Anonymous #1 17h

Are the roots rotting as well?

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Anonymous #1 15h

I haven’t checked on the roots yet cause I’m scared but from how the stem looks I think it’s a safe bet that they’re also rotting ☹️ I know it’s fine to chop at any node, but everything I find for chops and props seems to be about only 1-2 leaves, or if it’s a larger portion of the plant they always seem to chop it into small sections to make it 1 leaf. I’d just really hate to completely to completely start over and I’m hoping I can chop it so I still have like 5ish leaves left on each stem

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Anonymous OP 15h

Are the black spots soft or mushy? Do they stink? This looks a bit more like some sort of fungal issue. I’d pull it out of the soil and cut off any dead/dying roots and give it a hydrogen peroxide/water bath if there are any still living. Also, you don’t need to have a smaller cutting, and could potentially only cut off the rot, then allow it to calcify and wrap the node in damp moss/perlite. When monsteras get very large I’ve seen people simply cut the entire plant in half, though it may lose

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Anonymous #1 15h

A portion of its leaves due to shock.

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Anonymous OP 15h

If there are no living roots you will need to cut out any part affected by the fungus/rot. If this were my plant I’d likely cut it in two to reduce the risk of shock since new roots will struggle to supply nutrients to mature leaves. If you have any aerial roots you have a much higher chance of the plant being able to be kept fully intact, as they are mature and will aid in nutrient absorption

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Anonymous #1 15h

I would still also recommend giving it a hydrogen peroxide bath to prevent any further rot/contamination

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Anonymous #1 12h

They’re as hard as the rest of the stem, no mushiness. Still have yet to look at the roots (I plan to tomorrow when I have more time to tackle all of this), but if there are some living roots and it’s saveable, do I cut off the black parts of the stem or just leave them?

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Anonymous #1 12h

Also I could kiss you on the mouth rn you’re so right about fungal issues I looked it up and it does seem to be that! Tysm for all the insight

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Anonymous OP 11h

It depends on whether the black tissue is superficial or extends internally. you can scrape with a finger nail to check if the tissues beneath are also black, or if they are green. If the blackness has spread into the stem than it’s likely rot and will need to be removed. You’ll need to take a look at the crown and roots before deciding whether it needs to be cut back. If you have healthy roots then you should only need to remove dead/dying tissues and leave everything that’s firm

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Anonymous OP 11h

I had some fungal issues with some Hoyas that looked similar! But it’s often caused by excess moisture and accompanied by rot so you’ll def need to pay close attention to it. It’s encouraging that the black portions aren’t mushy, and could mean the current damage is superficial so long as the tissue beneath is healthy

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Anonymous #1 10h

I’ll update you tomorrow when I get to work on it 🙏

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