How To Train Your Monstera

You can train your monstera to climb, trail, or bush out by guiding its aerial roots and stems with the right support and pruning techniques.

Training your monstera isn’t about forcing a plant to do something unnatural, it’s about working with its natural growth habits to create the shape you want in your space.
 
Whether you dream of a towering statement plant with fenestrated leaves or a compact, bushy companion for a shelf, learning how to train your monstera makes all the difference.
 
In this post, we’ll walk through the best ways to train your monstera, why training matters, and how to keep your plant happy while you shape it.
 
Let’s dig in and get your monstera looking its absolute best.
 

Why You Should Train Your Monstera

Training your monstera is all about mimicking the conditions it loves in the wild, where it naturally climbs up trees to reach more sunlight.
 
When you train your monstera, you’re not just improving its looks, you’re also boosting its overall health.
 
Here are the main reasons why training your monstera is worth the effort:
 

1. Bigger, More Dramatic Leaves

When your monstera climbs, it produces larger leaves with more splits and holes, which are those iconic fenestrations everyone loves.
 
Untrained monsteras that sprawl along the ground tend to grow smaller, less divided leaves.
 
Training your monstera upright encourages it to mature faster, and mature monsteras are the ones that show off those gorgeous, dramatic leaves.
 

2. Better Airflow and Light Exposure

A monstera that’s trained to climb gets better airflow around its leaves and stems.
 
This reduces the risk of fungal issues and pests that thrive in stagnant, humid conditions.
 
Training your monstera also ensures every leaf gets its fair share of light, so the plant grows evenly rather than leaning desperately toward a window.
 

3. A More Manageable, Space-Saving Plant

Monsteras can get huge and wild if left to their own devices, with stems flopping in every direction.
 
Training your monstera keeps it contained and tidy, making it much easier to fit into your living room, office, or bedroom.
 
Plus, a trained monstera looks intentional and polished, like a designer piece rather than a jungle takeover.
 

How to Train Your Monstera to Climb

Now that you know why training is a game-changer, let’s talk about the practical side of how to train your monstera to climb.
 
The secret is giving your plant a structure to grab onto and then gently guiding it in the right direction.
 

1. Choose the Right Support

The most common support for training your monstera is a moss pole, but you can also use a wooden stake, a trellis, or even a piece of driftwood.
 
Moss poles are especially great because they mimic the tree bark monsteras cling to in the wild, and they hold moisture, which your monstera’s aerial roots will love.
 
Pick a support that’s tall enough for your plant’s mature height, and make sure it’s sturdy enough to hold the weight of a growing monstera.
 

2. Position the Support Correctly

Place the support close to the main stem of your monstera, ideally right behind the stem’s base, and push it into the soil.
 
Make sure it’s secure so it doesn’t wobble because a shaky pole can discourage your monstera from gripping it.
 
If you’re repotting, this is the perfect time to add the support while the soil is loose and easy to work with.
 

3. Attach the Stems Gently

Use soft plant ties, velcro straps, or even twist ties to loosely attach the main stem of your monstera to the support.
 
Start at the bottom and work your way up, securing the stem every 6 to 8 inches, but don’t tie it too tightly because you want to leave room for growth.
 
The goal is to guide your monstera, not strangle it, so check the ties every couple of weeks and loosen them as the stem thickens.
 

4. Guide the Aerial Roots

As you train your monstera, you’ll notice brown, vine-like roots growing from the stems, and these are the key to a strong climb.
 
Gently tuck these aerial roots into the moss pole or wrap them around the support, and they’ll eventually dig in and anchor your monstera.
 
If the aerial roots are long and dry, mist them along with the pole to encourage them to attach and absorb moisture.
 

How to Train Your Monstera to Grow Bushy

Maybe you don’t want a tall climber, and instead, you’re hoping to train your monstera to grow fuller and bushier.
 
That’s totally doable, and it’s all about redirecting the plant’s energy through pruning and propagation.
 

1. Prune the Top Growth

To train your monstera to be bushy, you’ll need to cut back the main stem at the top to encourage branching lower down.
 
Make a clean cut just above a node, the little bump where leaves and roots emerge, using sterilized pruning shears.
 
When you prune the top of your monstera, it signals the plant to push out new growth from the nodes below, giving you multiple stems instead of one tall vine.
 

2. Propagate the Cuttings for More Plants

Don’t toss those cuttings because you can train your monstera into a bushier form by planting them back into the same pot.
 
Place the cuttings in water until they develop roots, then plant them in the soil beside the mother plant.
 
With more stems in one pot, your monstera will instantly look fuller and more lush, and you’ve basically created a new plant for free.
 

3. Rotate for Even Growth

One simple way to train your monstera is by rotating the pot a quarter turn every week.
 
Monsteras grow toward light, so if you don’t rotate, your monstera will lean and develop a lopsided shape.
 
By rotating, you encourage even growth on all sides, which makes the plant look bushier and more balanced overall.
 

So, How Do You Train Your Monstera?

You can train your monstera successfully by giving it a support to climb or by pruning it to grow bushier, and both methods are simple once you know the steps.
 
Training your monstera to climb gives you bigger leaves, while training your monstera to bush out gives you a fuller, compact plant, so the choice is yours.
 
The most important part is to be gentle and patient since your monstera will respond to your guidance over a few weeks, not overnight.
 
With these tips, you’ll be well on your way to training your monstera into the stunning centerpiece you’ve been picturing.
 
So grab a moss pole or your pruning shears, and start training your monstera today because your plant is ready to grow in whatever direction you lead it.