How to propagate a swiss cheese plant

Want to root your Monstera Adansonii? It is super easy! Here’s how to propagate a swiss cheese plant!

There are certain houseplants that just pull on my heart strings. One of those is the Swiss Cheese plant (AKA Monstera Adansonii).

This plant is DRAMATIC with drapey vines covered in big green hole-filled leaves.

It’s eye-catching and interesting and just a very favorite of mine.

It’s truly stunning and I seriously love it.

My plant is super happy and putting out tons of new growth. It’s actually getting TOO LONG for it’s spot (it’s running into the plant below it) so I have taken cuttings FOUR TIMES now. In probably less than four months. This thing grows wild!

Swiss cheese plant is incredibly easy to propagate, another reason to love it! Let’s talk through the simple process.

Check out my complete Swiss Cheese Plant care guide!

How do you take cuttings from a Swiss cheese plant?

You can simply use scissors to take a cutting from your swiss cheese plant. You will want a piece a few inches long with at least one node – the bump where leaves and roots grow from.

Where can I cut monstera for propagation?

You can cut your plant anywhere that you’d like, as long as at least one node is on the new cutting. You typically want a piece of stem that is a few inches long with one or two leaves.

New growth is a sign that the stem is healthy and more likely to root quickly!

How long does it take to propagate Swiss cheese plant?

I usually see roots on my cuttings (in water) in 2-3 weeks. I like to let my roots get 2-4 inches long, which takes about 2 months total.

Can Swiss cheese plant grow in water?

Yes, swiss cheese plants can live forever in water. You will want to be sure the water stays full and is changed if it gets murky or foggy. You may need to move it to larger containers if the roots get too large for your initial jar.

Pruning a swiss cheese plant

When your Swiss cheese plant gets leggy, you might want to take cuttings. Leggy refers to stems of the plant that grow long and sort of scraggly looking with small leaves.

Will Monstera grow back after cutting?

Yes, these plants grow back very easily! The new branches grow from the last node left on end of the stem of the parent plant.

How do you make a Swiss cheese bushy?

If your Swiss cheese plant is looking leggy, cutting it back can encourage it to grow out and get more bushy!

How do you cut dead leaves off a Swiss cheese plant?

You can choose to let dead leaves fall off your plant naturally or pull or cut them off once they are clearly dead. I personally prefer to remove dead leaves. Here’s my guide to removing dead leaves!

How to propagate a swiss cheese plant

It is so easy to propagate a swiss cheese plant!

Is it Better to Propagate a Monstera Adansonii in Water or Soil?

You can root swiss cheese plants in either soil or water. I personally prefer using water as it’s easy to monitor root growth.

However, rooting cuttings directly in soil means that you do not have to transfer the cutting from water to soil. So, that can be one less step to worry about!

Can you Propagate a Monstera Adansonii without Leaves?

Yes, you can propagate plants without leaves. I often choose a cutting off of new growth with no or very small leaves and find that they develop just fine!

If you have long brnaches without many leaves, you can divide them into sections and make several cuttings this way. I’ve had great success with this!

Can You Propagate a Monstera Adansonii without a Node?

NO! You have to have a node to grow leaves or roots. Nodes are the bumps on the stems – often they have small brown bumps – aerial roots – on them.

Without a node, the plant cannot and will not grow roots or leaves. It will just slowly rot in the water.

How to propagate swiss cheese plant via division

If your plant is particularly full or root-bound, you can divide it.

To divide a swiss cheese plant:

1. Gently remove the plant from it’s pot
2. Carefully separate and untangle the roots to divide the plant into two or more clusters
3. Re-pot each cluster in it’s own well-draining soil and pot with drainage holes

How to propagate a swiss cheese plant via cuttings

The easiest way to root your swiss cheese plant is to just stick the cuttings in water. Here’s the details!

Tools needed to propagate a swiss cheese plant:

• Parent swiss cheese plant
• Clean sharp scissors
• Jar of water OR moist soil
• Optional: rooting hormone

Steps to propagate a swiss cheese plant:

STEP 1: Identify a branch to cut

Choose a branch where you can cut several inches off, ideally with 1-2 leaves and new growth on the end.

STEP 2: Identify a node

Nodes are the bumps that leaves and roots grow from. Find a node and be sure that your cutting has at LEAST one node on it.

STEP 3: Cut

Cut the cutting off of the parent plant.

STEP 4: Optional: dip in rooting hormone

If you are rooting in potting soil, wet the end of your cutting and dip it into rooting hormone to increase the speed of root growth. In my experience, it just washes off when you root it in water so I don’t bother!

STEP 5: Set in water or fresh potting soil

Set the cutting in water or fresh moist potting soil. Be sure at least 1 node is submerged – that is where roots will grow from.

STEP 6: Place in indirect light

Place in bright, indirect light

STEP 7: Plant in soil

Once the roots are 2-4 inches long, you can plant the cutting in soil and treat just like a mature plant!

Any more questions about swiss cheese plant propagation?

Want to show your houseplants some love?!
–> How to clean plant leaves
–> How to propagate a plant (free eBook!)
–> When to repot a plant
–> Rotating houseplants
–> When to cut leaves off of plants