Trellises come in a wide range of sizes, forms, and materials and are popular choices for both indoor and outdoor climbing plants. There are trellises made of metal, wood, and even plastic. They come in various designs, including the conventional fan shape and even triangles that resemble a three-legged stool without the seat. You can create your own as well!
However, you can train an older plant and teach an old monstera new tricks! It’s ideal to put these when the plant is young and then train your monstera to climb it! Just a bit more effort is required.
Simply connect the vines and stems to the poles with soft string or even twist ties to train your monstera to climb the trellis. You should employ enough bonds to prevent your monstera from relying too heavily on any one point. This will stop the ties from slicing into the stems and vines of your plant.
Repotting with supports
Use of indoor plant supports with monstera plants has one major drawback: they might be a little tricky to repot, especially if your plant and supports are substantial.
Option 1 is not recommended if your plant is climbing the support on its own and is not fastened to the trellis or moss pole using ties. While the plant is still tied to the trellis, you’ll need to repot it, but fortunately, this isn’t too difficult if you have someone to assist you.
We wrote a piece with advice on how to repot a plant that is climbing a moss pole. Click here to see that!
You may easily untie the ties, remove the support, and repot the plant without it if your plant isn’t climbing the trellis or pole on its own and you can do so without damaging any aerial roots. To attach your monstera to your pole or trellis, you will need to replant the support and do so after that.
Although we don’t like this approach, it is a possibility if you don’t have access to assistance or if your plant isn’t yet capable of climbing on its own.
Nourish Your Monstera
Repotting your monstera every year or two and providing it with supports can help it develop tall, voluminous leaves. But no amount of supports or repotting will help if you aren’t feeding your plant properly!
Because it’s difficult to locate specialized monstera fertilizer that’s simple to apply, I designed Monstera Plant Food to assist my monsteras grow those enormous, gorgeous, fenestrated leaves we all love. You don’t need to keep track of a fertilizing schedule because Monstera Plant Food is specifically created for all varieties of monstera plants and is gentle enough to use with each watering. (This indicates that your plant will receive fertilizer!)
How can a Monstera be taught to scale a trellis?
Despite being natural climbers that easily attach their aerial roots to uneven surfaces to grow upwards, Monstera plants occasionally need a little assistance from you to get started. This knowledge can help you train a Monstera to climb if you’ve been wondering how to do it.
- Use soft plant ties to fasten the thickest stems to the trellis. A cut piece of pantyhose can also be used as a plant tie. The knot needs to be secure enough to retain the vine against the trellis while remaining flexible enough to allow the vine to expand. Less obvious ties include those that are green or mix in with the color of the bark or moss.
- Depending on the size and weight of the vine, attach the stems to the trellis at various points, spacing them 4 to 8 inches apart. When the aerial roots take up the role of giving the vines an anchor to the support or trellis, you can remove the ties if you think they’re unsightly.
- Eliminate horizontal vines that sprout from the primary vines. Removing them enables the main stem to climb the trellis or other plant support while also causing the plant to create more vertical stems.
A Monstera should be trellied, right?
I frequently get asked how I take care of my monstera, so I thought I’d provide some information about it here, along with affiliate links to some of the things I use and like. Using these links to make purchases helps support this blog.
Do I need to train my Monstera deliciosa?
Yes! The Monstera deliciosa grows in a manner akin to a pothos vine that just keeps getting longer. Pothos can be allowed to dangle off the side of the pot due of its smaller overall size. A few vines hanging out of the pot would swiftly fill an entire room because the monstera’s natural size is significantly larger! As a result, you should attach the vines to a reliable trellis so they may climb it.
What about using a moss pole?
The purpose of the moss pole is to offer a surface for the aerial roots to adhere to, just like they would in the natural. The only issue with attempting to do this indoors is that you have to constantly keep the moss damp. Since the air doesn’t move as much as it does outside or in a nursery, this is not advised. Mold and undesirable microorganisms thrive in stagnant air and perpetually damp environments.
A monstera’s vine can be rather heavy, even if you are successful in keeping the air clean. A single post trellis won’t be as reliable as one with multiple posts.
