In January, I found a Monstera Borsigiana at the grocery store in a 3 gallon pot. The more I looked at pictures online, the more certain I became that it was actually several plants growing in one pot. I decided to see if the plants could be separated, or if there was one larger stem under the soil.
After cutting the pot off, I saw it was very root bound, and gently began trying to separate the roots and scrape out the soil.
It took over 3 hours, but I managed to separate the mass into 13 separate plants!
I mixed up some potting soil with lots of perlite and compost and repotted them in whatever various pots I could find, most of them in plastic.
Since then, the smallest has died of rot, but the other seem to be holding on. Within a few days, the oldest leaves on each plant have been yellowing, drooping, and falling off. The other leaves and stems seem rigid, dark green, and happy.
Is this just a symptom of transplant shock, or have I inadvertently killed my beloved Monstera?
If I haven't killed it, does anyone know if plastic pots are ok, or if terra cotta is better? It seems damp roots is a problem with these plants, so I would think TC would be better, but that's just a theory.
I also got some bark chips to mix into the soil, but I'm not sure if I should wait to remix the soil and repot the Monsteras? Two repottings in two weeks seems like tempting fate.
Does anyone have experience with monsteras and root disturbance, pot preference, and signs of transplant shock, and how well M. Bosigiana bounces back?
Thank you!