I'm not an expert by any means but here's my experience with Monstera. I had a very large plant that I just didn't have room for anymore. It had climbed all over the front porch and I needed the space. I hacked (and I do mean HACKED) it back and dragged the pot into the back yard for the winter. The cutting were thrown into the compost pile and the pot was left to fend for itself.

Well, the cuttings ALL took root. The original plant spent the entire winter with no protection in the coldest portion of my yard. In spring it jumped out like a jack-in-the-box.

So, my experience with Monstera is this. It's indestructible in our climate. It roots like crazy and it will cling to and cover your house if you so desire.

Note: This winter I'm dragging the original "monster" back under cover for the cold season. I feel ever so guilty for my attempted murder.

That's incredible the monstera survived outdoors in a zone 8b winter! I want to start a cutting from mine b/c I'm putting it in the ground outside next year in a protected spot. Were the pieces that rooted for you mature woody cuttings? Mine is still pretty small. But I guess I'll take a cutting, slap some root hormone on it, and put it in moist potting soil. Thanks for posting.

Most of the cuttings were mature but I don't get the sense that you would have trouble rooting smaller ones.

I found an Amorphophallus paeoniifolius growing in the same compost pile last week. When I pulled it up there was a tuber about the size of a softball. I think a lot of these plants are tougher than we are conditioned to believe.

I recently hacked up my monstera. I got a bunch of large empty pickle jars (for smaller cuttings) and rubbermaid tubs. Then just cut them and rooted them in water. Try to find a piece that has little nubs on the stem area. In all it was very easy to do. I started some in dirt too but the ones I did in water seemed to have taken off faster- I transfered them into pots when the roots were about 2 inches long. I have had them live protected in winter potted on my patio in zn 9b and 10, when it froze I threw an old flannel sheet over it.

I had the same experience. I had one, a huge one that was about 6-7 years old, as a houseplant in a 35 gallon pot and it just got too unmanageable, so I put it on a dolly and moved it out under a tree. It fastened on to the tree, and lived there all winter with no problem until the ONE NIGHT we had that went to 22F. All the leaves froze off, but the trunk was unharmed. I divided it up into 5 plants and repotted them all and stuck them out under trees in the yard. They are all growing really well out there, so this winter, I expect the same thing will happen.

That is great to hear. I am also hoping to start mine up some oak trees in the back yard.

I think that people thinmk it won't make it because they plant out small ones, and they croak. But I have found that if it has a big trunk, its pretty darn hardy

Any new advice on rooting a monstera, there is a large split leaf variety in my area that has no nodes on it. It has really thick stems. I cut off one of the stems and have put it in water, it has not rooted - any other ideas?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Have a great day!

Gayles, if I may.........are you referring to the "stem" as the support of the leaf or as the base of the plant? If you are referring to the "cane" which is the base of the plant, that is correctly known as the stem. There should be nodes easily seen along the stem divided by sections known as internodes. The petioles as well as roots emerge from the nodes. Lots of folks call the petiole the "stem" and you will never be able to get a petiole to root. If the plant is really large you should be able to cut a chunk of the stem (base of the plant) with several nodes and easily root it in either very loose soil containing peat or even in damp sphagnum moss.