plant needs.

You can read more about the ideal humidity levels for Monstera and the specific effects of levels that are too low.

The symptoms of low humidity in winter include leaf tips and margins browning and crisping, older leaves yellowing at the edges before the damage spreads inward, and new growth emerging smaller than expected.

If the plant is also producing a small amount of water droplets on its leaf tips, this is actually a normal process called guttation rather than a humidity problem.

The full explanation is in the guide to why Monstera sweats.

How to raise humidity around your Monstera in winter

A dedicated room humidifier is the most effective method and the one most worth the investment if your home runs dry in winter.

Position it within one to two metres of the plant and aim for a reading of 50 to 60 percent on a hygrometer.

A pebble tray is a low-cost passive method that works well in a stable position.

Fill a wide tray or saucer with pebbles, add water to just below the top of the pebbles, and place the pot on top.

As the water evaporates it raises the local humidity around the plant without the roots sitting in water.

Misting the leaves provides a short-term humidity boost but is less effective than most growers assume.

The full assessment of whether misting actually improves Monstera humidity explains the limitations and compares it with more reliable alternatives.

Grouping houseplants together helps all of them: plants release water vapour through their leaves via transpiration, so a cluster of plants creates a localised microclimate with slightly higher humidity than an isolated specimen would generate on its own.

Fertilising a Monstera in Winter

The rule here is straightforward: stop feeding your Monstera from October through to February.

Plants only process nutrients when they are actively growing.

A Monstera in winter slowdown cannot use the nutrients provided by a fertiliser application, and the mineral salts in those nutrients accumulate in the soil instead.

This salt accumulation draws water out of the root cells through osmosis and produces symptoms that closely mimic drought stress: leaf tip and margin browning, yellowing of older leaves, and a white crusty residue on the soil surface.

The Monstera fertiliser guide covers the full year-round feeding schedule in detail, but the winter rule is simple: no feed from October to February.

Resume feeding in March or when you see the first signs of new growth emerging in spring, whichever comes first.

When you restart in spring, begin at half the recommended strength and build back up over two to three applications before returning to a regular schedule.

If you have been using eggshells as a calcium supplement for your Monstera, these can continue through winter as their release rate is so slow that they are effectively inert in the short term.

Soil and Drainage in Winter

The right potting mix for Monstera matters throughout the year, but it becomes particularly important in winter when the combination of reduced light, lower temperatures, and overwatering risk puts additional pressure on the root system.

A well-draining mix that allows air to reach the roots between waterings gives the plant the best chance of coming through winter without root problems.

If your Monstera is in a dense, peat-heavy compost that retains moisture for extended periods, winter is the time when that tendency causes the most damage.

You should not repot in winter if it can be avoided. Repotting causes root disturbance at a time when the plant has the least energy to recover.

The only exception is if root rot has set in, in which case repotting promptly is the lesser of two evils.

If root rot develops despite your best efforts, follow the protocol in the how to fix root rot in a Monstera guide, and when repotting use a mix with added perlite or grit to improve drainage in the new pot.

Check that your pot’s drainage holes are clear and unblocked at the start of each winter.

The guide to choosing the best pot for a Monstera covers material, size, and drainage considerations that directly affect winter performance.

Common Winter Problems and How to Fix Them

Most of the problems that appear on Monstera during winter are caused or worsened by the care adjustments discussed above, particularly overwatering, low light, and low humidity.

The following covers the most frequently encountered winter issues and their fixes.

Yellow leaves in winter

Yellow leaves are the most common winter complaint. They can result from overwatering (the most likely cause), underwatering, low light, low humidity, or natural leaf ageing.

Read the full guide to why Monstera leaves turn yellow to identify which cause applies to your plant before taking action.

In winter, start with the soil. Push your finger two to three inches in. Wet soil plus yellow leaves in winter almost always means overwatering.

Dry soil plus yellow leaves means underwatering or very low humidity.

Brown leaves and tips in winter

Brown tips and margins are typically caused by low humidity or the effects of cold draughts. For a full breakdown of every cause, see the guide to why Monstera leaves turn brown.

If the browning is soft and dark rather than crispy and dry, suspect cold damage from a draught or contact with cold glass.

Move the plant away from the cold source and remove the worst-affected leaves cleanly at the stem.

Black patches on leaves in winter

Black or very dark areas on Monstera leaves in winter usually indicate cold damage or the early stages of bacterial or fungal infection encouraged by a combination of overwatering and poor air circulation.

The guide to why Monstera turns black covers the full range of causes.

If the blackening is limited to leaf tips and edges and the affected tissue is dry, this is likely cold damage or low humidity.

If the blackening is spreading, the affected tissue is soft, and the soil is wet, this is more likely an infection associated with overwatering.

Reduce watering immediately and improve airflow around the plant.

