Monstera Leaves Curling? 9 Causes, Diagnosis & How to Fix Them

Monstera leaves curling is one of the most common signs that something in your plant’s care or environment needs adjusting.

The good news is that curling is rarely fatal on its own.

It is a defence mechanism.

Your monstera reduces the surface area of its leaves to cut down on water lost through transpiration, so curling almost always points back to a problem with water balance somewhere in the plant.

The tricky part is that several very different problems, from underwatering to overwatering to pest damage, all produce curling that looks similar at first glance.

Get the diagnosis wrong and the fix you apply can make things worse rather than better.

This guide works through all nine causes of monstera leaves curling, with a diagnostic test for each one so you know exactly which problem you are dealing with before you treat it.

Monstera deliciosa, the classic Swiss cheese plant, is prized for its large, glossy, fenestrated leaves, and those same leaves are usually the first place any stress shows up.

If you want the fundamentals of light, water, and feeding covered in one place first, our full monstera care guide is a good starting point.

Curling is different from drooping, where the whole leaf and stem lose rigidity and hang down rather than rolling at the edges.

If your monstera’s leaves are drooping rather than curling, the cause list and the fix are not quite the same, so it is worth reading our guide to a drooping monstera to confirm which one you are actually seeing before working through the rest of this article.

How to Diagnose Monstera Leaves Curling: Symptom Table

Before working through each cause individually, it is worth establishing a diagnostic approach, because several of these problems produce very similar-looking curling.

The direction of the curl, the pattern across the plant, and the state of the soil together tell you far more than the curling alone.

1. Underwatering

Underwatering is the single most common cause of monstera leaves curling.

When the plant cannot draw up enough water to keep its cells firm, the leaves curl inward to reduce the surface area exposed to the air and cut further water loss.

Check the soil first: if it is dry more than a couple of inches down and the pot feels noticeably light for its size, underwatering is very likely.

The mechanism here is about cell turgor pressure. Water fills the plant’s cells and pushes outward against the cell walls, which is what keeps a leaf flat and rigid.

As water becomes scarce, that pressure drops, the cells lose their shape, and the leaf curls inward as the simplest way to shrink the surface it exposes to dry air.

Left unaddressed for long enough, the leaf tips and margins turn brown and crisp as the tissue there dies off entirely.

The fix is straightforward once you have confirmed dry soil: water thoroughly until it runs from the drainage holes, then let the top two to three inches dry out before watering again rather than sticking to a fixed weekly schedule.

The fix is straightforward once you have confirmed dry soil: water thoroughly until it runs from the drainage holes, then let the top two to three inches dry out before watering again rather than sticking to a fixed weekly schedule.

For a full routine broken down by season, see our monstera watering schedule guide.

2. Overwatering and Root Rot: The Cause Most Guides Under-Explain

This section deserves more space than most monstera guides give it, because by the time root rot has set in, the fix is no longer a single instruction like “water less”.

It is a full recovery protocol, and delaying it allows damage that cannot be undone. Overwatering on its own is recoverable in days.

Root rot, its advanced fungal complication, can kill the plant if it is left much longer.

The mechanism starts with oxygen. Roots need to breathe as much as they need water, and when soil stays saturated, the air pockets between soil particles fill with water and the roots are effectively suffocated.

Root cells begin to die within days in this anaerobic environment, and the resulting dead tissue creates ideal conditions for fungal pathogens, most commonly Phytophthora and Pythium species, to invade and rot the remaining roots.

A plant with compromised roots cannot take up water or nutrients properly, which is why the visible symptoms, curling, drooping, and yellowing, look confusingly similar to drought stress even though the soil is wet.

If the soil is soggy but there is no foul smell, stop watering immediately and let the compost dry out significantly before watering again.

Check that the pot has functional drainage holes, and if it sits in a decorative outer pot or saucer, empty any standing water after every watering rather than letting the roots sit in it.

The root rot recovery protocol

If the soil smells foul, root rot is already present, and the plant needs to come out of its pot for inspection rather than simply being watered less.

Gently remove the monstera from its container and rinse the root ball to see the roots clearly.

Healthy roots are firm and pale, cream or light tan in colour.

Rotted roots are brown or black, soft, and often fall apart or squash easily between your fingers.

Using sterilised, sharp scissors or secateurs, cut away every piece of soft, dark root tissue back to firm, healthy growth, dusting the cut ends with cinnamon or a sulphur-based fungicide powder, both of which act as a natural antifungal barrier on the fresh wound.

Repot into a fresh, free-draining mix rather than the original compost, since old soil can retain the fungal spores that caused the problem in the first place. Our guide to the right soil mix for a monstera covers what to use.

