Monstera, to slice or save?

Alas, the support rotted out overnight and the whole thing toppled over.  The plant part is about 7 feet tall (not including the new leaf).  As I grew my Monstera from a tiny twig, the base of the plant is pretty thin compared to the topmost stem (which is a couple of inches across).  I either need to place it in a pot so the stem is several inches deeper than now (aka, a 10 gallon pot) or...

...and my heart breaks to even think of this idea. ..

...or cut it and hope it grows back from the base while I make new baby Monsteras.

Thoughts?

One possibility is, cut the roots at the bottom, take the soil (or get new soil) and heap up enough on the top so that hopefully the new, thick section starts rooting, and maybe prune the top to make it not fall over? I am not so familiar with Monstera so may be wrong.

I would try both.  Trim the root ball back by no more than a third and replant into a larger pot and use a new support.  I've rooted Monstera in the past and they tend to do well for me.  I can't see any "air"roots along the stem, if there are any you have hit the jackpot, those sections of the stem will root in water very fast.  Take a cutting that has at least one node and leaf on the stem and you will have a good chance of rooting another plant.

Heddwch

I trimmed off the air roots a couple of days ago as they had crawled INTO the wall when I wasn't looking. Only left a couple of inches of root behind.  One of them was nearly 4 yards long...possibly some got left in the wall.

That is probably why it fell

Deane Adams wrote:I would try both.

Yes, try to root cuttings and cut it back.

here they grow outside, and i have had some in the yard that were impossible to kill. they are amazingly resilient plants. in a pot, maybe not so much, but with two alternatives one is bound to work. even if you trimmed the air roots they might grow back.

Looking at the plant this morning, it hasn't moved and still laying prone on the floor.

Except the tiny leaf at the base seems to have doubled in size...must be an optical illusion as it's too old to do that.

It's giving the vibes that it wants to start again.  I could leave 3 nodes on the old plant and take cuttings?

r ranson wrote: It's giving the vibes that it wants to start again.

That's what I thought about that base leaf when I looked at the picture yesterday, but I don't know the plant, so I didn't want to steer you wrong.

If the plants telling you an approach, I'd risk listening to it.

Cuttings

I wasn't sure how best to make cuttings,  so I tried a few different ways.

Any idea how long cuttings tis big will take to show results?

If you put one of the node section in water, you may see root tip growing as little as three days. Maybe some of the cuttings already have root development but new buds take much longer.

Takes time, but I'd air layer that beauty.

Make enough of a vertical cut in the lovely winding basal stem to pierce the woody outside layer. If you have rooting hormone powder, apply some (if not, it will be fine). Pack a couple of handfuls of wet horticultural moss (the kind used for orchids) around the cut place, and wrap it all with something like plastic wrap, securing with string or twist ties. Roots will grow from the cut, and when they're big enough, cut the original roots away.

You can do it all without moving the plant. This will still mean a top heavy plant, though.

That's a great suggestion from Karima. Air layering is such a gentle way to keep the momentum of a big, mature Monstera. They usually respond so well to it, too. You'll probably start to see roots forming in a few weeks if it's kept warm and humid.
It's amazing how resilient these plants are, even after a fall, they seem determined to grow back stronger!