How to care for Monstera Thai Constellation: expert tips for thriving plants

The Monstera Thai Constellation was created not too long ago, by selective breeding of the Monstera Albo. By managing the process of tissue culture very well, the breeders managed to stabilise the variegation on the leaves. This characteristic is highly loved among the PLNTSlovers, since it creates such a unique plant! Due to the fact that this plant is created in a laboratorium, you will not find her anywhere in the wild. The name was given, since the variegated pattern really resembles a constellation and it originates from Thailand.

When it comes to caring for this plant, it can be slightly more challenging than caring for a non variegated plant. This is due to the lack of chlorophyll on the variegated parts of the leaves. These parts produce almost no energy for the plant, so that means that we as PLNTSparents should make some effort to make this plant as happy and healthy as possible!

Fun fact! The magnificent Thai Constellation is known to grow super slow. That means waiting for a new leaf costs even more patience than with another plant. Well, just know that her leaves are real jewels and will definitely be worth the long wait!

Monstera Thai Constellation care guide

The Thai is even more picky about her conditions than the plant she cultivated from, the Monstera Deliciosa. So before trying to care for this stunner of a plant, you might want to try out caring for other variegated PLNTS to become somewhat experienced.

Light

The first thing you should consider are the light conditions. You would want to provide the Thai with lots of bright, indirect light. Lower light conditions can cause discoloration, stunted growth or even getting small leaves without any fenestrations in them, and that would be a real petty!

Expert tip! Don’t be afraid to rely on some help from tools! A grow light could be a great solution for your Thai getting the amount of light she needs. You can place a grow light bulb in any ornamental lamp, which will make your urban jungle even more fancy. Besides, you will have a real spotlight on your new rare Thai!

Watering

You can water the Monstera Thai about once a week. Unfortunately she isn't as resilient as some other houseplant, since she is pretty sensitive to underwatering, and overwatering. It is key to find the sweet spot.

Expert tip! If you prefer to play it safe, there are yet again tools to rescue you from this icky situation. A water meter is a very simple device that will show you the moistness of the soil. If you would like to go the fancy route for your luxurious plant, you might want to look into a plant sensor. This tool is capable of giving you a full health examination!

Soil

A good base is half the work! You can place the Thai Constellation in a well draining soil that contains lots of organic materials. This is due to the fact that the Thai is an epiphyte, so normally she would grow on top of other plants and utilise the nutrients from that plant to be able to thrive. There are lots of people that recommended different potting soils, but they all have similarities. The recommendation is to make it chunky, well draining and slightly moist holding. You can use our aroid potting mix kit, since this contains lots of substrates that you can work with to provide your Thai with what she needs. We recommended mixing this kit with the following ratio: 60% Potting soil, 15%Tree bark, 10% Coco fibre, 10% Active Charcoal and 5% Perlite.

Fun fact! Sometimes the differences between the Monstera Variegata and the Monstera Thai Constellation are hard to see, so some are confused which one is which exactly. You can recognize the Thai by the way the variegation spreads over her leaves. If this is still unclear, you should look at the space between the nodes. If there is almost no space between her nodes, you know you got a thai on your hands.

Temperature and humidity

This pretty plant would love to be kept in a warm and humid environment. The bare minimum she can handle is 18 degrees, and at the top 27 degrees. The sweet spot would be a good middle about 22 - 23 degrees. As for the humidity, the minimum is 60%, but she would be more than happy in 80% humidity. When you can provide your Thai with the right environment, she will grow as rapidly as she can and will produce those big and lush leaves for you.

Expert Tip! This is why we would recommend placing her inside a greenhouse. This makes it much easier to maintain the environment to make her thrive. It also gives as she is kept as a trophee and you have to keep your precious safe inside this cabinet. Besides, making a greenhouse is a cool project that will make it so much easier for you to collect all kinds of rare PLNTS that need this warm and humid environment to grow inside of!

Propagating Monstera Thai Constellation

Do you like the Monstera Thai Constellation so much that you want some more in your home? That’s possible, but it can be tricky. Like we mentioned before, the space between the nodes is very limited. This is why the cuttings can be sensitive to rot and there will not be lots of space over to cut back that rot. That is why you also see rather few cuttings available. But if you feel more than ready to try, here we have the full guide on how to hopefully achieve a healthy cutting at home!

