Swiss cheese vine leaves turning yellow: causes and what to do
17 results in the diagnosis tree begin with yellowing leaves, 7 of them marked likely when the answers fit. They are ordered here for Swiss cheese vine (Monstera adansonii), using what its sources say about soil moisture, light, soil, watering and feeding and one problem recorded for it.
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Monstera adansonii, the Adanson's monstera, Swiss cheese plant, five holes plant or monkey mask plant, is a species of flowering plant from family Araceae, which is widespread across much of South America and Central America. Monstera adansonii is classified as a hemiepiphyte vine and can be found in tropical forests with hot and high humidity conditions. Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Native range: Trop. America (wet tropical). Also sold as Adanson's Monstera, Cheese Plant, Five Hole Plant and Swiss Cheese Plant.
What Swiss cheese vine’s sources say that bears on this
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Light
- Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Soil
- Loam; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Watering
- To prevent leaf spots, keep water off the leaves and give the plant good airflow.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026In the growing season, water generously and feed monthly with a balanced liquid fertiliser. Give little water in winter.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- Through the growing season, water generously and give a balanced liquid feed each month; in winter water sparingly.RHS · read 13 September 2026
How this shows up on a Swiss cheese vine
Lower leaf blades collapse and yellow within days of a watering
Whole leaf blades yellow at once rather than browning at a margin, and the Swiss cheese vine looks deflated despite soil that has not dried since it was watered.
The source for this plant describes moist but well-drained soil. Compost that stays saturated loses the air spaces fine roots grow into, and those roots die back first.
Telling it apart: Weigh the pot in your hand. A pot still heavy a week after watering is holding more water than the roots are using.
RHS · read 13 September 2026Possible causes, likeliest first for a Swiss cheese vine
Most likely too much water
Ranked higher because Swiss cheese vine's recorded problems point this way.
- Moist but well-drained RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Loam; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral RHS · read 13 September 2026
Why: Soil that is wet two inches down, under leaves that are yellowing from the bottom or falling, points at roots that cannot breathe.
What to try:
- Hold off watering until the top two inches of soil are dry, and check again with a finger rather than by the calendar.Useful: moisture meter
- Empty any water standing in the saucer or the outer pot within half an hour of watering.Useful: pot with drainage holes
What would settle it: Lift the swiss cheese vine out of its pot. Healthy roots are firm and pale; roots that have been wet too long are brown, soft and smell sour.
Most likely cold
Ranked higher for Swiss cheese vine because of what its sources say.
Its RHS hardiness rating puts this plant's cold floor at 10°C or above, so a cold windowsill at night is a strong explanation.
- H1B — 10–15°C RHS · read 13 September 2026
Why: Soft, dark patches rather than crisp ones are damaged tissue rather than dried tissue.
What to try:
- Move it away from the glass at night, or keep the curtain on the room side of the swiss cheese vine.
- Leave damaged leaves until new growth appears, then remove the worst of them.
What would settle it: Where the swiss cheese vine sits at night, and what the glass feels like at that hour. Damage that appeared after one cold night, on the side facing the window, is the pattern.
Most likely too little water
- Moist but well-drained RHS · read 13 September 2026
Why: Soil dry two inches down, under lower leaves that are yellowing or leaves that are falling, is a swiss cheese vine shedding what it cannot support.
What to try:
- Water until it runs from the drainage hole, then let the pot drain.Useful: pot with drainage holes
- If the water runs straight through a shrunken rootball, stand the pot in water for twenty minutes so the compost can take it up.
What would settle it: Water it thoroughly and look again the same evening. A thirsty plant firms up fast. One that does not has a root problem rather than a water problem.
Less likely for a Swiss cheese vine, still possible
- Most likely not enough light
- Most likely short of nutrients
- Most likely a build-up of salts in the soil
- Nutrients are an unlikely explanation here
- Possibly root rot, in a pot that has stopped draining
- Probably too much water, but this is not settled
- Probably too much water
- Possibly too much direct sun
- Possibly too much direct sun, or feeding
- This may be ordinary leaf loss
- Light and feeding are both plausible, and this does not separate them
- Possibly dry air
- The answers do not point at one cause
Questions
- What usually causes yellowing leaves on a Swiss cheese vine?
- For Swiss cheese vine: most likely too much water, most likely cold and most likely too little water.
- How can I tell which one it is on my Swiss cheese vine?
- Where is the yellowing? The lowest leaves, working upward; New growth at the top, while older leaves stay green; Between the veins, the veins themselves still green; At the leaf tips and edges, browning as it goes; Patchy, only on the side facing the window.
- What do Swiss cheese vine's sources say about its soil moisture?
- RHS: Moist but well-drained.
- What does this look like on a Swiss cheese vine?
- Whole leaf blades yellow at once rather than browning at a margin, and the Swiss cheese vine looks deflated despite soil that has not dried since it was watered. Telling it apart: Weigh the pot in your hand. A pot still heavy a week after watering is holding more water than the roots are using.
- Is Swiss cheese vine safe to handle while I check it?
- Its sources list it as toxic to people. Wash your hands after handling the roots or sap, and keep trimmings away from pets.
Other plants that show yellowing leaves
AlocasiaThe crown yellows from below and the pot stays heavy
Arrowhead plantNew leaf blades arrive smaller and paler than the ones below
Dumb caneLower leaves collapse and yellow within days of a watering
Elephant earThe older part of the crown yellows while the compost stays soaked
Heartleaf philodendronThe leaves nearest the soil turn yellow and hang
- No photograph yetLacy tree philodendronPale, undersized leaf blades at the tips of the stems
Something else wrong with the Swiss cheese vine?
What this does not cover
This page orders a decision tree's results using a plant's sourced care. It has not seen your plant, its pot or its window, and two problems at once are common: that is the usual reason a confident answer turns out wrong. The questions in the diagnosis tool narrow it further than a list can.