The Metal Trellis
Attaching my monstera vines to a strong metal trellis, such as the Panacea Garden Ladder, is how I train my plants. It is far more sturdy thanks to the triangular profile than a flat, fence-like form. Panacea Garden Plant Support Ladder, Red, from Amazon
Soft Rubber Ties
Even if wires or thread will eventually pierce the monstera vine’s strong skin, I find that this will happen. I do this by using these Soft Rubber Ties. They won’t damage the plant, are sturdy, and won’t slip after they’ve been twisted against one another. They are simple to trim to the length you require. Link to Soft Rubber Tie on Amazon (Brown) Link to Soft Rubber Tie on Amazon (Light Green)
The vines usually won’t dangle off the side of the container for a few months when your monstera is young, straight from the nursery. When provided with adequate light and moisture, those vines will appear to crawl outwards; at this point, you should secure them to a trellis.
How do you get a Monstera to start climbing?
One of the benefits of growing Monstera deliciosa inside for fans is its capacity to develop into a substantial cornerstone for a jungle-themed home. However, that expansion also creates some issues because a Monstera can quickly outgrow its allotted space. Large Monsteras typically grow outward, unlike other common houseplants with an upward, tree-like growth pattern (such the fiddle-leaf fig or rubber plant). Because of this, many people prefer their Monstera deliciosa to climb rather than trail.
How can I encourage Monstera deliciosa to climb? You can encourage your Monstera deliciosa to grow upright by providing a support system, such as a moss pole, coco coir pole, or trellis. This teaches the plant to follow its innate tendency to climb, which may result in a healthier plant with more leaves.
The good news is that Monsteras are designed for ascent. You can get this plant off the ground and out of the way if the correct circumstances and some encouragement are there. I’ll go through some specifics regarding how and why Monsteras are frequently observed climbing on moss poles throughout this article and provide you with advice on teaching this plant to climb.
How do you assist the powerful Monstera?
Bamboo stakes and coir or moss poles are the two most common types of garden stakes for indoor plants. Stakes made of bamboo are inexpensive, beautiful, and simple to handle. They are incredibly versatile and have thin diameters. Coir (coconut fiber) poles are made of hardwood bases covered in coconut husk and are noticeably thicker. Because the coconut husk is so absorbent, you may water right onto the pole and your plant will benefit from the humidity. Moss poles, which resemble coir poles but are typically covered with sphagnum moss, are another well-liked option.
Insert The Stake Into The Soil
Locate the parts of your Monstera that contain the thickest, heaviest stems and require the most support at the base (bottom). Once you’ve located these spots, dig a few little holes with a trowel and insert the stakes there. Make sure the stake is firmly planted in the ground and buried deep enough to prevent wiggle or sag. For further support, drive the stake all the way into the Monstera plant’s pot.
Utilize Support Ties
When staking plants, specific support ties are not required. You can use cloth strips, twine, or plant tie tape. Just make sure that you don’t connect the Monstera stems to the stakes too firmly so as to injure them. They ought to be firmly fastened but not choked.
About one to two inches above the point where the base of your plant meets the soil, start attaching your support ties. Your plant will be able to stretch upward more readily as it grows if it has more support at its base. Repeat the ties at several-inch intervals (about every three to eight inches, depending on the size of your Monstera).
And That’s That!
You’ll see an improvement in your Monstera’s overall form and health now that it has been staked, and its epiphytic nature will have more room to flourish. The future will be bright for you and your Monstera if you use our comprehensive care guide to keep your plant healthy over time and add more support ties or stakes when required.
Why is my monstera growing more and more?
You’ve probably seen the phrase “leggy” in houseplant forums or when trying to diagnose a problem with your Monstera. Despite how frequently the phrase is used, its definition is rarely given.
A Monstera that is spread out, with scant leaves and long stems, due to inadequate availability to light, is said to be leggy. A leggy Monstera tends to reach towards any available source of light. You may have noticed this in other houseplants as many different plants have the potential to become lanky.
Is a moss pole necessary for my monstera?
Although Monsteras can flourish without a moss pole, including one more closely resembles their natural habitat. As epiphytes, monsteras rely on the support of tree trunks to flourish. They cling by inserting their aerial roots into the structure’s framework. You may create a more natural growing environment for your Monstera indoors with the aid of a moss pole. By clicking the image or link, you can check the price on Amazon.
