These plants can often fetch a hefty price online because it’s so hard to know whether the plant will be a normal monstera plant, or whether the leaves will produce that delicate marbled effect once they have had a chance to grow.
Seeing as these plants can be quite pricey, it’s understandable that you will be reluctant to fork out a small fortune for a fully grown plant.
One of the cheapest ways to grow your own plant is from seed, right? So why can’t you just grow variegated monstera from seeds that you’ve found online?
Today, we’re going to cover everything you need to know about variegated monstera seeds and why you’re generally better off buying the fully grown plant itself.
Let’s take a look at why it’s not always guaranteed that you’ll be able to grow a variegated monstera plant from seed and what the best way to obtain this rare plant is!
Can You Grow Variegated Monstera From Seed?
No, sadly you can’t actually grow variegated monstera from seed.
That’s because the variegation which produces that stunning marble effect on the leaves of the monstera plant is a recessive gene.
There’s no guarantee that the monstera seeds that you have planted will have this recessive gene, even if they have been harvested from another variegated monstera plant.
There’s a very slim chance that the monstera plant you grow from seed will turn out to have this variegated gene.
So if you have your heart set on a variegated monstera plant, then you will be much better off purchasing the plant itself.
This can avoid all kinds of heartbreak that you may feel if you were to be taken in by a scammer online promising that the seeds you have bought from them will grow a variegated monstera.
It’s all potluck! There’s literally no way of knowing whether the seeds in your hand will contain the recessive variegated gene or not.
The people online who are claiming to be selling variegated monstera seeds are lying to you. They also have no way of knowing whether the seeds they are selling contain the variegated gene.
Often they are relying on the fact that you haven’t done your research, so you won’t notice if you get completely different plant seeds through the mail.
Some people have reported growing completely different plants from “variegated monstera” seeds that they purchased online.
Basil and carrots are just a few of the plants that some have been scammed into purchasing!
So if you have your heart set on a variegated monstera plant, then you will need to dig into your wallet for the funds needed to buy this special plant fully grown.
Can You Identify Which Monstera Seeds Are Variegated?
Unfortunately, there is no actual way of identifying which monstera seeds have the recessive variegated gene.
It will be purely down to chance as to whether the plant you grow from seed will end up with that striking marbled effect.
However, you will be able to tell monstera seeds apart from other seeds that can be bought online. Monstera seeds appear a light green in shade, and are a very similar shape to an acorn.
So if you get a packet of tiny seeds from your online seller, you will know that they are trying to pull a fast one.
Rather than trying to buy variegated monstera, you will be better off opting for standard monstera.
This way you won’t be likely to get ripped off when it comes to getting the right plant for your needs, and there may be a small chance that one of them carries the variegation gene.
Remember that this isn’t a guarantee – it will all come down to luck. There is
It may interest you to know that the vast majority of variegated monstera that can be bought commercially aren’t actually grown from seed.
They are instead grown from cuttings that are taken from existing variegated monstera plants.
So this is why you will be in with a much better chance of getting an actual variegated monstera plant if you opt for buying an already established plant.
Where Do You Purchase Variegated Monstera Seeds
So as we now know, you can’t actually purchase variegated monstera seeds from anywhere.
There is no way for the seller or for yourself to tell whether the seeds have the recessive gene, so you will be wasting your time and money if you purchase supposed “variegated” monstera seeds online.
If you want to purchase monstera seeds, then the easiest places to get these from include Amazon.com or plantflix.com.
Both of these websites will give you plenty of options, complete with all the information you need to know on how to germinate and grow your very own monstera plant.
As we have already discussed in more detail above, in order to ensure that the plant you are purchasing will have the variegated gene that you are after, you will need to pay upwards of a hundred dollars depending on the seller for an already established plant.
It will be best to do this so that you can avoid wasting money on “variegated” seeds which turn out to be either the normal monstera plant or something else altogether.
The best places to buy an established variegated monstera plant include Etsy.com or Logees.com. While some of these might be pricey up front, it will be worth it for your peace of mind.
Growing Monstera Seeds: How Long Will It Take?
So you’ve got your seeds at the ready, and are determined to get them to grow.
How long will the whole process take? Well, it will take you up to 2 to 3 years to grow an established monstera plant from seed.
You should start to notice some growth within the first 2 weeks, but it will be a while before you will see your monstera plant become fully established.
Before you start trying to grow your monstera seeds, it will be best to use the soaking method for around 12 hours beforehand.
This will encourage the seeds to take in the nutrients needed for germination, and hopefully will result in them germinating quicker.
After they have been soaked for around 12 hours in lukewarm water, you can then plant them in moist soil.
Remember that the right growing conditions are needed to get monstera seeds to germinate properly.
This means giving them the warmth they need to encourage the seeds to establish roots and start taking in those crucial nutrients.
The warmer the environment, the quicker the seeds will germinate. The optimal temperature for germination with monstera seeds is at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
You should start to see shoots appear from the soil within 2 weeks time.
This will show that the seeds have successfully germinated, and you can get excited about seeing your monstera plant get bigger and bigger!
I’ve bought some variegated monstera seeds online. Will they grow?
If you take the time to care for these seeds properly, they will of course grow.
However, there’s no guarantee that these will eventually become variegated monstera, as we have already discussed in more detail above.
It will all be dependent on what genes that particular plant has, and in most cases, it will turn out to be a standard monstera plant.
Which is not a bad thing if you love the monstera plant! This just means you’ll have a beautiful monstera plant that you can nurture to full growth.
You can take pride in the fact that you have grown this precious thing from seed, and that you have saved yourself from spending a small fortune on a full size, established plant.
But if you have your heart set on a variegated monstera plant, then you will need to make sure that you opt for an established plant.
