How to ACTIVATE many NODES on your MONSTERA | Thai Constellation & Platinum Mint Updates

G'day, guys! In today's video, I give you an update on two of my variegated Monstera deliciosas that I recently propagated, my Monstera deliciosa Thai Constellation and my Monstera deliciosa 'Platinum Mint'. Both of these are large form Monstera deliciosa plants.
I've used this technique now multiple times when chopping and propagating my Monstera and other aroid plants in order to activate multiple nodes (axillary buds) and get a bunch of growth points on a single plant. So, it should work for you too!
Connect with me on Instagram - / petevsplants
I've divided the Thai Constellation into 3 plants into the same pot (3 divisions), and I've only chopped the tip (apical bud/growth point) off the Platinum Mint.

[@LotusLibra1973]

I have a similar deliciosa that had no fenestrated leaves left on it because it was a complete chop because of cold damage, but the first growth is fenestrated too! Two other growth points on the way too. Super excited to see it unfurl.

[@petevsplants7516]

Oh nice work! :D

[@StarOnTheWater]

It's actually not the dominant sprout sucking up the auxin, but the dominant sprout secreting auxin which is trickling downwards and suppressing growth in the other sprouts.

[@tracysullivan7913]

My Thai is doing the same, going to get busy with her today, 🤞 all goes well, am really enjoying a video a day for December .

[@petevsplants7516]

Hehe good luck :D And thanks, Tracy! Loads more to come.

[@devbachu7072]

Love your passion dude greetings to you

[@MissNatya286]

This is the same as chopping up any other plant into single node cuttings so of course all nodes will activate their growth point. The only thing different about this is that if you grow thai horizontally / crawling which is its preferred way, you already have or should have those nodes rooted which makes it a nore successful way of propagating. But this is no different than taking single node cuttings on any other plant 😊

[@petevsplants7516]

Yep, bingo!

[@jyvaineorchids2255]

The thaï constellation will never be borring 😭

[@petevsplants7516]

Hehe very true :D

[@jyvaineorchids2255]

You won a suscriber :) Merry Christmas 🎄🎁🎉

[@nackedgrils9302]

It looks so much better than the other one lmao

[@jyvaineorchids2255]

So true 😂

[@Julie-anneBettes]

Just discovered you. Finally an Aussie plant guy I can relate to. You make me feel as if I may actually not suck at propagating forebears🤣🤣

[@amelise]

Thanks for this one Pete my bog standard deliciosa has done this to me, it's great and I'm glad to hear it's repeatable!

[@petevsplants7516]

Hehe yeah, definitely is. Just top it and bend the stem sideways haha

[@Nancy-m9g]

was turned on to you from Kill this Plant. now ive subscribed. thanks.

[@mjxavier4800]

I have a monstera just like this, growing horizontally and recently chopped I hope I get this result because it’s dormant right now as it recovers. I think I need to add more soil to the base of the horizontal stork so it propagates

[@richardr5878]

Don’t get greedy! You already at 5x. My percentage on 1 node cuttings is mediocre to bad lol. My Obliqua node is sitting sad, doing nadda. I’d be crushed if it wasn’t for a Ecuagenera pop up in my town in January. I’m getting 2 for a steal! AND I understand, it’s never the same when you lose the tip….. Congratulations on that mint. Pretty cool.

[@petevsplants7516]

Hehe nice work, mate. Hope they come nice and healthy and grow fast for ya!

[@alicelarez4311]

April 9th I MISS YOU.

[@DimaculanganPunch]

I think, if it's outdoors in the tropics, all will have plenty of energy from the sun and branch out, all activate.

[@petevsplants7516]

Yeah, no doubt they grow like crazy there

[@jangsy33]

Very interesting...makes me wonder if gravity plays a part in transporting auxins or growth hormones since the plant picked the uppermost node as the dominant pup? For instance, would your first plant re-prioritize the growth dominance if you rotated the plant in such a way that the smaller growth node is at a higher position than the node of the largest pup? Thanks for your thoughtful insights! Glad to have discovered your channel.

[@petevsplants7516]

Yeah, interesting to test. I guess you'd need a vine that you just bend over and then remove the apical bud and see where it activates growth first. Further along the vine or at the highest point.

[@elodieradigon2600]

yes absolutely, the plant send an hormone "saying" to the lower node to go dormant.