Drooping and wilting in winter

A drooping Monstera in winter is most often either overwatered or cold-stressed. The guide to Monstera drooping helps distinguish between the two.

Check the soil first. Wet soil plus drooping strongly indicates overwatering. Dry soil plus drooping indicates underwatering.

If the soil moisture is acceptable and the plant is near a cold window or draught, move it to a warmer position and the leaves should recover within a day or two.

Pests in winter

Spider mites are the pest most likely to emerge in winter, because the hot, dry air produced by central heating creates ideal conditions for them to thrive.

The guide to the most common Monstera pests covers identification and treatment for the full range of threats.

Inspect the undersides of every leaf every two to three weeks in winter.

Fine webbing between leaves or across the undersides of leaves, combined with tiny pale stippling across the leaf surface, confirms spider mites.

Wash the leaves thoroughly with a firm jet of lukewarm water, then treat with a neem oil solution applied to all leaf surfaces including undersides.

Increasing the ambient humidity around the plant also acts as a deterrent, as spider mites struggle to establish in air with 50 percent or more relative humidity.

Regularly cleaning Monstera leaves removes the dust that mites prefer and makes early detection much easier.

Leaves not splitting in winter

It is entirely normal for a Monstera to produce leaves without fenestrations (the characteristic holes and splits) during winter.

Low light is the primary reason, as the plant does not have enough energy to develop the full leaf structure.

The guide to why Monstera leaves are not splitting explains the full picture, including why even adult plants stop fenestrating in poor light conditions.

Improving light by moving the plant or adding a grow light is the most effective remedy.

Month-by-Month Winter Care Calendar

Use this calendar as a checklist. Actions are cumulative – carry forward anything not done in previous months.

What to Do with an Outdoor Monstera in Winter

Monstera can be kept outdoors in summer in most parts of the UK, and many growers enjoy moving their plants outside during the warmer months.

The guide to Monstera outside in summer covers outdoor placement in detail.

As winter approaches, an outdoor Monstera must be brought indoors before night temperatures drop to 10 degrees Celsius.

In most parts of the UK, this means bringing the plant inside by early October at the latest, and in Scotland and northern England, late September is safer.

The plant may show some leaf drop or yellowing in the two weeks following the move indoors, as it adjusts to lower light and different humidity levels.

This is transplant stress rather than a disease or care failure. The same process of adjustment happens after repotting, as explained in the Monstera repotting guide.

Before moving an outdoor Monstera inside, inspect it very carefully for pests.

Outdoor plants are frequently host to aphids, vine weevil larvae, and other insects that will quickly spread to the rest of your houseplants once inside.

Treat any infestation before the plant crosses the threshold.

Once indoors, do not immediately place the plant next to other houseplants. A two-week quarantine period is good practice.

Read the guide to whether Monstera can live outside permanently if you are considering a more permanent outdoor setup in a sheltered microclimate.

Will My Monstera Grow Back After Winter?

Yes. A healthy Monstera that has been cared for correctly through winter will resume growth in spring, typically in March or April in the UK as day length increases and temperatures rise.

The first signs of return are usually visible at the growing tip: a tightly furled new leaf beginning to emerge from the most recent unfurling point on the stem.

When new growth does appear, you can begin to encourage the plant back into its growing season routine.

Getting a Monstera to grow more leaves covers the conditions that maximise leaf production in spring and summer.

If the plant does not show any new growth by May, then poor light, persistent overwatering, or root damage over winter is the likely cause rather than ongoing dormancy.

A Monstera that looks genuinely unwell after winter, with multiple yellow or brown leaves, very soft or dark stems, or no visible roots at all, may need more active intervention.

The guide to reviving a dying Monstera provides a systematic recovery approach.

Do Different Monstera Varieties Need Different Winter Care?

The care principles above apply across the Monstera genus, but there are differences in tolerance between species that are worth knowing if you grow anything beyond the standard Monstera Deliciosa.

Browse the full range of Monstera varieties if you are unsure which species you have.

Monstera Adansonii

Monstera Adansonii has thinner leaf tissue than Monstera Deliciosa and is more sensitive to low humidity and cold temperature fluctuations.

Apply the same winter care adjustments but with slightly more attention to humidity, try to keep the ambient level above 50 percent if possible.

Adansonii also dries out faster than Deliciosa in dry, heated air because of the greater surface area of its perforated leaves relative to its root volume, so check soil moisture more frequently.

Monstera Peru (Monstera Karstenianum)

Monstera Peru is a compact, fast-growing species with corrugated dark green leaves.

Its care requirements through winter are largely the same as Deliciosa, though its compact growth habit makes it a good choice for smaller spaces with limited window access.

The full Monstera Peru care guide covers its year-round needs, and the guide to why Monstera Peru turns yellow is useful if it shows colour changes over winter.

