To make your Swiss cheese plant bushier, a key strategy involves using propagation to increase the plant's density within its pot.
According to one method, take cuttings from long vines to propagate them. Once the new cuttings have roots, you can replant them in the Swiss cheese plant's pot. The more cuttings you take and replant, the bushier the Swiss cheese plant will look.
This technique leverages the plant's natural ability to root from cuttings, effectively adding more individual plants to the pot, which gives the appearance of a fuller, bushier plant rather than a single, vining stem.
Steps to Increase Bushiness Through Propagation
Making your Swiss cheese plant (often referring to Monstera deliciosa or Monstera adansonii) bushier involves encouraging growth closer to the base of the plant by adding new, rooted sections. Here's a breakdown of the method described:
- Identify Long Vines: Look for mature vines on your plant that are getting long and potentially leggy.
- Take Cuttings: Carefully cut sections from these long vines. Ensure each cutting includes at least one node (the bump on the stem where leaves or aerial roots emerge) and preferably a leaf or two.
- Propagate the Cuttings: Root the cuttings. This can be done in water (by placing the node in water) or in a moist potting mix or perlite. Change water regularly if using that method. Keep the rooting medium consistently moist.
- Wait for Roots: Allow the cuttings time to develop a good root system. This can take several weeks. You'll see new roots growing from the node.
- Replant Rooted Cuttings: Once the cuttings have established roots, carefully plant them back into the pot with the original Swiss cheese plant. Space them around the existing plant.
- Repeat for More Density: The effectiveness of this method is cumulative. The more cuttings you take, root, and replant into the pot, the denser and bushier the overall plant will appear.
This process not only makes the plant look fuller but also utilizes pruning of long vines, which can sometimes encourage the original plant to put out new growth from lower nodes, further contributing to bushiness over time.
