{"id":69723,"date":"2026-05-21T12:48:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T12:48:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/69723\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T12:48:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T12:48:25","slug":"what-to-do-with-a-swiss-cheese-plant-in-may-6-simple-tips-that-will-help-your-monstera-thrive-for-the-rest-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/69723\/","title":{"rendered":"What to do With a Swiss Cheese Plant in May \u2013 6 Simple Tips That Will Help Your Monstera Thrive for the Rest of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n

Swiss cheese plant, also known as monstera, is a tropical vine native to Central America. It\u2019s also a popular houseplant because of its striking, large leaves dotted with holes, like a slice of Swiss cheese. It\u2019s not difficult to grow, but to keep your monstera happy and healthy, it does need some specific care.<\/p>\n

Monstera care<\/a> in May is particularly important because this is the time of year when active growth really takes off. Performing these simple tasks now encourages stronger growth and bigger, more dramatic leaves, and more fenestration (holes).<\/p>\n

\"monstera<\/p>\n

Credit: Kseniia Soloveva \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

1. Provide More Light\"Rustic<\/p>\n

Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n

Swiss cheese plant grows in dappled sunlight under the jungle canopy in its native range. This means it grows best indoors with filtered or indirect light<\/a>. Your plant will benefit from increasing the light it gets just a little as the growing season takes off to encourage stronger stems and bigger, more hole-filled leaves<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Even plants like monstera can struggle in the low light of winter. Some signs it might need more light include small leaves, leggy<\/a> and weak stems, and minimal fenestration<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ease your monstera into more light by placing it in a sunnier spot for an hour at a time for a few days and then increasing light exposure over a couple of weeks. Good locations include an east-facing window for morning light and afternoon shade and a south-facing window with something to filter the bright light, like a sheer curtain or taller houseplant. Even a low-cost sheer curtain panel from Amazon<\/a> can filter out enough light to create the perfect environment for your monstera.<\/p>\n

2. Increase Watering\"Gardener<\/p>\n

Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n

Just as your plant benefits from more sunlight for the active growing season, it also needs more water to support that new growth. Higher temperatures also mean your plant will use more water. Instead of using a strict schedule, check the soil every few days. If the top inch or two (up to 5 cm) is dry, it\u2019s time to water.<\/p>\n

Overwatering is a typical issue<\/a> with monstera, so it\u2019s important to find the right balance. Yellowing leaves can be a sign of overwatering. If you\u2019re not sure that\u2019s the issue, gently pull the plant out of the pot to check the roots. If they\u2019re soggy or rotting, you\u2019re overwatering or the pot isn\u2019t draining adequately. Make sure the container has drainage holes<\/a> and that water can run through.<\/p>\n

3. Prune and Tidy\"Brown<\/p>\n

Credit: Irina Piskova \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Swiss cheese plants will look tidier and be in a good position for new growth if you clean up any damaged and old winter growth. Look for yellowing leaves<\/a>, broken stems, weak and thin stems, and dead foliage<\/a> close to the soil line. Use a clean and sharp pair of shears or scissors to snip these off. This will not only make your plant look neater, but it also improves air flow and encourages more new growth.<\/p>\n

Another important tidying task for May is cleaning the leaves. Recirculated winter air moves a lot of dust around the house, and some of it settles on the big leaves of your monstera. Use a damp, soft cloth to wipe down all the leaves<\/a>, so they can better access light for photosynthesis and energy storage.<\/p>\n

4. Repot if Needed\"Close-up<\/p>\n

Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n

If your monstera needs a bigger pot<\/a>, now is a good time to make the switch. It will recover better from the transition as it moves into its growing season. Your plant might be getting overly rootbound if water drains very quickly through the soil, roots are poking out of the drainage holes, or you\u2019re seeing stunted or minimal growth.<\/p>\n

Choose a new pot that is only one size up from the previous container. It should be just an inch or two (2.5 cm to 5.0 cm) wider at the top. Repotting is a good opportunity to freshen up the soil, too. Add fresh potting mix or replace it completely. You can use standard potting mix, but drainage is very important for a Swiss cheese plant. You can even use an orchid mix<\/a>. Rosy Soil’s aroid potting mix, available from Amazon,<\/a> has biochar and active microbes for healthier plants.<\/p>\n

5. Start Feeding\"adding<\/p>\n

Credit: DimaBerlin \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Active growth season means your monstera will be using more nutrients. Now is the time to start feeding it and to establish a feeding routine for the summer. Adequate nutrients ensure strong growth and bigger, greener leaves.<\/p>\n

Use a balanced liquid houseplant fertilizer<\/a> every two to four weeks. Follow the instructions on the product and then dilute the mix by half. Overfertilizing is a risk, so using the product at half strength is safest. Miracle-Gro’s tropical plant food, available on Amazon,<\/a> is a good option and comes in a pump bottle for easy application.<\/p>\n

6. Provide Support\"A<\/p>\n

Credit: Tatiana Maksimova\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Monstera vines need physical support<\/a>. In the wild, they send out aerial roots to climb trees. As growth starts to speed up in May, the new vines will start flopping if you don\u2019t provide something for them to cling to and climb. If you already have support in place, this is a good time to extend it.<\/p>\n

A moss pole<\/a> is a popular option, but you can also use a small trellis or a pole covered in coco coir. Providing support encourages more upright growth and will lead to larger, more dramatic foliage. To make sure your plant grows where you want it to, loosely tie the growing vines to the pole or trellis using twine. You can find an extendable moss pole from Amazon<\/a> to support your monstera as it grows.<\/p>\n

May is when your Swiss cheese plant shifts into active growth mode, which means it\u2019s the perfect time for a seasonal refresh. A little extra care now will reward you later with better growth and healthy, well-fenestrated leaves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":69724,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[6006,3132,3935,37361,41,10274,17],"class_list":["post-69723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-switzerland","tag-amazon","tag-credit","tag-getty-images","tag-monstera","tag-swiss","tag-swiss-cheese","tag-switzerland"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ch\/116612648750201044","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69723"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69723\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}