Swiss Cheese Philodendron
Kiersten Rankel
Kiersten lives in New Orleans, LA and graduated with her masters degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Tulane University in 2019.
She has conducted or assisted on research studies covering trees such as the bald cypress, swamp maple, and water tupelo, as well as important marsh grasses including Juncus, Spartina, and Phragmites.
Kiersten is a certified Louisiana Master Naturalist and regularly volunteers with local community gardens and nonprofits to help restore critical ecosystems along the Gulf Coast.
4.7 out of 5 (191 experiences)
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
About Swiss Cheese Philodendron
This species of Monstera is relatively rare in cultivation and is known for its enormous fenestrations 🪟. The holes in Monstera leaves let water drip close to the roots, and they absorb the scattered beams of sunlight that make it down through the forest canopy. Cuttings of this sought-after plant have sold for over $20,000 and and there have even been instances of cuttings being stolen from botanic gardens and institutions .
Taxonomy
Monstera obliqua
Monstera
Araceae
Alismatales
Also known as
Window Leaf
How to care for Swiss Cheese Philodendron
How often to water your Swiss Cheese Philodendron
every 9
Swiss Cheese Philodendron needs 0.5 cups of water every 9 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.
Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.
Water 0.5 cups every
9
Finding light for Window Leaf in your home
a window
Swiss Cheese Philodendron may have difficulty thriving, and will drop leaves 🍃, without ample sunlight.
Place it less than 3 feet from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.
Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Swiss Cheese Philodendron in your home 🏡.
How to fertilize Swiss Cheese Philodendron
Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.
By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.
To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Swiss Cheese Philodendron after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.
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Fresh from his Trip No one ever looks good after a long trip. But an introduction has to be made. He is here to save the planet #monstera #obliquaperu #happyplants #plantaddict #monsteramonday #plantsmakepeoplehappy
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What are these insects?? Please help, what are these and do I get rid of them?? I was spraying the plant with neem oil and noticed them!!!! 😱😱😱😱😱😱
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My beautiful Doll 😍, was so excited to get her from a dealer that just wanted her off his hands and I got her super cheap! Can't wait to see her grow through the years (hopefully)
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Black marks on my monstera leaves? Any idea of what’s going on here? Thank you!
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Monstera yellowing? Can please someone help me understand why my #MonsteraAdonsonii is yellowing and has burnt tips? It’s not in dire t sun, but gets lots of indirect light, South facing window at 2mt. Repotted it a few months ago because it was suffocating…
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Just trimmed a big bunch of leaves of my #MonsteraAdansonii, let’s see if I can grow some roots.. I am definitely giving some away. I put them in water, fingers crossed! I thing a good trim will do good to the plant, she was getting small and thin leaves lately… right? Any tip is welcomed 😊
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Black spots on my Monstera? I noticed these black spots on my Monstera leaf, it’s the only one. The other leaves have “usual” dead ends. Any idea what could be? Thanks!
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Struggling monstera I adopted this Monstera at the end of March and I had to repot it before Easter because it was suffocating and the roots were super long and all over the base of the pot! Now I can see she struggling a bit.. I have been giving her plant food twice now, anything else that might be happening? Thanks!
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Repotting the Monstera, hopefully she will recover! That’s why she was yellowing, she was suffocating!! Now the vase should be big enough 😂🌱💕💚 #Monstera #RootPorn #Growth
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Tell me what to do So I just unraveled and chopped my very long and stringy #WindowLeaf #Monstera. Now what. I’m overwhelmed lol second picture is what I cut off. #HappyPlants #NewGrowth #PropagationStation
Care Summary for Swiss Cheese Philodendron
Swiss Cheese Philodendron
Greg recommends:
Water
0.5 cups every 9 days
Placement
< 3ft from a window
Nutrients
Repot after 2x growth
Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.
What other plant parents say
Fast grower 112
Large, lush leaves 100
Survivor 75
Easy to propagate 60
Browns easily 26
Blooms easily 5
Pest magnet 2
04/08/2022
Swiss Cheese plants are beautiful and super easy to take care of! When they need watering they will get a little droopy and I recommend bottom watering. If a lot of leaves are browning it may be sunburn.
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
Large, lush leaves
Survivor
Browns easily
04/04/2022
Easy to take care of, just make sure to keep that humidity up and don’t overwater, that’s all you really have to do! Likes shade as well, I moved it to a sunnier area and it got very crispy.
02/25/2022
I love this plant! I water from below every 10ish days and that’s always worked really well.
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
02/23/2022
bug egg on the back of leaf
01/11/2022
very dramatic as most monsteras are
Easy to propagate
01/09/2022
Very fast growing plant and wildly easy to care for. Everyone compliments it and remark on the “holes” in the leaves.
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
Survivor
01/06/2022
My first monstera
12/17/2021
my swiss cheese looks rough right now but she’s been through a lot. the plant shows obvious signs of what it’s lacking before it’s too late in my experience so it’s easy to get it back on track.
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
Survivor
11/17/2021
Love her
Fast grower
11/02/2021
So vibrant and ever-changing!
Large, lush leaves
Fast grower
10/19/2021
Love my monstera adsonaii. Found this at Home Depot, it was struggling and looked sad. But a little love, good light, fertilizer and she’s just come alive.
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
Easy to propagate
Survivor
10/01/2021
INDIRECT light. This baby won’t be happy when it gets direct harsh light. It’ll burn, fast.
Easy to propagate
Survivor
Fast grower
09/19/2021
This guy is super fun to watch grow. He puts out new leaves constantly. It’s a very decorative plant and you can twirl the vines up pipes and bookcases. He thrives in my west facing window. He gets about 1-3 hours of direct sunlight/day when the sun is setting.
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
09/11/2021
Needs to have a warmer environment I believe and needs to have some sort of light sometimes weather that be sunlight or a growth light!
Survivor
Easy to propagate
Fast grower
09/10/2021
I’ve had this about two weeks and I’ve already almost killed it lol , you have to be careful with watering as it’s very sensitive find the right balance and not too much sun light !!
Large, lush leaves
09/04/2021
Be careful not to overwater believing it’s dying- (that’s what I did.) Such a beautiful plant 👍
Large, lush leaves
Survivor
08/29/2021
Grows well in bathrooms although mine has grown so long I’ve brought it into the lounge to drape around bookcase.
Fast grower
Survivor
Browns easily
08/19/2021
I adore this guy!!! Adorable, relatively easy to take care of and I can hang him out of the reach of my little cats!! 11/10
Large, lush leaves
Fast grower
08/17/2021
Love these window leaves. I’ve propagated my plant over six times. Love to share this with friends too. Really wants to climb though. Make sure she’s got a moss pole at some point to keep her leaves large and thriving
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
Easy to propagate
08/13/2021
A window leaf is a great plant to have! It’s very beautiful and grows quickly. It climbs up stuff and is easy to maintain. It is also aesthetically pleasing to look at.
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- Plants for a Future. “Plant Database.” pfaf.org. N.p., n.d. Web.
- Encyclopedia of Life. “Encyclopedia of Life.” eol.org. N.p., n.d. Web.