The Best Soil For A Thriving Monstera (& Ones To Avoid)

As a trending houseplant for 2025, monsteras are unlikely to go out of style any time soon. With their distinct and showy "Swiss cheese" leave, they bring a tropical feel into your space without a ton of fussy care. But if you want a monstera that's as big and healthy as the ones on your social media feed, you'll need to provide it with the right growing conditions. The best soil for monsteras is well-draining and nutrient-rich, providing the roots with the perfect balance of moisture and oxygen. You'll want to avoid moisture-control potting mixes and ones with high amounts of bark, compost, or peat moss to prevent water retention in the soil.

As with any plant, caring for a monstera (Monstera deliciosa) is all about replicating its natural growing conditions (to whatever extent is feasible in your house). Native to Mexico and Central America, monsteras grow as a climbing vine in the shady understory of the tropics. For this reason, they require high humidity, moderate indirect sunshine, and plenty of air around their roots in order to get those big, holey leaves they're so famous for. While you might assume that a tropical, humidity-loving plant would need consistently moist soil, that's not the case with monsteras, which have coarse root systems and are accustomed to growing mid-air along trees. The top layer of soil should dry out between waterings, and a well-draining soil mix is key to providing the roots with enough air.

To keep your monstera happy and healthy, choose any well-draining potting mix that is soil-based and has a neutral pH. Look for ingredients like peat moss, which helps improve aeration while retaining moisture; coarse sand, which adds drainage; and perlite, tiny white rocks that allow aeration between soil particles. The soil should also be nutrient-rich and high in organic matter, such as compost. Many standard potting mixes, like Miracle Gro, will meet these criteria.

You can also add amendments to the soil to improve aeration around your monstera's roots and increase drainage further. Try adding bark, perlite, lava rocks, or charcoal. You'll know your soil is on the right track if it feels light and airy to the touch. Take a handful of dry soil and make it into a ball in your fist. When you open your hand, the soil should fall apart rather than staying in a ball shape (which would indicate that it's too dense and needs more aeration). If you'd like to take a crack at making your own DIY soil mix, combine equal parts potting soil and coco fiber, then add a handful each of coco chips and compost. Finish off with a top dressing of worm compost.

Stay away from moisture-control potting mixes, which will keep the monstera's roots moist for far longer than they prefer. Monsteras are sensitive to overwatering and overly wet soil can prevent them from rooting properly or cause root rot. Similarly, avoid soil mixes that are very high in bark, compost, or peat moss, which can hold onto too much moisture for monsteras.

The nutrients in a soil mix aren't enough to keep a monstera growing over months or years — they need continuous nutrients to thrive. Fertilize bi-weekly or monthly during the growing season only, in the spring and summer. Use any houseplant fertilizer diluted to 50 percent strength.

Additionally, monsteras don't just have standard roots. They also have aerial roots that allow them to vine along large trees in their native habitats. As a houseplant, they tend to grow horizontally and may fall over or suffer broken stems if grown in a standard pot without support. So in addition to getting the right type of soil, you should be staking your monstera as well as rooting the lower aerial roots into the soil. Support the higher aerial roots with a moss pole or coco coir pole. The roots will anchor into the pole and support the monstera as it grows. With this support, monsteras can grow to impressive heights of up to 15 feet tall.