Whether this is a cutting that someone has taken, or a plant that someone has successfully grown for you, it will be a worthy investment for you to have the plant of your dreams.
Growing a monstera plant from seed is actually super easy. The most important thing to remember is that you will need to give the seeds everything that they need to germinate and thrive.
It will be best to soak your monstera seeds for between 12 to 48 hours beforehand to help break down that hard exterior.
This will then signal to the seed that it’s time to grow!
You will need a mini greenhouse in your home so that you can give the monstera seeds the high temperatures that they need to grow properly.
Remember it will need to be around 70 degree Fahrenheit if you want to germinate them, and then between 65 degrees Fahrenheit to 85 degrees Fahrenheit for the plants to then thrive.
How Do Online Sellers Get Away With Selling Fake Variegated Monstera Seeds?
It can be incredibly frustrating if you’ve just spent a lot of money on buying loads of different “variegated” monstera seeds online only to find that you’ve been ripped off.
This can of course lead you to question how these people are allowed to get away with scamming so many people out of their hard earned money!
There are several reasons as to why these online sellers are able to get away with this.
The main reason is that people who fall victim to their scam can’t actually summon the determination needed in order to report them.
If you’ve been ripped off over $10 for a pack of seeds, it can be easy to write it off as just a bad experience.
This would of course be different if you’d spent $500 on an established variegated monstera plant and received a standard monstera plant in the mail.
Even those who do report the seller for their nefarious deeds might not get the results that they won’t.
Online vendors are unlikely to take a single report seriously, especially if you have bought from an online marketplace such as Etsy or Amazon.
Even if the corporation does take your report seriously, by the time that they do, the seller will have closed down and opened a separate account.
This is fairly common practice for these sellers. They are well practiced in how to get your money, sell you a dud product, and then move on to do the same thing to someone else.
This is why it’s always important to do your research before you purchase your monstera plant or seeds.
If you have the option available to you, it will always be better to buy your monstera seeds or plants from a trusted, established seller who has lots of reviews from other customers on their platform.
This will give you better peace of mind that you are buying your monstera plant or seeds from a reputable seller who knows what they’re talking about.
Another reason that these sellers can get away with scamming people is that a lot of buyers assume that they simply planted the seeds wrong.
It’s important to remember that not all seeds will germinate, and it’s very likely that this can happen to several seeds in a batch.
So people who are already aware of this fact will assume that they just haven’t planted the seeds properly, or that they haven’t helped the seeds to germinate properly.
In this case, it’s very unlikely that these buyers would then go back to the seller to demand their money back.
The Cheapest Method For Purchasing Variegated Monstera
Seeing as this is a plant that is in high demand around the world, there’s absolutely no guarantee that you will be able to find a cheap method for purchasing one.
You can of course run the risk of purchasing monstera seeds online for a much reduced price, and then try to grow these yourself.
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with opting for this method!
However, you will need to bear in mind that it is very unlikely that you are actually able to germinate a seed that will 100% have the recessive gene that you’re after.
Your second option is to search for an already established variegated monstera plant online.
We have covered this a little above, and your best places for finding these plants are either on Etsy.com or Logees.com.
However, there is no guarantee that this method will be cheap. It will all come down to how much you are willing to spend.
Your third and final option is to visit local garden centers or equally similar plant related businesses where you know you will be able to find a variegated monstera plant.
This will all come down to pot luck again, as there’s no guarantee that the garden center employees will be able to procure a variegated monstera plant for you to purchase.
However, they might be able to point you in the right direction as to where you can find one in person rather than risk hundreds of dollars by trying to source one online.
Buying an already established variegated monstera plant will be your best chance of getting one of these remarkable plants.
There’s no guarantee that you will be able to find a seed that will grow one.
Unless you have a friend who already has an established plant who is willing for you to take a cutting to grow yourself, there is absolutely no way that you will find one of these plants on the cheap.
It will simply be a case of doing your research and choosing the best plant for your needs.
If you’re not all that bothered about whether your monstera plant has the variegated recessive gene, then it will be more than worth just buying cheap monstera seeds to grow from scratch.
This will give you the best of both worlds without having to bankrupt yourself to find the plant that you seek.
If you do choose to purchase a variegated monstera plant online, then make sure to go for a reputable seller who has lots of positive reviews on their page.
This will show you are purchasing from someone you can trust.
In Summary
So there you have it! You now know that no, you can’t actually buy variegated monstera seeds.
This is because the variegation gene which results in that stunning marbled effect on the monstera plant leaves is actually a recessive gene.
There is absolutely no way for a seller or a purchaser to work out whether the seeds have this variegation gene, and it will be a case of pot luck as to what grows from your collection of seeds.
The vast majority of variegated monstera plants that are available to purchase haven’t actually been grown from seed.
Instead, a seller will take a cutting from an already established variegated monstera plant and grow this into a separately established plant.
Because it is so tricky to cultivate these cuttings rather than just rely on seeds, this will of course make a variegated monstera plant more expensive than a standard monstera plant.
So if you have your heart set on growing a variegated monstera plant, then you will have to save up your money to buy an already established plant.
Any seller online that is telling you that they are able to sell you variegated monstera seeds are lying, and are trying to scam you out of your money.
Hi, my name is Amy Enrich and I have had a keen green thumb since my parents first taught me how to sow a sunflower seed. The process of watching it grow from seed to sprout, sprout to shoot, and then to a full-blown plant is a wonderful sight - I never get bored of it!
I love talking to anyone who will listen about plants, different varieties, how to look after them, and more. That is why I have created Plant Vessel, to help other plant lovers look after their new family members properly and keep them thriving!
Please stick around and enjoy my plant content, and don’t blame me if it influences you to go and buy some more plants!
