Monstera Acacoyaguensis Care Instructions & Price

Last Updated on March 19, 2022 by Admin

The Monstera Acacoyaguensis is a subspecies of the Monstera adansonii. Therefore, its full name is Monstera adansonii Acacoyaguensis.

And like many other Monstera adansonii varieties, the Monstera Acacoyaguensis is another rare plant that is expensive.

Although its price does not get anywhere near the Monstera Adansonii itself or the Variegated Monstera Adansonii.

Nevertheless, if you want to get your hands on a Monstera Acacoyaguensis, you’ll still need to pay a hefty price of $100 to $500.

That said, I have seen one that was priced at $55. Although I did not bother to check to see whether it was legitimate or not.

As far at the plant itself goes, its more attractive feature are its leaves.

These come int eh shape similar to the Adansonii plant. Although compared to the Monstera Adansonii, the Monstera Acacoyaguensis leaves get bigger and floppier. They likewise have a darker green color compared to the Monstera Adansonii.

The Monstera Acacoyaguensis also features large fenestrations. It is likewise a climber although when it gets fuller it has a much messier look.

Hailing from Central America, the plant enjoys warm and humid weather.

Table of Contents

Monstera Acacoyaguensis Plant Care

Light Requirements

The Monstera Acacoyaguensis grows best when given moderate to bright light, provided that it is indirect, diffused or filtered. It cannot withstand direct sunlight for long hours on a regular basis. Otherwise, its leaves can get scorched.

Similarly, it does well in low light locations which makes it easy to care for indoors.

That said, the less light you give it, the slower it will grow.

In its natural habitat, the plant starts out in the forest understory with more shade aa any plant that’s larger that it is will over the sun’s light.

This is why it will climbs. It does so in order to get more light. And the higher it goes, the fewer plants there are to block it from getting sunlight exposure.

Of course, there’s always the forest canopy where the biggest trees and their leaves will diffuse the sun’s rays. This is why it is accustomed to bright, indirect or filtered light and can tolerate low light.

Therefore, a well-lit room is ideal for the plant indoors.

If you want to place it near a window, keep it in the east, northeast or northwest. In contrast, with a southern or western exposure keep the plant at least a few feet from the window away from the sun’s rays.

In case you don’t get a lot of natural light, you can likewise use artificial lighting. It will do very well with grow lights. But keep it at least a few inches away to prevent leaf burn.

Outdoors, it is happiest in partial sun and semi-shaded areas. Again, keep it away from the direct sunlight.

Temperature

The Monstera Acacoyaguensis is native to Central and South America. There, it is used to a lot of sunshine even through winter. In fact, there is no snow because these regions are located near the equator.

Thus, the prevailing climate is warm and hot depending on the time of year.

Since the plant is covered by the forest canopy, it gets a slight reprieve from the intense heat. Nevertheless, it still lives in a warm to hot environment year round.

This is why its ideal temperature range is between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. It will likewise be happy anywhere between 55 and 95 degrees and won’t have any issues here.

But keep it away from the cold.

It is not cold hard nor can it withstand long periods below 50 degrees. Therefore, don’t leave it outside during the cold months otherwise the plant will not survive the winter.

Indoors, avoid air conditioners and anywhere with cold drafts.

Humidity

In addition to having warm to hot climate, Central and South America are both humid as well. Again, this has to do with its geographic location being near the equator.

It is also for this reason that the Monstera Acacoyaguensis does well in Southeast Asia which is likewise located around the equator.

For this reason you’ll see quite a few monstera plants being grown in Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

In these locales, humidity consistently stays high between 55% to 75% on average days and up to 85% during the rainy days.

This is why the Monstera Acacoyaguensis prefers humidity of 60% and higher. In fact, it will be perfectly happy with 90% humidity, which makes it perfect if you have a greenhouse.

Fortunately, the plant can tolerate average room humidity as well. However, try to maintain at least 40% humidity in order to avoid brown tips and leaves as well as dry, crispy foliage.

These are the plant’s ways of telling you that the air is too dry. And that it needs more moisture.

The lower you go below 40%, the higher the risk of this happening.