[@ashleyferrone7381]

I know this is off-topic for this video, but I've noticed throughout all of your videos that you use a lot of types of substrates. What do you think is the best overall for your tropical plants? I recently moved from a more tropical location to a very dry climate with pronounced seasons, and I'm finding that even indoors, what worked before doesn't necessarily work now for my plants, or at least not as well. They don't seem to like leca. I've got them in a mix of perlite, orchid bark, and moss now with a light fertilizer. Part of me is considering going back to soil, but I worry about root rot, especially with some of my more rare stuff. Maybe I'm over thinking it, but it's hard to tell with the slow growers if they're getting what they need

[@petevsplants7516]

Hey Ashley, I think you and your water regime is probably the most important thing here and not the substrate. The substrate that holds in moisture sufficient enough to not cause your plants to get root rot or to dry out (and get root rot) is the best one. So if you're a heavy and frequent waterer, maybe a much chunkier mix or passive hydro is best. If you're an underwaterer then perhaps a denser mix that holds onto moisture longer is better. Then there's root size. The more mature Monsteras with hugely chunky roots I've found can handle chunkier mix and drying out between waterings way more than younger plants or plants with smaller thinner roots. I'd say just try a bunch of things and see what works best for you, your environment, and the type of plants you have.

[@ashleyferrone7381]

@Pete vs Plants I appreciate the input! I do tend to want to water more frequently, so I'll try a super chunky mix. My albo cutting gets root rot it seems no matter what I do, but I'll give him a go in a chunkier mix and hope he starts improving. I tried regular soil, then leca, then a moss/bark/perlite mix and he would start growing a healthy root system, then get rot. For the most part, everything else was thriving before the move/climate change. I was also recently gifted a ton of uprooted cuttings from various tropical plants, a lot of them have struggled. Chucked about half in a prop box with moss and hoping for the best. I definitely appreciate you reaching out and giving some advice, and as always, I love the videos!

[@sumanmishra123]

​@@ashleyferrone7381 moss is good for rooting but causes root rot as part of a mix for a rooted plant. (In my experience)

[@191radhika]

How long does it take for nodes to appear because my monstera seems so have no nodes but 5 full grown leaves

[@chasingpirates1]

This makes me sad lol. We just got our first freeze. We went out of town and somehow our backdoor blew open and froze my monstera and half of my succulents 😭

[@petevsplants7516]

Oh no!!! Sorry to hear it mate

[@mdolley11]

Would be interesting to apply auxins to the plant and see if you can maintain the bud activation

[@tracysullivan7913]

I was thinking the same thing, infact I'm going to give it a try with my Thai wish me luck.

[@petevsplants7516]

Yeah, not sure how that'd work. Maybe via fertiliser or as a paste? You can continue the growth of every bud as long as they're of similar size (I think 2 growth points of the same size will just continue and there'll be a lesser chance that one will just take over) or you cut between each node and allow it to be its own division of the plant.

[@mdolley11]

@@petevsplants7516 it’s usually just a foliar application of the hormones from memory

[@chriswheeler6092]

I have been wanting to grow Monstera albo. I run out of space and lighting.

[@petevsplants7516]

Haha yeah it totally gets like that. I'm definitely on the team of "buy it and figure that other stuff out later"

[@rosewest5168]

Is there an update to the Thai please ❤

[@tinydinoflock]

So if my plant has several well rooted arial roots I can just chop it to get nodes to reactivate?

[@zrzekmane5116]

Hi Pete! Question...if you prop a top cutting from a monstera, will the cutting itself revert back to juvenile form ? I know the main plant will, but Im curious about the actual cutting. I would love to know how people get a pot full of nothing but big leaves with tons of fenestrations Mine seems to get very leggy but I dont want to chop it and get a bunch of juvenile leaves again. Any advise?

[@petevsplants7516]

I think it's going to depend on the growth potential the plant has once cut. So, if it has a huge root system because you've air layered it and you plant it up straight after cutting, I think you'll have pretty much normal sized growth continue. If however, you cut it and it has no roots, it's only a leaf or two, etc. I'd think it's going to be push back quite a bit development wise as it won't be able to push out decent growth due to less resources available for it. Make sense?

[@zrzekmane5116]

@@petevsplants7516 okay great. Im air layering, or attempting to anyway, lol. I will keep you posted, thank you!

[@petevsplants7516]

Yeah let me know how you go, mate :D Good luck!

[@anthonymartin1516]

2 summers ago, after a month of being back outside after winter, my 3/4 year old monstera deliciosa activated all of its nodes at the soil. About a dozen new shoots started to form, but only a few actually developed into runner leaves. The other spots either died off, or simply went dormant. Very strange.

[@petevsplants7516]

Wow, amazing work. I assume it's growing horizontally along the ground then?

[@clairethomas4118]

Just the tip. (that's what he said.)

[@andrewanderson1218]

No lie . I just cut my Albo and 7 nodes activated

[@petevsplants7516]

Haha like a boss :D

[@jimc6694]

Chop chop chop chop. I would like to know if this has helped the growth or dwarfed it somewhat?

[@Blackoreanfemale]

Good job

[@petevsplants7516]

Thanks mate!