If you are reusing the original pot, scrub it out and disinfect it with a diluted bleach solution first, since fungal spores can persist on unwashed plastic and terracotta.

Hold off on fertiliser entirely during recovery. A plant with damaged roots cannot process the extra nutrient load, and the salts can cause further root damage on top of what has already happened, which is covered in more depth in the fertiliser section below.

The RHS specifically advises against letting a pot stand in water and recommends allowing the compost to almost dry out before watering thoroughly, which is the single most effective habit for avoiding this problem altogether (see the RHS Swiss cheese plant growing guide for the full watering and compost recommendations).

If yellowing has already appeared alongside the curling, our guide to monstera leaves turning yellow covers that symptom in more depth, and if the plant is already in serious decline, see our guide on reviving a dying monstera.

3. Low Humidity

Low humidity causes leaves to curl even when the soil is perfectly moist, which is what makes it a common source of misdiagnosis.

Dry air pulls moisture out of the leaf faster than the roots can replace it, and the leaf curls to reduce the surface it exposes to that dry air, exactly as it would in a drought, but the trigger is the air rather than the soil.

Monsteras evolved in tropical forest understoreys with consistently high humidity, and most UK homes, particularly with central heating running, sit well below what the plant is adapted to.

Raising humidity to somewhere in the 50 to 70 percent range, using a humidifier, a grouped cluster of plants, or a humidity tray, makes a noticeable difference.

Our guide to using misting to raise monstera humidity explains why misting alone gives only a brief, partial boost and what actually works longer term.

4. Heat Stress and Hot or Cold Draughts

Heat stress produces curling through the same water-loss mechanism as underwatering and low humidity, but the trigger is a direct heat source rather than the general room conditions.

A monstera placed too close to a radiator, a fireplace, a space heater, or directly in a hot air-conditioning or heating vent loses water from its leaves faster than its roots can resupply it, and the affected leaves curl and can develop dry, crisp patches.

Cold draughts from a poorly sealed window or an exterior door in winter cause a related but distinct kind of stress, damaging cell membranes directly rather than through water loss.

The fix is simply relocation: move the plant at least a metre from any heating or cooling source, and away from a draughty window or door in winter.

Our guide on whether a monstera likes direct sunlight covers positioning in more detail, and our winter care guide for monstera is worth reading if the curling started when the heating came on.

5. Fertiliser and Tap Water Salt Buildup

Mineral and fertiliser salts accumulate in the compost over repeated waterings, and once concentrated enough, they pull moisture back out of the fine root hairs through osmosis rather than letting the roots draw water in.

The result is a plant that curls and shows drought-like stress even though you may be watering it perfectly correctly.

It is worth being clear about what the evidence actually supports here. Some houseplant guides claim that the chlorine and fluoride added to mains tap water kills beneficial soil bacteria and is a major cause of leaf curl.

This is widely repeated but not well supported at the concentrations used in UK mains water, and it is not the primary mechanism at work.

The better-supported explanation is straightforward mineral and fertiliser salt accumulation, which is worse in hard water areas and with regular liquid feeding, and which draws moisture from the roots by osmosis rather than by harming soil microbes.

To fix it, flush the compost by watering slowly until water runs freely from the drainage holes several times in a row, which leaches out the accumulated salts, and hold off feeding for several weeks afterwards.

Going forward, dilute liquid feed to half the strength recommended on the packaging and feed only during the active growing season.

Our guide to the right fertiliser for a monstera covers how much and how often. If you are in a hard water area, switching to rainwater or filtered water reduces future mineral buildup considerably.

6. Compacted Soil, Rootbound Roots, and a Pot That’s Too Small

These three problems tend to arrive together, and they share the same underlying mechanism: the plant’s roots no longer have enough loose, aerated soil around them to reliably hold and release moisture.

Compacted soil does not absorb water evenly, so it can look wet on the surface while the root zone stays dry, or it can fail to drain properly once it does absorb water, producing a confusing mix of both underwatering and overwatering symptoms in the same plant.

A rootbound monstera, one that has filled its pot with roots and left little soil behind, dries out far faster than the same plant in fresh compost, because there is simply less soil volume left to hold moisture.

The fix is to repot into fresh, well-aerated mix in a pot around two to three inches wider than the current root ball, gently teasing apart any tightly circling roots first so they can grow outward into the new soil rather than continuing to spiral.

See our guides to choosing the right pot for a monstera and recognising and fixing a rootbound monstera for the full process.

7. Pest Infestation

Sap-sucking pests, most commonly spider mites, thrips, aphids, and mealybugs, cause curling through direct cell damage rather than through the plant’s overall water balance.

