Give a new plant a few weeks to adjust to its spot before repotting or feeding — sudden changes in light or root disturbance can cause temporary leaf drop.
Care
Avoid direct summer sun, which scorches leaves; tolerates lower light but produces smaller, less-fenestrated leaves.
Allow the top few centimetres of compost to dry between waterings; more prone to rot from overwatering than to harm from drying out.
Peat-free, aroid-specific or general houseplant compost with added bark/perlite for good drainage and airflow to the roots. A pot with good drainage holes is essential.
Prune only to control size or remove damaged leaves; trim unwanted aerial roots, or tuck them back into the compost where they help take up moisture.
A balanced houseplant feed at half strength once a month while it is in growth. Stop over winter: a plant in low light cannot use the nutrients and the salts build up in the compost instead.
Cut a stem just below a node, making sure the piece carries a leaf and an aerial root, and root it in water or straight into compost. It is one of the most reliable houseplant cuttings there is — a node without a growing point, though, will never sprout.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- AprilStart a monthly liquid feed as growth picks up through the light months. how ›
- AprilRepot into a slightly larger pot every 2 years if rootbound, ideally in spring. how ›
- NovemberReduce watering frequency significantly over the darker winter months. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- AprilStart a monthly liquid feed as growth picks up through the light months. how ›
- AprilRepot into a slightly larger pot every 2 years if rootbound, ideally in spring. how ›
- NovemberReduce watering frequency significantly over the darker winter months. how ›
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- AprilStart a monthly liquid feed as growth picks up through the light months. how ›
- AprilRepot into a slightly larger pot every 2 years if rootbound, ideally in spring. how ›
- NovemberReduce watering frequency significantly over the darker winter months. how ›
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- AprilStart a monthly liquid feed as growth picks up through the light months. how ›
- AprilRepot into a slightly larger pot every 2 years if rootbound, ideally in spring. how ›
- NovemberReduce watering frequency significantly over the darker winter months. how ›
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. Mushy, blackened stem base.
What to do. Let compost dry more between waterings, check drainage.
How to spot it. Fine speckling, webbing, in dry centrally-heated air.
What to do. Increase humidity, mist occasionally.
How to spot it. Often normal ageing.
What to do. Check for overwatering if widespread.
Questions
Swiss cheese plant: is it hardy?
H1b: Tender, needs above 10°C. It survives above 10 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
A houseplant by design; needs a sturdy pot and eventually a moss pole or stake as it climbs.
Swiss cheese plant: when do you prune it?
Prune only to control size or remove damaged leaves; trim unwanted aerial roots, or tuck them back into the compost where they help take up moisture.
When do you feed it?
A balanced houseplant feed at half strength once a month while it is in growth. Stop over winter: a plant in low light cannot use the nutrients and the salts build up in the compost instead. Feeding months, UK: April–September.