Monstera Siltepecana

Monstera Siltepecana is a climbing species with silver-patterned leaves that is more sensitive to cold than many of its relatives.

Keep it above 15 degrees Celsius throughout winter and prioritise humidity. Full care guidance is available in the Monstera Siltepecana care guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I water my Monstera in winter?

Every two to four weeks in most cases, but always check the soil before watering rather than following a fixed schedule.

Push your finger two to three inches into the potting mix. Water only when it feels dry at that depth.

In a cool, north-facing room, some Monstera plants need water only once or twice a month from November to February.

Should I mist my Monstera in winter?

Misting provides a short-term boost to leaf-surface humidity but has little lasting effect on the ambient humidity around the plant.

It is not harmful, but it is not a substitute for a pebble tray or a humidifier. See the full assessment of whether misting Monstera actually helps humidity.

My Monstera has not grown a new leaf since October – is that normal?

Yes, this is entirely normal and expected during the winter dormancy period.

Most Monstera plants stop producing new leaves between late autumn and early spring in UK conditions.

As long as the existing leaves remain green and the plant is not showing signs of yellowing, browning, or drooping, no action is needed.

If you want to encourage the plant to keep growing through winter, a grow light running for 12 to 14 hours per day is the most effective intervention.

Can I repot my Monstera in winter?

Avoid repotting in winter unless you have no choice, such as when root rot is present and the plant needs immediate action.

Repotting disrupts the root system at a time when the plant has the least energy to recover. Wait until March or April when growth is resuming and the plant can rebuild its roots quickly.

What temperature is too cold for a Monstera?

Below 10 degrees Celsius is the point at which cold damage becomes a real risk. Below 5 degrees Celsius, damage is almost certain. Below 0 degrees Celsius, even brief exposure can kill the plant.

In practice, the most common cold-related problem in UK homes is not lethal cold but the draughts from poorly sealed windows and doors that create localised cold zones around the plant.

Should I move my Monstera away from the window in winter?

No, not unless the window is single-glazed and the room drops very cold at night.

In most cases the opposite is true: the window is the best light source in winter and the plant should be moved closer to it, not further away.

The exception is if the glass gets cold enough to chill the air immediately around it to near-freezing, in which case move the plant back by thirty to forty centimetres and ensure no leaf touches the glass.

Why is my Monstera dripping water in winter?

Water droplets on the tips or edges of Monstera leaves are caused by guttation, a natural process by which the plant expels excess moisture through structures called hydathodes.

This is normal and harmless. The full explanation is in the guide to why Monstera drips water.

Can I put my Monstera near a radiator in winter?

No. A radiator creates intense, localised heat and very low humidity immediately around it. These conditions dry the soil out unpredictably, cause leaf dehydration, and encourage spider mites.

Position the plant at least one metre away from any active radiator or heating vent.

How do I know if my Monstera is in trouble over winter versus just being dormant?

A dormant Monstera looks static but healthy: leaves remain deep green, the soil is dry between waterings, and the plant simply is not producing new growth.

A Monstera in trouble shows active deterioration: yellowing or browning leaves, soft stems, wet or sour-smelling soil, pests, or leaves beginning to droop and not recovering.

If you are seeing any of the latter, act immediately rather than waiting to see if the plant recovers on its own.

The guide to saving a damaged Monstera covers the recovery steps for a range of winter problems.

Key Takeaways

1. Reduce watering significantly. Check soil at two to three inches depth before every watering. Most Monstera plants need water only every two to four weeks in winter.
2. Stop feeding entirely from October to February. Nutrients accumulate as salts when the plant is not growing and cause more harm than good.
3. Maximise available light. Move the plant closer to the brightest window in the house and consider a grow light in rooms without south-facing windows.
4. Manage humidity actively. Central heating reduces indoor humidity sharply. Aim for 50 to 60 percent with a pebble tray, humidifier, or plant grouping.
5. Keep temperatures above 10 degrees Celsius as a minimum, and above 15 wherever possible. Keep the plant away from draughts, cold glass, and radiators equally.
6. Clean leaves monthly in winter. Dust on leaves reduces light absorption at the time of year when light is already at its lowest.
7. Check for spider mites every two to three weeks. Dry heated air creates ideal conditions for mites. Early detection is far easier to treat than an established infestation.
8. Do not repot unless root rot forces the issue. Wait until March or April when growth resumes and the plant can recover from root disturbance quickly.
9. No new leaves in winter is normal. Growth slowdown or complete stop between October and March is expected in UK conditions. Resume normal care expectations in spring.
10. Bring outdoor Monstera inside before night temperatures drop to 10 degrees Celsius. In most of the UK this means early October. Quarantine outdoor plants for two weeks before placing them near other houseplants.