Step 1

Choose the right time of the year. Growing season will be the best time, in particular early summer. This is due to the fact that the plant is working the hardest at that time to make new leaves. If you are tempted any other time in the growing season, you can go for it, but it might be a less successful attempt.

Step 2

Clean your tools and prepare her new house. It is very important that you work with clean tools, to reduce the chance of spreading any diseases. You can also prep your propagations new house, you have lots of opportunities to let her root comfortably. You may like to root her on water, or choose a substrate that holds moisture well, like sphagnum moss. Whatever you like to work with, make sure to maintain it well when your cutting is rooting in it.

Expert tip! Cinnamon has antimicrobial properties, which could help prevent infections and rot. You can dip the part where the cut is made in cinnamon and let it dry.

Step 3

Now the time is here to make the cut! You need to find space between 2 nodes. As said before, this space is very limited. That is why you should be as careful as you can be when cutting. The cutting should have about one to two leaves.

Step 4

It will take a bit of time until your cutting will root. The roots should be pretty long before you decide to plant the cutting in a soil mix for mature plants..

Expert tip! Rooting hormones can help your cutting develop roots quicker, which benefits the cutting enormously!

Monstera Thai Constellation Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why is the Monstera Thai Constellation so expensive?

Well, this has mainly to do with supply and demand. The supply is rather low and the demand is sky high. It's not weird that PLNTSlovers would like to have these plants in their hands, right?

Another reason is that this plant can’t be grown from seeds, since it was created in a laboratory. That makes cultivating this plant a bit harder.

This plant is also rather difficult to propagate. The inter nodal spacing is very limited, so that makes rot a very big issue. A small part can rot and that makes the whole cutting unsuccessful immediately.

How can I increase the variegation on my Monstera Thai Constellation?

The Monstera Thai Constellation is very stable in the amount of variegation it will produce. She can produce bigger chunks of variegation on some leaves. The most important thing is to provide it with the right care, to maintain the variegation on this plant, which is also the golden rule for any other variegated plant. But the chance of the variegation increasing a lot, is very little.

Are the variegated leaves stable, or do they change over time?

The variegation on the Monstera Thai Constellation is very stable. It can differ slightly per plant or per leaf, but the amount you see is the amount the plant will more or less keep on giving. The beauty of the plant is that no leaf is exactly the same, but stable it is!

How do I stop my Monstera Thai Constellation from reverting back to fully green?

Luckily, there is no report of any Monstera Thai Constellation reverting back to fully green. It is always important to maintain the plant to their special requirements, it can happen that the plant will produce more green if their needs are not met. So how do you stop it? By following this care guide. :)

Is the Monstera Thai Constellation toxic to humans and animals?

Unfortunately, the Monstera Thai Constellation is toxic to both humans and animals. That is why if you have children or pets walking around in your urban jungle, it is best to keep this plant far away from them. A greenhouse would be a great option for you, since your plant will be safe and sound there.

What are the most common pests on the Monstera Thai Constellation?

You would want to keep your eyes open for mealybugs, scale and spider mites. That is why a regular inspection is advised. This can be done with a magnifying glass, since some pests can be super tiny and will not be super visible for the naked eye. This is also a perfect time to dust off any accumulated dust from her magnificent leaves.

Another thing you have to keep in the back of your head is that the Thai is super sensitive to root rot. To prevent this as much as possible, you can make the soil mix as well draining as possible and plant her in a (nursery) pot with holes in the bottom. Then check on a regular base if your Thai is not left standing in a puddle. If so, get rid of it and only water your Constellation again whenever the soil is starting to feel dry again.

If you have an itchy situation going on, you can always go to our PLNTS Doctor page to diagnose your problem and see what the steps are to get rid of it.

Buy Monstera Thai Constellation

Here at PLNTS we grow this stunner especially for you! And plenty of choice, will you go for a cute Baby Monstera Thai Constellation? Or would you like to start off big and go for a large Monstera Thai Constellation? Whatever your preference is, we got you!