Another useful tidbit is that the plant grows faster and gets bigger with high humidity. This is why some growers do various things to boost the air moisture around the plant.

Here are some you can try:

Use a humidifier
Mist the plant on a regular basis
Group the plant with other houseplants
Place it on a pebble tray
Move it to the bathroom

How Often to Water Monstera Acacoyaguensis

For the most part, caring for the Monstera Acacoyaguensis is easy. However, watering is where it can get a little fussy.

That’s because the plant prefers moist soil. But the problem is that it is sensitive to overwatering.

So, unless you’re Mr. or Ms. Perfect where you can tow that line each an every time you water, this can lead to issues in the long term.

Overwatering the plant is dangerous because it can lead to root rot. But it does take a while so don’t worry if you overwatered once or twice.

As such, trying to perfectly water the plant is not a good strategy.

Instead, because the Monstera Acacoyaguensis is a bit tolerant to drought, it is better to allow let the soil dry a bit before watering.

Therefore, the best way to water the plant is to wait until the top 1 to 2 inches of soil dries out before adding more water. And you don’t have to worry about being precise because you have a lot of leeway of being late here.

You can water the plant any time after the top 2 inches of soil dries out until anywhere between 50% to 75% of the soil going dry.

Within this range, the plant will be stay happy and healthy.

This way, you avoid the risk of watering when the soil still has moisture but also don’t let the soil go completely dry letting the plant’s roots get dehydrated.

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Potting Soil for Monstera Acacoyaguensis

Since the Monstera Acacoyaguensis is sensitive to overwatering, using the right potting soil works as some kind of insurance policy on your end.

Here, the best soil is one that is well-draining, loose and airy. This allows excess moisture to drain while letting enough oxygen reach the roots. Remember, the Monstera Acacoyaguensis is an epiphyte, Therefore, its roots enjoy a lot of air circulation.

Well-draining soil also bails you out in case you overwater the plant for some reason or another.

Here are some potting soil options that work very well for the Monstera Acacoyaguensis.

Aroid mix – some stores carry them so you can inquire. If you can’t find one, you can make one yourself by mixing organic potting mix, bark, perlite and charcoal. You can also swap out the potting mix for sphagnum moss if you prefer.
Potting soil combined with perlite or pumice
Potting soil with orchid bark
Potting soil with coco fiber
Potting soil with peat moss

Does the Monstera Acacoyaguensis Cllimb?

The Monstera Acacoyaguensis is a climber and it will appreciate a support or pole to cling on and go up. This is how it grows in the wild in order to get more exposure to bright light which helps it grow bigger.

Thus, giving it this kind of environment allows it to grow optimally indoors. And if you do so, will reward you with a bigger plant with larger foliage.

That said, you can grow the plant in different ways including hanging baskets, in a pot without a support or even in the ground (with the right climate conditions).

Fertilizer

Fertilizer is one aspect the that Monstera Acacoyaguensis is not picky about. Therefore, you can use any kind of fertilizer. Just make sure it containers enough nutrients since the plant needs these in order to grow faster and stay healthy.

Lack of nutrients can also cause its leaves to turn yellow or become pale in color.

You can use a standard houseplant fertilizer, a balanced formulation or an all-purpose one. They all work well.

Feed the plant once a month during spring and summer. You can stop around early to mid fall. Don’t feed it after that.

And when you do, dilute the application by 50% to prevent overconcentration.

Overfeeding the plant is the one thing you want to avoid since it does more harm than good.

Pruning

The Monstera Acacoyaguensis has a moderate growth rate.

Note that it does grow faster in brighter locations and slower in lower light. Similarly, letting it climb will also allow it to grow faster and produce leaves sooner compared to being hung or on a pot with no support.

So, how you grow the plant and care for it affects how quickly it will grow.

That said, you may or may not want it to grow as fast as possible. That’s because indoors, it can still reach between 7 to 10 feet. Outside, it can clear 15 to 20 feet with the right environment.

For this reason, some owners use light, pot size, watering, humidity and how they plant it to limit its growth. This is especially true if you don’t have high ceiling or a large plant will look out of place in your living room.

As such, this is where pruning comes into play.

