Skip to Content

Monstera Pots: 3 Tips in Choosing the Best Pot for Monstera

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.

Have you been wondering what the best pot type is for your Monstera? There really are many considerations in choosing the right Monstera pot for your plant AND for you! Keep reading for more details to learn more.

monstera-pots

MONSTERA POT TYPE CONSIDERATIONS

The 3 main considerations in choosing the right Monstera pot for your plant are the following:

  • Size of the pot
  • Weight of the pot
  • Pot construction

Let me elaborate on this list, because each of these items is important and has pros and cons.

1. SIZE OF THE POT

The size of the pot is critically important with any plant, and Monstera deliciosa is no exception. When it comes time to repot your Monstera, as a general rule of thumb, I always advise going up 1 pot size, and no bigger.

For example, if your plant is in a 6 inch diameter pot and you need to repot, only go up to an 8 inch diameter pot.

Why is this? If your pot size is too large, the excess volume of potting mix will take too long to dry out and can cause you issues, especially if your plant is not growing in enough light.

And because of this reason, it’s generally always better to choose a Monstera pot that’s on the smaller end versus too large.

why-is-my-monstera-not-growing
When repotting your Monstera, only go up 1 pot size.

For tips on repotting, check out my blog post on Monstera care and repotting.

2. WEIGHT OF THE POT

Now it’s going to get a little more complicated, because the weight of your pot is going to be an important factor.

If you have a smaller Monstera deliciosa plant, it won’t matter as much, but as your plant grows, I suggest using a heavier pot, such as either terra cotta or glazed ceramic pot. (I elaborate more on these pots in the next section.)

Why? Because Monstera deliciosa is a vining plant, and as it grows, you’ll need to provide a support for it (such has a bamboo tripod or moss pole) and it will need a heavier pot in order to be stable so no one is knocking over your plant.

If you have your plant in a lighter plastic pot and your plant is growing tall, and your potting mix has dried out, the top-heavy plant can be quite easy to knock over.

why-is-my-monstera-not-growing
My own Monstera deliciosa which is growing in a heavy, glazed ceramic pot and supported by a bamboo tripod that I made by tying 3 bamboo stakes on top.

3. POT CONSTRUCTION & IMPLICATIONS ON MOISTURE NEEDS

The type of pot makes a huge difference in how you care for your plant. Here are some options to consider, along with pros and cons for each.

Whatever type of pot you choose, always ensure that it has a drainage hole! This is not optional.

PLASTIC POTS

Any type of plastic pot is best when your plant is small. As your plant grows and gets taller and supports like bamboo stakes or moss posts are needed, it’s much better to use a heavier pot so the plant is not easily knocked over.

When your plant is small, you can always grow it in a nursery pot and slip it inside of a more decorative cache pot.

UNGLAZED TERRA COTTA

Terra cotta pots can be both a blessing and a curse. If you tend to “overwater“, terra cotta can be a wonderful type of pot. Because of its porous nature of unglazed terra cotta, the potting mix will dry out much more quickly.

Some cons to using terra cotta is that it can dry out too quickly sometimes (depending on your watering habits, the type of potting mix, and growing conditions), especially smaller terra cotta pots.

The pots can also incur some maintenance as minerals in tap water and fertilizer salts building up on the pot itself. Some people love the patina it produces, while others don’t!

GLAZED CERAMIC OR GLAZED CLAY

My own Monstera deliciosa plant is growing in a large glazed ceramic pot. Because of its weight, it is very stable, even as the plant gets taller and taller on the bamboo tee pee I made, and there is no risk of knocking the plant over.

why-is-my-monstera-not-growing
My Monstera and me

I recommend that any large ceramic pot like this be placed on a caster with wheels so that you can easily move your plant. Otherwise the weight will make it prohibitive to move.

Another benefit to using glazed ceramic pots versus terra cotta pots, is that glazed ceramic pots will retain more moisture. At some point, it’ll be very difficult to keep repotting your plant into larger and larger pots (you have to stop somewhere!) once you reach a certain size.

And as your plant gets more and more root bound, glazed ceramic pots will retain more moisture than terra cotta pots. And this will be a good thing, otherwise you’ll be needing to water way too frequently.

POTS WITH SAUCERS ATTACHED

These types of pots are very tricky, and I personally don’t like them, but it’s worth mentioning. I find that most pots that have saucers attached to them drain very slowly.

And if you have very large pots with attached saucers, it can be very annoying to deal with. Often times the attached saucers are pretty shallow and it can make a mess when you’re watering.

For this reason, I prefer using a separate, deep saucer to place under the pot (instead of a pot with an attached saucer). For large pots, when I have excess water accumulating after watering, I like to use a turkey baster to suck out excess water from the saucer so the plant is not sitting in water and risking root rot.

pot-with-attached-saucer
Pots with saucers attached typically drain slowly, and the saucer in many cases is too shallow.

SELF-WATERING POTS

Self-watering pots have a time and place, but I wouldn’t recommend them for Monstera. These plants need to dry out somewhat in between watering and should not stay continually moist.

If you’re using a very chunky potting mix though, it can work, but it’s really not necessary, nor is it worth the trouble because you’ll have to repot fairly frequently as your plant grows.

The type and size of pot is only one consideration that affects the health of your Monstera plant, or any houseplant.

There are many other factors that you should consider simultaneously in order to have the healthiest houseplants possible, and they are: light, potting mix types, temperature, humidity, fertilization, and more.

I talk about the relationship between all of these factors in more detail in my book, Houseplant Warrior: 7 Keys to Unlocking the Mysteries of Houseplant Care.

If you’re enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy my blog post Best Monstera Deliciosa Soil: #1 Guide to 3 Top Recipes to help you choose a good potting mix.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post on Monstera pots! Comment below with any questions!

Camila

Sunday 12th of March 2023

I was very generously given two monsters cutting in one large mason jar. They came to me with pretty long roots long and skinny and im quite intimidated to get it into a pot. I don’t want to kill it. I put one of the cuttings in a plastic pot but I’m now afraid it was too big based on your post…it had pretty long roots so I opted for a bigger pot…maybe a foot long lots of skinny white ones. But I’m afraid I did it wrong and I’m afraid to do the other one so it’s still in the mason jar with water. So, how do I know what size pot to use? How deep to bury the roots… Help! I’d love to get my cuttings to look like your plant one day!!

Raffaele

Monday 13th of March 2023

Hi Camila! No worries. It can be tricky when the roots are long. What kind of potting mix did you use? It may be ok depending on the potting mix.

Farrah

Monday 27th of February 2023

What a beautiful plant you have! Can I ask how long it took to grow that big please? We've just bought one ourselves and my children are hoping to care for it (I'm sure it'll be down to me!) so they've been researching and your page has been the most informative!

Raffaele

Tuesday 28th of February 2023

Thanks so much Farrah! From the time of the repotting photo, it was maybe another 3-4 years or so? It can vary a lot though depending on your conditions. I'm so happy that you find my blog so useful :-) Thanks for taking the time to commment. It keeps me going.

mystica

Thursday 23rd of February 2023

A lot of good information! Im glad I found your site. Question though, how do you know when its time to repot into a larger pot?

Raffaele

Thursday 23rd of February 2023

Glad you enjoyed the post! You can look to see if there are roots visible from the drainage holes. Usually, that's a good indication that it needs a new pot.