All Monstera climbers, then?
However, they may thrive in low-light situations and grow best in bright, indirect light. Monstera can also thrive in bright artificial light. However, leaves will grow more slowly and seldom in the absence of intense light. Low-light monstera may also have smaller leaves without the distinctive holes that indoor gardeners adore.
To avoid slowing growth, choose a location for your monstera display where temps don’t fall below the high 60s.
Avoid making substantial temperature changes in the area where your monstera plant grows because this might cause a lot of leaf drop while the plant gets used to its new environment.
Since monstera plants are epiphytic vines, they are climbers as opposed to trailers. Monstera should be planted in a container with a moss-filled pole, a piece of wood, or some type of trellis so that they can climb it with their stems, which can grow up to six feet or longer, rather than a hanging basket. The plant is supported by long, hanging aerial roots that the stems transmit down.
Monstera (Monstera deliciosa)
Knowing a plant’s origins is crucial for assessing its compatibility for your space and planning the care it will require. Native to desert areas, these plants need a lot of sunlight and loose, quickly draining soil. Strong sunlight and copious humidity will require some shelter for plants from the jungle bottom.
Monstera is a climbing plant endemic to Mexico and Central America’s rainforests that uses aerial roots to clamber up and through the branches of trees. On mature leaves, the peculiar perforations that give it the nickname “Swiss cheese plant” appear. The exact cause of this adaptation is unknown, but it is made possible through a genetically encoded process that is rare in the world of plants and in which cells plan their own demise through programmed cell death.
Growing plants within the house require the support of a moss-covered, climbable pole. If properly cared for, monstera can live for many years and reach heights of well over ten feet.
Incorrect names for Monstera deliciosa include split-leaf philodendron and Philodenron pertusum. These names, which are synonyms for monstera or Monstera deliciosa*, are no longer regarded as acceptable plant names.
Light:
Monsteras should be kept out of direct sunlight and planted in areas with bright, filtered light or light shade from March to September, when they are actively growing. Your plant will be protected from a tropical tree canopy in its natural rainforest by the leaves of the trees outside the window or a sheer curtain. Alternately, a spot in a well-lit area away from a window can do.
The plant need more direct, strong light during the winter. To maintain the health and appealing characteristics of monsteras, which have huge, glossy leaves with well-developed divisions, it is crucial to provide that additional light exposure.
Water and Humidity:
Check back after 15 minutes to remove any water still in the plant’s run-off dish after giving the soil a good thorough watering to make it moist but not soggy. Allow the soil to almost completely dry out between waterings when the plant is actively growing. For ideal humidity, mist the plant and its moss pole every day or give a damp pebble tray. Every week, wash the leaves with warm water.
Temperature:
Normal house temperatures range between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter and are fine during the growth season. The relaxation that happens at these colder winter temperatures is beneficial to monsteras. Once the temperature reaches 65 degrees, your plant will start growing again, but this time with more humidity and water.
Ensure that this plant is shielded from sudden changes in temperature caused by open windows, air conditioners, and heating vents.
Re-potting:
Monsteras prefer to be root-bound and can remain in the same pot for years until switching to a pot one size larger when the roots start to protrude past the drain hole. Soil that drains quickly is crucial. The ideal ratio is usually equal parts potting soil, peat, and sand. Replace the top layer of soil every other year after the pot’s maximum capacity is achieved.
What to Watch for:
The aerial roots are crucial for nutrition and climbing. The most beautiful plants have strong aerial roots, so let them alone. Encourage some of these roots to grow into the moss-covered support for your plant as it develops into a vine, leaving the remaining ones exposed so they may take in moisture from the surrounding atmosphere. (You can create your own supporting pole for a monstera by inserting the end of a tube of wrapped plastic netting deep into the soil of the pot.)
It is normal and gradual for the oldest leaves to fall off. If you overwater or underfeed your plants, the leaves may become yellow and drop in greater quantities.
Stretching of the leaf stems and the emergence of stunted leaves without holes may be signs of insufficient light, especially in the winter. Your plant requires energy to grow strong, robust leaves, but it might not be getting enough light or taking a crucial winter break.