When it is smaller, you won’t need to prune much as you want the leaves to get bigger and the plant to get bushier. But as it gets larger, this is when size control and shaping the plant comes in to plant.

Even when staked or allowed to climb the Monstera Acacoyaguensis leaves can flare out to the sides. Therefore, if you want it to stay a bit more compact and fuller, you trim the longer ones.

How to Propagate Monstera Acacoyaguensis

Stem propagation is the easiest way to grow more Monstera Acacoyaguensis at home. And it’s free.

You can likewise divide the plant if it gets too big. And the best time to do this is when you repot it.

I don’t recommend starting from seed although that’s what many commercial growers do because it takes way too much time and effort for home growers without economies of scale.

This makes propagating form stem cuttings ideal. And you can do so via:

Water propagation
Soil propagation
Sphagnum moss propagation

Here’s how.

Begin by taking a healthy stem cutting. Try to get one that is 4 to 6 inches long with at least 1-2 nodes and a few leaves on it.
The nodes are the most important thing here because that’s where the roots will grow from. Without the nodes, your cutting will never grow into a plant.
If you your parent plant happens to have aerial roots, it is likewise a good idea to take cuttings with aerial roots. Just cut about an inch below the node (and aerial roots if any).
Once you have the stem cuttings, you can decide whether you want to root it in water, soil or sphagnum. They’re all similar but the process is different.
To propagate in water, place the stem cutting into water. I like to use a glass jar so you can monitor the roots as they grow. If the cutting has aerial roots put those in the water as well. The air roots will be the first ones to root. But you don’t want leaves in the water so remove any that ends up in the liquid.
To propagate in soil, plant the cutting into soil with the node buried. Keep the aerial roots out of the soil. You can cut them off as well if you don’t like how they look. Keep the soil moist.
To propagate in sphagnum moss, fill a container with sphag moss and plant the stem cutting there like you would in soil. Keep the growing medium moist but avoid letting it get too wet or soggy.
Place the stem cutting in a warm location with bright, indirect light.
It will take about 2 weeks to a month for roots to develop.
With the water and sphagnum propagation, you can move the cutting to potting mix once the roots get to about 2 to 4 inches long.

How to Repot or Transplant Monstera Acacoyaguensis

It takes around 2 years with a few months give or take before you need to repot the plant.

Wait until you see roots come out form under the pot’s drainage holes or when they start coming out from soil’s surface and creases between he soil and pot before repotting.

the Monstera Acacoyaguensis will use pot sizes of 4 inches when it is smaller but can go all the way up to 24 inch pots when it gets huge. So, it is up to you on how big you want the plant to get.

You can prune it to limit its size. And past a certain point, you can divide the plant if you thing the mother is just way too large. This way you get a few smaller plants from one parent.

When you repot, move up one container size at a time and avoid jumping sizes to save time and reduce repotting. Doing so increases the risk of overwatering due to the larger soil to root ratio.

Is It Toxic/Poisonous to Humans, Cats & Dogs

Yes, the Monstera Acacoyaguensis is toxic to dogs, cats and even people. While it is okay to touch the plant, ingesting it will lead to mild to moderate irritation and pain.

These side effects usually affect the mouth, tongue, throat and stomach areas.

Problems & Troubleshooting

Pests

Like other monsteras, pests are always going to be a problem because the plant is somewhat prone to them. And the most common bugs that will come around are mealybugs, spider mites, thrips and scale insects.

Unfortunately, there is no guaranteed way to prevent them from ever happening.

So the next best thing is to inspect the plant to be able to treat it as soon as you spot any bugs.

I like to spray the bugs off using water.

If your Monstera Acacoyaguensis is still small you can use the sink. But as it gets bigger, a shower head or garden hose works much better.

Try to get the adult bugs and all the eggs, since leaving one of them will cause the cycle of growth to continue. Therefore, you’ll never eradicate them.

If you prefer using something organic, you can use neem oil or insecticidal soap spray.

Diseases

Leaf infections and root rot are the most common problems you’ll encounter when it comes to diseases. Of these, root rot is the most serious since it can eventually destroy your plant if not fixed soon enough.

The best way to prevent these from happening is to keep an eye out for too much moisture.