Moving my very large monstera

Hello everyone,

My small attic apartment is being painted next weekend and I'm tackling the task of removing all the art from my walls.

One non art item is a 17 year old monstera plant. It is currently growing happily in my east facing sunroom and I've got it mounted to the wall and gable going up to the ceiling. It needs to be moved so the sunroom can be painted. I've been Googling like mad to try and find suggestions but all I'm finding is information on how to repot, take cuttings or to cut one back (maybe something I should have done long ago to keep it from getting to the length it is).

The added difficulty is that there really isn't anywhere to lay it out 'flat' in my place so it may need to go down two flights os stairs to our laundry room. I'm wondering if cutting it back is truly the way to go along with building it a moss pole to climb? The top leaves are just so darn huge that I'd hate to lose them!

Any suggestions on how to best move this beast for a few days would be much appreciated.

Thanks so much!

J.

Sounds like it may take several people to move it and then you will have lay it flat while the painting is done. Any idea how heavy it will be?

Hi.

The way you describe your plant, it would a dreadful pity to alter it in any way. I wouldn't send it down 2 flights of stairs. I would wrap it in a transparent plastic drop cloth and gently, very gently lay it down on the floor, moving it as little as humanly possible. When the paint job, it could be set back up again in all its glory.

Of course, because of the confined space you describe, this will mean tip-toeing around the plant while the painting gets done, but it's a necessary evil. After 17 years, your plant is part of the family. I wouldn't have the heart to cut it up to make divisions. If any one of your friends has a burning desire for a monstera, point them in the direction of the nearest reputable nursery.

Best of luck with all that.
Sylvain.

The odds are that if you try to move it intact, you'll probably be disappointed with how it reacts to the light where it will be newly sited. I wouldn't hesitate to cut it back hard and take advantage of the opportunity to do a complete repot, which includes bare-rooting and a fresh change of soil.

To many, that sounds ghastly, but I can assure you I've done it to literally thousands of well-established and very old plants. It actually rejuvenates them, which is the basis for the term 'rejuvenation pruning'. The reason is, plant age differently than people. We age chronologically, and plants age ontogenetically, going through growth phases similar to ours - embryonic, juvenile, intermediate, and sexually mature. Juvenile tissues are the most vigorous, so when you cut your plant back hard, to juvenile tissue, you get vigorous, juvenile/rejuvenated growth.

I won't take the time to go any further unless you're intrigued by what I've said so far. If you think you're up for what I described, let me know & I'll help you through it - I've done it many, many times in forum settings.

Al