These insects pierce individual leaf cells and drain their contents, which lowers turgor pressure in exactly the tissue they feed on, producing localised curling and distortion that can look like underwatering even when the whole plant’s water supply is perfectly fine.

Isolate the affected plant from your other houseplants immediately to stop the infestation spreading.

Wipe both sides of the leaves with a cloth dampened in diluted neem oil or insecticidal soap, paying particular attention to the undersides and leaf joints where pests cluster, and repeat weekly for two to three weeks to catch newly hatched insects between treatments.

Our guide to cleaning monstera leaves without damaging them and our roundup of the most common monstera pests cover identification and treatment for each species in more detail.

8. Anthracnose Fungal Disease

Anthracnose is a fungal infection that most often takes hold in still, humid air with poor circulation, particularly if water is left sitting on the leaf surface.

It progresses in a fairly distinctive way: brown, water-soaked patches begin at the leaf edge or at wound sites, and as the infection spreads, the surrounding tissue curls and browns inward from the margin rather than the whole leaf drying evenly.

Remove and dispose of affected leaves rather than composting them, since fallen infected material is a common source of reinfection.

Improve air circulation around the plant, avoid wetting the foliage when watering, and space plants further apart if several are grouped together.

For a heavy infection, a fungicide labelled for use on ornamental foliage plants can help stop the spread, though improving the growing conditions matters more than any single treatment.

9. New Growth (Normal, Not a Problem)

Not all curling is a sign of stress.

A brand-new monstera leaf emerges tightly rolled around itself, protecting the delicate, still-developing tissue inside before it has hardened off, and this is a normal and healthy part of how the plant grows rather than a symptom of anything wrong.

Quick Reference: Monstera Leaves Curling at a Glance

Once you have read through the causes above, use this shorter table as a fast recap the next time your monstera’s leaves start curling.

Frequently Asked Questions About Monstera Leaves Curling

Why are my monstera leaves curling?

Monstera leaves curl most often because of a water balance problem: underwatering, overwatering, or low humidity account for the large majority of cases, with heat stress, pests, fertiliser salt buildup, and rootbound soil making up most of the rest.

The pattern of the curl and the state of the soil are the most useful diagnostic tools you have.

Dry, light soil with inward curling points to underwatering, while wet, heavy, or foul-smelling soil points to overwatering or root rot.

Curling that is localised to one side of the plant suggests a nearby heat source or draught, and curling with webbing, speckling, or sticky residue points to pests rather than a watering issue.

Working through the soil and pattern checks in this guide before treating anything is the single most useful step you can take.

Is monstera leaf curling normal?

It depends entirely on which leaves are affected.

A single, brand-new leaf that is still tightly rolled is completely normal and simply has not finished unfurling yet, and it will flatten out on its own over a week or two.

Curling in a leaf that has already matured and previously sat flat is not normal and indicates one of the environmental or care-related causes covered in this guide.

The distinction matters because treating a normal new leaf for a problem that does not exist wastes effort, while ignoring genuine curling in a mature leaf allows the underlying cause more time to do damage.

How do I know if my monstera is underwatered or overwatered?

The soil itself is the most reliable indicator, more reliable than the leaves alone, since both problems can produce curling and eventual yellowing.

Push a finger two to three inches into the compost. Dry, crumbly soil with a pot that feels light for its size points to underwatering.

Wet, heavy, compacted soil points to overwatering, and if there is also a sour or musty smell rising from the pot, root rot has likely already begun and needs the fuller recovery process covered above rather than a simple change in watering frequency.

When in doubt, err on the side of underwatering as the safer guess, since overwatering causes more serious and harder-to-reverse damage to a monstera than a missed watering does.

Can curled monstera leaves be fixed, or do they stay curled forever?

A leaf that is currently curling because of an active, ongoing problem, such as dry soil or low humidity, will usually flatten back out once the underlying cause is corrected, typically within a few days to about a week.

A leaf that has already gone brown and crisp at the edges will not recover its original shape or colour, because that tissue has died, though it will not necessarily get worse either once conditions improve.

The plant’s new growth, produced once you have fixed the cause, should emerge and mature normally.

Severely rotted roots are the exception: once more than half the root system has died, the plant’s ability to recover is limited regardless of what you do to the leaves.

How long does it take for monstera leaves to uncurl?

Uncurling typically takes anywhere from one to seven days once the underlying cause has been corrected, and the exact timeframe depends on how long the plant was under stress and how severe the problem became.

A leaf curling from a day or two of dry soil will often visibly relax within 24 to 48 hours of a thorough watering.

A leaf affected by prolonged low humidity or an early-stage watering problem generally takes closer to a week.

