Monstera Moss Pole Training

Great you have a potted Cheese plant, and yes, these climbing plants grow fast. Still, the leaves are enormous, so it needs something to grow upright.

Yet, every four to six weeks, new leaves grow. So, what can you do to help it grow upwards? We are here to help you grow your Monstera deliciosa using a sphagnum moss pole.

Importance of A Pole To Grow Monstera Plants

The Swiss cheese plant has no suckers or adhering roots similar to ivy to help pull itself up. The fact is that when your climbing plant grows in nature, it has support from tree trunks to attach its aerial roots growing vertically.

Thus, as an indoor plant or growing as an outdoor plant, it needs some help using a moss pole to train them to grow upward. So using a support pole will help enhance the split-leaf Philodendron or a Monstera adansonii tropical appearance while camouflaging the woody stem.

Growing Your Monstera On a Moss Pole

monstera on a moss pole

The Monstera climbing plants are epiphytes meaning they grow vertically using other plants as support. So, as a house plant, you need to train your plant using a moss pole to mimic the natural environment in which it grows.

Thus creating the ideal spot for your houseplant provides them with a place to help raise those thick stems. But how do you do this? Well, you can invest in a moss pole, or you can do a DIY Monstera pole.

So, please stay a while longer to see how you can train your houseplant to make sure it grows tall.

DIY Moss Pole for Monstera

Great, while you can invest in poles for indoor plants or a trellis growing your vining plant outside. You can also do a DIY plant pole instead by following these easy steps:

  1. Buy a bamboo stick or a PVC pipe at least a foot taller than your plant with some sphagnum moss.
  2. First, soak your moss to wet it.
  3. Place your bamboo or PVC pole in the container to make a starting point.
  4. Wrap the moss around the poles using some string by twirling it around to keep the fabric in place.
  5. Take a soft plant tie and tie the thickest stem to the support at several points.
  6. To encourage vertical growth, you can prune the horizontally growing stems.

As time progresses and new growth occurs, you will notice the aerial roots sticking to the moss pole. This is a plain do-it-yourself plant pole you can prepare and does not take long.

But what if you still need to plant your Monstera, and what should you do when the time comes to repot it? Luckily we have everything here for you on how to do this.

Choosing The Correct Moss Poles and Pots

monstera in a moss pole

When it comes to buying a moss pole and pot for your Monstera deliciosa, you have different options to choose from.

The best is to buy a sized pot that is wide enough to fit your plant’s root system with space for using a moss pole. Whether it’s plastic, wooden, or clay pots, as long as its structure can drain water fast, that will be great for monstera plants.

So, choose a pot size of one inch of room available around the roots to the edge on each side.

For your moss pole, you can also find alternatives to the one we mentioned earlier:

  • The Coco coir pole is similar to the sphagnum one but made of coco fiber or coir. The coco coir poles are great to use as they are moisture retaining the same as a moss pole.
  • You can find the trellis in different materials to provide a wider surface for your house plants to grow up. You use them mainly with a vining plant with small leaves, which are not moisture-retaining.
  • A stake – you find them made of plastic, bamboo, driftwood, metal, and rot-resistant wood. It is a no-frills mount for your plant but is not moisture-retaining.

What Size and Lenght Moss Pole Do You Need For The Aerial Roots?

You can find moss poles in different lengths. So, the best is to choose a tall enough one to support your Monstera deliciosa.

The best length is the height of the potting medium and the stature of the stem above the container, with room left for your plant to grow.

You can find specific moss poles you can extend by adding a new piece on top when your plant outgrows its first pole.

How Do You Repot a Monstera With a Moss Pole

Before you plan on transplanting your Monstera deliciosa, there are a few things you need to as follows:

Decide on a Time

When it comes to repotting the Monstera, the best time to do this is in spring as it hits a growth spirit at this time. So, your plant will recover faster. But, if you notice your potted Monstera bursting out of its pot, then we recommend transplanting them.

Getting Your New Pot and Soil Ready

You have chosen a bigger diameter receptacle several inches deeper to house the moss pole. Also, make sure your new pot has enough drainage holes as you know that your indoor plant can get root rot.

Fill the container with a 1/4 of the way with your well-draining potting mix. Turn over your potted plant and coax the plant out. If it does not budge, give it a jiggle to remove it from the pot. Hang on to the moss pole when removing it.

Place In New Pot

Now, carefully place your plant’s roots and the pole into the new pot. You can hold your plant over the container to stake the coco coir poles and lower the roots down. Fill up the gaps around the roots with your potting mix.

Add another layer on top and leave about two inches of clearance from the top. Take filtered water and wet the ground until it flows through the drainage holes. If the soil sinks, you can add a bit more. Oh, yes, and hold back on the feeding for four weeks.

Adding a Sphagnum Moss Pole to Monstera Without Repotting

Great plant owners, you noticed your Monstera deliciosa in the living space is getting out of control. Now, you wonder if you can add a moss pole to your houseplant. The truth is while it is less secure, it is not impossible.

First, you need to choose a method that will not damage the roots, so it all comes down to choosing the right pole. The best option is to use a narrow moss pole or trellis for a thin pointed stake. Then, insert the stick where you expect it will cause no damage to the roots.

To know if the spot is ideal, you will not get any resistance from the roots, and the point will freely go into the ground. But if resistance is there, do not push further. Still, if your plant has become rootbound, we recommend you repot your plant.

Tying Your Monstera to a Moss Pole

Great, now you have added the moss pole, and you need to introduce your Monstera to its new support. Look for the longer and thicker stems, supporting large leaves with knob-like aerial roots showing.

The stems might also grow horizontally, wandering from the pot, and these are the ones you need to attach to the moss pole, leaving the slender leaf stalks to fill around the bottom. Bring the thick stem up against your moistened moss pole and secure them with a soft plant tie, cotton string, or yarn.

Please do this in a couple of places to keep it secure and repeat the steps with the other larger stems. Eventually, as your Monstera grows, it attaches itself to the pole and continues to grow upwards.

Tips for Maintaining Moisture With The Moss Pole

misting monstera in a moss pole

Taking care of the moss poles is the same as taking care of your plants. The only added step is to mist the moss to keep your indoor plant interested in the new totem. When roots find moisture in the support, they continue to grow.

Final Thought

The Monstera deliciosa and Monstera adansonii are popular houseplants that grow well as indoor and outdoor plants.

As a houseplant, both need plant care using the support of moss poles, whether it is a sphagnum moss one or a coco coir pole, and Plantly will help you with the care tips.

Using these structures gives them the growth they need to look fabulous in your living space.

Whether you want to buy, sell or simply reach out to other plant enthusiasts, Plantly is the right place to be!

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