Plant care guide

Monstera Adansonii Thrips: Find Them on the Vine and Treat

Updated

Why does my Monstera adansonii have thrips?

Thrips on Monstera adansonii leave silvery or pale-streaked patches, tiny dark droppings and crinkled new leaves. On this fast vine they hide on leaf undersides, inside unfurling leaves, at the many leaf-stalk joints along the stems and in the potting mix.

What to do first

Isolate the vine, rinse both sides of every leaf and let them dry, trim the worst growth, and refresh the potting mix. Follow with a labelled insecticidal soap or oil, tested on one leaf first, and repeat until new leaves stay clean.

Thrips on a Monstera adansonii are discouraging because the vine grows fast and the damage spreads along it. A vine also has many places for thrips to hide. Work through it methodically and the next leaves will show whether you have them under control.

NC State Extension’s Monstera adansonii profile lists spider mites, mealybugs, aphids, whiteflies and scale as pests. University of Maryland Extension’s thrips page adds the aroid family, which includes Monstera, among commonly affected indoor plants.

Confirm It Is Thrips

The natural oval holes in adansonii leaves are not damage. NC State describes them as a normal feature. Thrips damage looks different:

  • Silvery or dull patches. The RHS indoor sap-feeders page says affected leaves become dull or silvery and do not regain their colour.
  • Pale streaks. Maryland says rows of stippling merge into pale or silvery streaks.
  • Dark droppings. The RHS compares them to small dollops of dark varnish.
  • Crinkled new leaves. Maryland says expanding leaves fed on by thrips can stay stunted, crinkled or curled.

Shake a stem over white paper and look for slender, moving insects, as UC IPM’s thrips notes suggest. Webbing points to spider mites instead.

Where Thrips Hide on This Vine

Maryland lists young leaves, leaf margins, the main vein and the joints where leaf stalks meet the stem. The RHS says thrips are more numerous on leaf undersides.

On an adansonii, check:

  1. Every leaf-stalk joint along each vine.
  2. The newest leaf, still rolled or just opening, at the tip of each stem.
  3. Leaf undersides along the midrib.
  4. Where stems touch the moss pole or trellis, since stems and aerial roots press against it.
  5. The potting mix. UC IPM says pupae often drop to the soil or leaf litter.

Trailing stems that touch other plants let thrips walk across. Space the plant apart while you treat.

Treatment for Monstera Adansonii

Wear gloves. NC State says the sap causes skin irritation and recommends gloves when handling this plant.

  1. Isolate the plant. Clemson Extension’s houseplant pests factsheet advises keeping new plants apart for six weeks. Give an infested vine the same distance.
  2. Rinse, then dry. UC IPM’s houseplant problems page suggests washing thrips off. Rinse both leaf sides, then let foliage dry quickly in good air. NC State advises avoiding wet foliage on adansonii to prevent leaf spots, rust, powdery mildew and blight.
  3. Cut back the worst vines. Maryland suggests removing disfigured leaves with thrips tucked inside. Adansonii grows rapidly, so a hard trim is recoverable.
  4. Refresh the mix. Maryland notes that repotting into fresh mix may remove pupae.
  5. Spray if they return. Maryland lists horticultural oil and insecticidal soap. Sprays must contact the thrips, and repeat applications are needed.

Protect the leaves while spraying:

  • Test one leaf. UConn’s insecticidal soap factsheet says to wait at least 24 hours for spotting, burned tips or scorch. It notes soft new growth is more at risk, and a fast-growing vine carries plenty of it.
  • Avoid heat and drought. UConn lists temperatures over 32 °C (90 °F) and drought stress as higher-risk conditions.
  • Spray early in the day so leaves dry before evening, as UConn advises for slow, safe drying.

UC IPM calls spinosad generally more effective than soaps and oils on thrips. Follow the label for indoor use.

Cuttings and Prevention

If you take cuttings while cleaning up, use clean growth only. Rinse and inspect each cutting before rooting it. Our adansonii propagation guide covers the method.

To prevent a return, Maryland says high humidity may discourage most thrips indoors, and NC State suggests a humidifier or wet pebble tray for adansonii. Maryland also advises against excess nitrogen, which produces tender growth thrips prefer. Keep a blue or yellow sticky card nearby, as UC IPM suggests.

Silvered leaves will not turn green. Judge success by clean new leaves at the stem tips. Our thrips guide and pest treatment guide cover the full treatment ladder. For general care, see the adansonii care guide and adansonii yellow leaves.

References

How this guide was put together: NC State Extension, University of Maryland Extension, UC IPM, RHS, Clemson Cooperative Extension and UConn guidance.

Other Monstera Adansonii problems

The same problem on other plants

Related plant care guides

Knowledge record: GR-10952