While Monstera plants were not one of the first tropical plants domesticated as a houseplant, it’s one of the most beneficial, in-demand, and popular plants available today. There are dozens of varieties of Monstera available as houseplants, each sharing similar care requirements despite their varying appearances. Monstera needs more than just regular care like watering and fertilizing to thrive. Proper placement within the home ensures it will thrive, along with encouraging a good flow of energy through practices like Feng Shui. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about the best position for Monstera plants in the home.
Where to Position Monstera Plants in the Home
Monstera plants prefer warmth and indirect light, so placement near a southeastern or eastern window is recommended for optimal growth. In the practice of Feng Shui, arranging large houseplants like the Monstera around the home is believed to encourage new growth, expansion, and positive developments like the accumulation of wealth.
About Monstera Plants
Monstera is an entire genus that includes nearly 50 different plants. Only a little more than a dozen of the species are grown as houseplants, but some of the species are also divided into multiple forms and cultivars to give plant owners more options.
The name Monstera comes from the odd or unusual appearance of most of the species within the genus. Monstera’s native range includes most of the tropical parts of Central and South America. The plants are particularly found in Guatemala and the Southern regions of Mexico.
Monstera deliciosa, also known as the Swiss Cheese Plant, is the species most commonly grown as a houseplant. Its scientific name comes from its large and delicious fruit, which only appears on plants grown outdoors. Other popular varieties include the Monstera Obliqua, Monstera Peru, and Variegated Monstera. Most types of Monstera are considered toxic to pets and humans.
All Monstera plants grow as climbing vines in their native habitats. However, most varieties end up supporting themselves with multiple stems if grown without support. The most significant growth and largest leaves come from allowing the Monstera vine to attach to a support or pole of some kind.
Fenestrations, or the openings in the leaves that give them their distinct shape, only develop on mature and healthy specimens. Adjusting the conditions given to a Monstera producing solid leaves will help future foliage emerge with the iconic openings or slits that this genus is known for.
Propagating Monstera plants is also possible with a little care and persistence.
Monstera Plants and Feng Shui
China is the home of the practice of Feng Shui, a method of encouraging good energy flow into the home or business.
In Chinese culture, the Monstera plant is often used to symbolize the wisdom of old age and respect for one’s elders. Arranging large houseplants like the Monstera around the home is believed to encourage new growth, expansion, and positive developments like the accumulation of wealth, prosperity, and luck.
Monstera is an excellent plant to choose for Feng Shui, thanks to their climbing habit and generously sized leaves. This symbolizes expansion, growth, and positivity.
While plants are not given specific meanings in Feng Shui, they generally function as a symbol of good health, youthfulness, and ongoing growth when used in the right part of the home. This includes vining or upright plants like all Monstera species and varieties.
However, spiky and weeping-form plants are not generally recommended for Feng Shui arrangements due to their off-putting effects on the home’s energy.
Where to Position Monstera Plants in the Home
Choosing the placement for a Monstera first depends on the size of the mature plant. Many Monstera deliciosa plants can reach a maximum height of the room’s ceiling or even taller, with individual leaves measuring up to three feet long. These plants can also live for 40 years or more.
Once you’re sure you have space in a particular area for a larger form of the Monstera plant, it’s time to consider both Feng Shui principles and what conditions this plant prefers. While it’s a good idea to maximize positive energy flow with proper Feng Shui principles, the placement has to offer the right light, temperature, and humidity levels as well.
For the Health of the Plant
In general, the Monstera genus doesn’t prefer direct light. However, it is one of the few houseplants that can be acclimated to a few hours of direct exposure per day if you start out slowly, so it doesn’t get burned.
These plants prefer indirect light for at least six to eight hours per day. Filtered but somewhat bright light is best and produces the most fenestrations in the leaves. This means that a southeastern or south-facing window with a curtain that filters light is a good choice for Monstera placement.
These plants prefer to dry out between waterings, so don’t keep them in an area that is too wet. They like higher than average humidity and need to remain above 50 degrees F to keep growing.
For Maximum Benefit According to Feng Shui
The Bagua is the Feng Shui energy map that determines where certain elements should be added in a home or business. This is a rather literal interpretation of elements, which includes houseplants in the form of the element of wood.
