Does the pot have a drainage hole?

What type of soil is it in?

How often do you water and how much water do you give it?

Spreading out tells me it's not getting enough light. It also looks very thirsty. Water it until water comes out the drain holes. If you don't have drain holes, water it until the soil is wet then tip the pot on its side to drain the excess water out. Come late spring get it in a pot that does drain.

No holes also says too little light.

Note that high light conditions aren't necessarily the same as bright, perhaps hot, sunlight.

Dave— I usually water once a week and give it < 1 cup of water. I check the top soil to see if it is dry before I water it again... but when I use the moisture meter I usually see that the bottom of the pot is quite dry. That seems like I am not watering it enough? I also don't have a drainage hole.

Mentha— do you know why the leaves would fall vertically instead of ~90 degrees to the stem? I thought maybe it was bc it was getting too much light, which is why I kept moving it. Also, is the drainage hole used to just make sure that water is getting to the bottom / prevent overwatering, or what else is it for?

A drainage hole is very important so you're able to flush salt bulld ups from tap water and fertilizer out the soil.

With no drain hole this is not possible and will eventually make it nearly impossible for the plant to take up water.

Checking to see if the top of the soil is dry doesn't tell you if the soil is dry further down in the pot. I also wouldn't rely on a moisture meter. They are not accurate at all.

You you need get it into a pot that has a drain hole and into a soil where you can throughly water and flush the soil without fear of overwatering.

^^ what he said. It's very important to the plant to not sit in a swamp. There is no guarantee that if you water in sips, that it won't still sit at the bottom of the pot and become a bog. Smell the soil, does it smell earthy or like slime? If the soil doesn't get air, the roots won't either. The leaves are spreading apart so they can take up more light. If it had enough light the leaves would be closer together and tight, you'd also have splits in the newer leaves instead of juvenile leaves.

If I don't get enough light in the room do y'all have any recommendations for lights I can use? do the LED clamp lights work? Thank you for your help.

Ok, I've removed the stopper from the pot it's in, so it should drain now. I will try watering it til water comes out the hole. Crossing fingers!

Clamp lights would work but it's the bulb you need to be careful selecting. I would buy one specifically for plants.

I was just going to say what rhizo_1 has already stated; these plants naturally climb up trees and can't support their own weight. They need something to do that for them, or else they will just spread out in search of something. I found that out the hard way when I initially used a wooden stake to hold up mine. It ended up warping under the stress and eventually breaking apart, causing the plant to wander. I eventually decided on a 1/4" thick steel rod to stake it to. Plus, I used stronger rubber plant ties that can keep this monster tamed, haha.

As for watering it, I don't hold back. I always soak the whole pot and let the excess drain away. Occasionally, I'll place it in the tub and turn the shower on. So that its aerial roots don't dry out either. Although, they are tougher and much more resilient than the aerial roots of other plants, so they don't mind drying out. Just as long as they get the occasional "shower."

The first photo is of the back side of my Monstera. I turned it around to get a better look at the steel rod and the rubber plant ties, as well as the numerous aerial roots. Here's what it looks like from the front...

Thank you rhizo for mentioning something most of us find to be common knowledge. Sometimes we forget it may not be. Whilst the plant pictured hasn't reached a size that it needs a long stake just yet, it is something to consider when you repot it.

Any suggestions for soil? I have about 1/3rd peat moss and rest general miracle-gro potting mix.

A fast draining mix that doesn't hold on to too much water. For my plants, I use the Miracle Gro Cacti & Succulents soil. I don't add anything else to mine, but you could add perlite and orchid bark.

When you do repot, don't pack the soil down around the roots. Instead, pour in a little soil at a time and then hit the sides of the pot to help the mix settle in all on its own. You'll want the soil to remain loose and airy, so that the plant's roots can breathe. Access to fresh air is vital to the health of your plants. A good watering will help the soil to settle in even more.

Hi all, I've opened the drainage hole on my planter and gotten a plant light that I keep on it ~ 7hrs a day and it looks a lot better and lots of new leaves!

However, I noticed that the tops of some stems are a lighter green—is this something to be of concern? I attached a photo.

As already well said, flush the pot with water regularly, allowing maybe half the volume of the pot to drain. Its like changing the diaper!

As also already said, a soil that drains without holding a level of water (perched water table) will make a giant difference in the health of the plant- search "gritty mix" here for a great example.

As for light, mine will tolerate low-ish light, but really thrives next to a window!

I've had my monstera for a few months and it was doing really great up to a week from now?:(

:((