[@jessicacalderon-rico89]

Pete! I have a question for you. I purchased a Monstera Thai plantlet one month ago... It got root rot, so I've chopped off what I could see. The root rot is spreading 😬 will the node continue to grow if I cut off the only leaf that it has? I appreciate any help. I'm desperate. Thanks in advance!

[@petevsplants7516]

Hey mate, I wouldn't chop any leaves off unless you can see them deteriorating. I'd probably just remove the rot and put it in water to regenerate. I've had a thai cutting lose all of its roots twice only to regrow them and survive via water propagation. So, don't give up.

[@jessicacalderon-rico89]

@@petevsplants7516 Thank you so much! Love your channel 💚

[@meganpahl3612]

So is this cutting the top growth off and propagating essentially? Also, does the delisciosa respond in this way too?

[@petevsplants7516]

Hey, Megan. Yeah, it's from removing the apical bud and thus getting rid of apical dominance in the plant so that it activates axiliary buds further down the stem. It may work in any aroid that has this type of growth pattern, but I haven't specifically tried it in anything outside of Monstera.

[@tinayoung8773]

Do you put anything on the end after you cut ? Thank you

[@petevsplants7516]

Yeah usually activated charcoal.

[@wefsux]

Mine is getting yellow and brown tips on the edges of the leaves , whats wrong?

[@pharaoh6977]

Every monstera I've gotten has been invested by spider mites until they die. Any info on this? I know there susceptible to mites

[@petevsplants7516]

Might just be bad luck. Mine tend to not have it anywhere near as much as the alocasias and velvet philodendrons.

[@RitaResilient511]

I had issues with spider mites but on Ivy. Trying neem oil one a week . Can find it online ❤️

[@meganpahl3612]

second question: if I chop mine, with the new leaves continue to appear mature or will this return to juvenal leaves lacking fenestrations?

[@petevsplants7516]

This is hard to say without knowing the size and maturity of the plant. If it's already a very large established plant with a very thick stem (stem thickness usually correlated to leaf size/maturity re: fenestrations), then they're likely to come out slightly behind the maturity of the leaf coming out of the same node. If the plant is relatively small still and only just started to fenestrate, the leaves will most likely start out small with no holes or fenestrations.

[@yerahmlee730]

Depends how much node you giving it post cut, more node space means more nutrients and longevity therefore push out equal or slightly less mature leave than the last

[@alicelarez4311]

Today is monday,are you posting today?

[@petevsplants7516]

Hehe yep, might have just been scheduled an hour later.

[@ShamayaDevi]

What is your soil mix?

[@wh0tube]

I need to go and see a Ukrainian lady in Geelong about a Thai constellation!

[@susiesmith2543]

I wish I lived in Aussie. I want one. So sad

[@petevsplants7516]

Keep an eye out online. I'm sure these pop up everywhere.

[@mvimal2008]

Nice technic to grow multiple shoots but you didn’t show how to cut them!!!

[@petevsplants7516]

Hey mate! Thanks for watching. You'll see me propagate these plants here: The platinum mint - kzbin.info/www/bejne/iam2c6Sqa99gfa8 The thai constellation - kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKmTk6iPhtOUqM0

[@chasingpirates1]

Can one come back after being in a freeze?

[@petevsplants7516]

Keep growing them and see how you go

[@chasingpirates1]

@@petevsplants7516 okay thank you!

[@jamesparadigm]

🐸🧦

[@petevsplants7516]

Hehe don't think you've missed one yet!

[@Andrew-oo3mq]

BOOOOOOOOOOO ON CALLING THE THAI BORNING BOOOOOOOOOOOOO, in all seriousness i see nothing special about the mint

[@petevsplants7516]

Hehe I didn't mean because it's a thai. I meant more because of what I'd done to it re: chopping.

[@Meskarune]

I don't chop my plants because I like big beautiful plants. It's sad how money obsessed people get with plants.

[@petevsplants7516]

It's an expensive hobby hehe need to pay for it somehow.

[@anthonyrivera617]

Bro u was good but ur becoming so plant intellectual that I can barely listen to you anymore like come on bro,

[@petevsplants7516]

LOL just mute the videos and keep watching then mate haha

[@white_isnt_a_race2338]

Lol. He said loads

[@petevsplants7516]

:D

[@josiptumapa]

OMG THIS JUST HAPPENED TO ME! I cut my (going to be reverting) Monstera Albo three nodes back, now 4 nodes from the bottom / rooted node activated. Crazy. 😳😳😳😳

[@petevsplants7516]

Haha nice work. Pretty cool, huh?

[@josiptumapa]

@@petevsplants7516 but it sucks to know only one node will dominate 😂 --- thought all 4 would. Boo.

[@petevsplants7516]

Just have to further cut her up haha