The longer a plant has been under stress before you intervene, the longer recovery tends to take, and leaves with visible brown, dead tissue at the edges will not uncurl at all in that damaged section, even though the rest of the leaf may recover.

Why are my monstera leaves curling and turning yellow at the same time?

Curling combined with yellowing most often points to overwatering or root rot, since a compromised root system cannot supply the plant with enough water or nutrients, producing both symptoms together.

It can also happen with severe, prolonged underwatering, where the plant begins sacrificing older leaves to conserve resources for new growth, though this progression is generally slower and the soil will be dry rather than wet.

Checking the soil moisture and smell, exactly as described in the overwatering section above, is the fastest way to tell these two apart.

Our dedicated guide to monstera leaves turning yellow goes through the yellowing symptom specifically in more depth.

Why are my monstera leaves curling and drooping at the same time?

Curling and drooping together are most commonly caused by overwatering or root rot, because a plant with damaged roots loses both the cell rigidity that keeps leaves flat and the structural water pressure that keeps the whole leaf and stem upright.

Severe underwatering can also cause both symptoms together in advanced cases, though it is usually preceded by curling alone for some time before drooping sets in as water stress becomes more serious.

If your plant is drooping more than it is curling, our dedicated guide to a drooping monstera covers the fuller set of causes for that specific symptom, since drooping and curling do not always share the same root cause.

Should I mist my monstera to stop the leaves curling?

Misting can offer brief relief if low humidity is genuinely the cause, but it is a short-term measure at best, since the humidity boost from a single misting typically lasts only a matter of minutes rather than hours.

It also does nothing at all to help underwatering, overwatering, heat stress, or pests, so misting a curling monstera without first confirming humidity is the actual cause wastes time and, in humid, still air, can even encourage fungal problems like anthracnose.

A humidifier, a grouped cluster of plants, or a pebble humidity tray all provide a more sustained humidity increase than misting alone.

Why is my new monstera leaf curled up?

This is normal. Every new monstera leaf emerges tightly rolled around itself as a protective packaging for the soft, still-developing tissue inside, and it gradually unfurls and flattens over several days to a couple of weeks as it matures and toughens up.

It only becomes a concern if the leaf fails to unfurl at all after several weeks, if it emerges discoloured or distorted rather than simply rolled, or if other, already-mature leaves on the plant are also curling, which would point to one of the environmental causes covered earlier in this guide rather than normal development.

Key Takeaways

• Check the soil before treating anything. Underwatering, overwatering, and root rot all cause curling, and the soil moisture and smell are what tell them apart, not the leaves alone.
• Root rot is the cause most worth catching early. Once established, it needs a full repotting and root-trimming protocol, not just a change in watering frequency, and delay allows damage that cannot be undone.
• Low humidity curls leaves even in moist soil. UK central heating routinely drops indoor humidity to 30-40% in winter, well below the 50-70% a monstera prefers.
• Curling on one side of the plant usually means a heat source or draught, not a general watering or humidity problem.
• A white crust on the soil surface signals fertiliser or mineral salt buildup. Flush the soil and halve your feed strength going forward.
• Water that runs straight through the pot without soaking in points to compacted or rootbound soil, which needs repotting rather than more frequent watering.
• Pest damage concentrates on new growth and comes with other clues: webbing, sticky residue, or yellow speckling that a simple watering problem never produces.
• Anthracnose keeps spreading day by day even after conditions are corrected, whereas ordinary scorch does not, and infected leaves should be disposed of rather than composted.
• A single, tightly rolled new leaf is completely normal. Only treat curling as a problem if it affects a leaf that had already matured and flattened out.
• When in doubt between underwatering and overwatering, treat it as underwatering first. It is the safer mistake and far easier for a monstera to recover from.

Final Thoughts

Almost every cause of monstera leaves curling comes down to the same underlying issue: water arriving too slowly, leaving too quickly, or being blocked from reaching the plant at all.

Underwatering, overwatering, low humidity, heat stress, salt buildup, and compacted soil are really six variations on that single theme, which is why the soil and the pattern of the curl matter so much more than the leaf shape on its own.

Pests and anthracnose are the exceptions, working through direct damage rather than water balance, which is exactly why their symptoms, webbing, speckling, and a slowly spreading brown margin, look distinct once you know to look for them.

The investment in getting the diagnosis right before treating anything is always worth making, because the fix for one cause can actively worsen another, and nowhere is that more true than between underwatering and overwatering.

A monstera that is otherwise settled, watered consistently rather than on a rigid schedule, and kept away from extremes of heat, cold, and dry air rarely curls its leaves at all.

When it does, the plant is simply telling you, quite specifically, what has changed, and a few minutes with the soil in your hand is usually all it takes to hear it.