I Moved My Monstera From Soil to Water—Here’s How It Went

September 28, 2026

I Switched My Monstera From Soil to Water Because of Fungus Gnats—Here’s What Happened

My fungus gnat problem finally convinced me to try something I had been considering for a while: getting rid of the soil and transitioning my houseplants to hydroponics.

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It Started With the Gnats

I didn't originally set out to have a house full of plants growing in water. I had a gnat infestation, and after dealing with those tiny things flying around my plants, and my house, I was over it.

That's what sent me down the rabbit hole of growing my houseplants without soil.

I decided I wanted to transition all of my plants to hydroponics, and my large monstera was one of the biggest projects. Getting rid of the soil was definitely part of the appeal, but I also really liked the clean look of plants growing in water.

Of course, looking at beautiful hydroponic plants online and actually pulling a large monstera out of a pot full of soil are two very different experiences.

Getting My Monstera Out of the Soil

The first big job was removing as much soil from the roots as possible.

And there were a lot of roots.

I carefully worked the soil away and washed the root system, trying to get everything as clean as I could. Some of the roots broke during the process, which initially made me nervous. I wasn't sure how much root loss the plant could handle—or whether I should trim some of the remaining roots before putting it into water.

This was probably the point when I realized this transition was going to be an experiment rather than a perfectly planned project.

Cleaning Up the Roots

Once most of the soil was gone, I could actually see what I was working with.

I removed damaged material and cleaned the roots thoroughly before putting the plant into its new container. One of the biggest things I learned during this process was not to panic over every broken root. Moving a large, established plant out of soil is messy, and some root damage can happen even when you're being careful.

My goal became simple: clean roots, remove anything unhealthy, and disturb the healthy root system as little as possible.

Then Came the Vessel

I knew I needed a container large enough to comfortably hold the monstera's root system. I considered different options, including an opaque black vase, but ultimately decided to put the large monstera in a large clear glass vessel.

I'm actually glad I went with clear glass for this plant. Since this is my first time transitioning such a large monstera from soil to water, being able to see the roots makes it much easier to keep an eye on what's happening below the surface.

It also taught me something I'd do differently next time: choose the container based on the size of the root system, not just the size of the plant above the soil. Once all that soil was gone, I could really see just how much room those roots needed.

For now, I'm keeping the setup fairly simple while the plant adjusts. Eventually, I'll decide whether I want to keep it growing directly in water or incorporate LECA into the setup.

What I'm Doing Next

Right now, my monstera is still in the transition stage.

My longer-term plan is to grow my plants hydroponically and use LECA where it makes sense, along with nutrients designed for plants growing without traditional potting soil.

I'm also watching this monstera closely as it adjusts. Moving an established plant from soil to water is a major change, so I'm not expecting everything to happen overnight.

And honestly? That's part of the fun of this project.

I'm learning as I go.

Would I Do It Again?

So far, yes.

The fungus gnats were the reason I started, but I've discovered that I really like the look of plants growing without soil. I also like being able to see and think about what's happening below the plant instead of wondering what's going on inside a pot.

That doesn't mean I'm declaring hydroponics the perfect solution for every houseplant. I'm still figuring this out myself.

But that's exactly what The Toyia Edit is going to be about: things I'm trying, things I find, things I love, and occasionally things that absolutely do not work the way Pinterest made me think they would.

I'll update this post as my monstera adjusts and share what works, what doesn't, and anything I would change the next time around.