In traditional Feng Shui practices, the home’s layout is determined by using a compass to find the Northern orientation. Then the home’s floorplan is overlaid with the Bagua according to the cardinal directions.
This energy map calls for houseplants like the Monstera to be placed in both the Wealth and Children parts of the home. The wealth section of the home generally corresponds to the Northwest, while placing plants in the East encourages your family to grow and prosper.
You may also want to place a plant with large leaves like the Monstera in the South, which is the Career section of the home if you want to encourage growth and development in that field.
Other Considerations
The South is a natural choice for both boosting wealth and ensuring the Monstera gets plenty of light. However, the sun may be a little harsh in this area if you can’t keep it indirect. Choosing the Eastern part of the home ensures the plant only gets direct light in the morning while stimulating energy flow to the family through the practice of Feng Shui.
If you choose the Northwestern placement for the Monstera, you may need a plant light to ensure it’s staying dark green and growing at a healthy pace.
Where Not to Place Monstera Plants in the Home
According to the principles of Feng Shui, it’s not necessarily a good idea to keep a plant in the bedroom. This is particularly true for upward-growing plants and those with large leaves, two categories that the Monstera falls into.
These plants are considered to generate a lot of energy and may be disturbing to the restful nature of a bedroom space. Bedrooms also tend to be darker than the Monstera prefers, even during the day.
Monstera may struggle to find enough space to grow in busy or crowded rooms. They can easily brush the ceiling even in a room that’s 12 feet tall, so give them space to grow wherever you place them.
Overexposure to direct light can also be a problem for Monstera plants resulting in yellowing leaves, brown spots, or other signs of poor plant health.
Where to Place Monstera Plants Outdoors
Outdoors, most Monstera species can only handle growing in USDA zones 10b and above. This means they’ll never experience a hard frost over the winter and will only be exposed to temperatures in the low 40s at the worst.
If you live in a colder area, you’ll need to take your Monstera indoors for the winter, but you may still want to bring it outdoors over the summer. Watch out for patches of direct sun that can burn the plant as the sun moves throughout the day.
Look for areas with plenty of indirect sunlight, so the plant doesn’t stop growing but doesn’t risk burning either. Places with high humidity due to a water feature or mister are also a good idea.
Essential Monstera Plant Care
Monstera plants prefer higher than average humidity, with ideal levels around 60% to 75%. They need indirect or shaded light for six to eight hours a day but can be adapted to grow in more direct sunlight with a little care.
Keep the Monstera plants above 50 degrees F to keep them growing and above 40 degrees to prevent damage to the leaves and stems.
Pot Monstera plants in a rich, well-draining soil mix, and water when approximately 80% of the soil base has dried.
Monstera may need repotting every year or more when actively growing because of their ability to gain root mass.
Keep Monstera fertilized once a month during the warm months of the year to ensure they’re well-fed. Monstera can also benefit from light pruning to help control their shape and size. It’s also prudent to keep an eye out for any common Monstera plant pests and diseases.
Where to Position Monstera Plants FAQs:
What room is best for a Monstera plant?
An Eastern or Southern room is a good choice according to both the needs of the plant and Feng Shui principles.
How far away from window should Monstera be?
Keep a Monstera plant at least 2-4 feet away from any direct light sources unless they’re protected with a light-filtering curtain.
Can I put my Monstera in a corner?
Monstera plants don’t mind corners but don’t squeeze them against the walls since they need room to spread.
Can a Monstera thrive in low-light environments?
Monstera plants do require 4 to 6 hours of indirect light per day, so try a plant bulb if there’s not enough light in the home.
Can a Monstera plant tolerate drafts?
Avoid drafts, especially cold ones that may cause Monstera plants to droop, or drop leaves.
Finding the Best Location for Your Monstera Plants
Monsteras make excellent feng shui plants for the home, thanks to the positive energy they’re thought to bestow. Be sure to position your monstera plant in a location that receives plenty of bright indirect sunlight and is free from any cold drafts or sudden temperature changes.
If you’re looking for your next Monstera plant to add to your collection, see our in-depth guide to the best plant shops delivering Monstera plants nationwide.
Andrew is the Editorial Director at Petal Republic. He holds a BSc degree in Plant Sciences and has trained professionally at leading floristry schools in London and Paris. In amongst overseeing a global editorial team, Andrew's a passionate content creator around all things flowers, floral design, gardening, and houseplants.
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