From our perspective as Monstera plants, we are generally resilient, but when our health is compromised by pests, it's a direct threat to our ability to photosynthesize, grow, and thrive. We rely on you to notice the subtle and not-so-subtle signs of these invaders. Here is a detailed account of the common pests we face, how they affect us, and how you can help us recover.
These are perhaps the most frustrating pests we encounter. Spider mites are tiny arachnids, nearly invisible to your eye, but their damage is extensive. They pierce our leaf cells, one by one, to suck out the chlorophyll-rich contents. From our point of view, this feels like a thousand tiny pinpricks, slowly draining our vitality. The first sign we give you is a subtle stippling of tiny yellow or white spots on our leaves. As the infestation worsens, you may see fine, silky webbing, especially on the undersides of our leaves and where the leaf joins the stem. Our leaves can become dull, bronzed, and may eventually drop as we become too weak to sustain them.
Mealybugs are easier to spot but just as damaging. They look like small, white, cottony masses hiding in our leaf axils (the crevices where our leaf stalks meet the main stem), on the undersides of our leaves, and even on our roots. They also feed on our sap, weakening us significantly. Their feeding often causes our beautiful, large leaves to yellow, wilt, and distort. Even more distressing is the sticky, clear substance they excrete, called honeydew. This residue can attract sooty mold, which coats our leaves in a black film, further blocking sunlight and hindering our photosynthesis.
Scale insects are deceptive. In their juvenile "crawler" stage, they move around, but once they find a good feeding spot, they attach themselves to our stems or the veins on the underside of our leaves and become immobile. They develop a hard, protective shell that makes them look like small, brown, bumpy growths. From beneath this shell, they continuously siphon our sap. A heavy infestation of scale can cause our leaves to yellow, reduce our new growth, and lead to leaf drop. Like mealybugs, they also produce honeydew, creating a secondary problem with sooty mold.
Thrips are slender, fast-moving insects that are difficult to see. They rasp the surface of our tender, new leaves—the ones we are most proud of and are working hard to unfurl—and then suck up the oozing sap. This damage appears as silvery streaks, speckles, or distorted growth on our newest foliage. The affected leaves often look scarred and can have a crinkled texture. Since they target new growth, they can severely stunt our development and mar our beautiful, fenestrated appearance before the leaves even have a chance to mature.
While the adult fungus gnats flying around our base are a nuisance to you, their larvae are the real problem for us. These tiny, worm-like larvae live in the top layer of our soil and feed on our delicate root hairs and organic matter. While a small number might not cause major harm, a large population can damage our root system, impairing our ability to take up water and nutrients. This leads to symptoms that you might mistake for overwatering: wilting, yellowing leaves, and a general lack of vigor, even when the soil is moist.
