Those of you who have a Monstera deliciosa at home may have picked up on a few things since bringing it in. One, aren’t those leaves gorgeous? Two, it’s actually expanding quite swiftly. Third, M. deliciosa doesn’t comprehend the need of having sound personal limits. Give this adorable giant of a houseplant a moss totem to grasp onto if you find yourself outgrowing your home. Here, we’ll walk you through the installation process and show you how to control some of your monster’s adorable excitement.
M. deliciosa uses its powerful aerial roots to cling to and take moisture from the rough bark of large rainforest trees in its natural habitat. It is a natural wanderer. A moss totem is an upright pole that is completely covered in sphagnum moss and is staked into the plant’s pot. Its natural surface provides something for a monstera’s roots to grip onto and take moisture from, acting as a stand-in for a tree. A moss totem allows M. deliciosa to act more like it would in the wild while yet supporting those heavy stems and leaves better than a traditional plant stake or wire trellis.
With just a few basic tools, you can train a monstera to a moss pole:
- Your terra cotta monstera
- a ready-made moss totem
- Soft plant ties, yarn, or cotton string are good options for gentle ties.
- A new container that is 1-2 wider than the old one, together with high-quality potting soil for houseplants, if repotting is required.
We like Mosser Lee’s Totem PoleTM Extendable Plant Supports for moss totems. These realistic-looking, tube-shaped supports come in three lengths plus an additional 12 extensions for when your monstera inevitably becomes even bigger. They are packed with moisture-absorbing, long-fiber sphagnum moss.
Getting Started
Start by putting the moss totem in a shallow water container and letting it soak until it is completely soaked.
Before adding the totem, it’s a good idea to check your plant to see whether it has to be repotted while the moss is soaking. You can install the moss totem without repotting your M. deliciosa if the pot is large enough and the roots aren’t too crowded. However, if your plant needs a new pot anyhow, now is a fantastic time to start working on its new totem.
If your monstera has to be repotted, start by removing it from its current container and looking at the roots. If the roots are tightly packed, you may need to loosen them up a bit. As you normally would, repotter the plant into a new pot with fresh soil; however, instead of placing it exactly in the center, move it slightly toward the front of the pot. With the majority of the foliage facing outward, the moss totem can fit behind the plant in this manner.
Installing the Totem
When the plant and container are prepared, deeply embed the strong metal supports at the bottom of the moistened moss pole. Keep the pole upright and tuck it behind the plant just a bit. The totem can then be stabilized by lightly pressing the earth at the base.
Attaching the Plant to the Pole
It’s time to acquaint your plant with its new totem now. Some of your monstera’s stems may be longer and more strong than others, as you may have noticed. Several huge leaves are supported by these thicker stalks, and they may also be beginning to sprout some knobby aerial roots. The stems could potentially start to spread out from the pot like a vine as they develop horizontally. The more slender leaf stalks and their leaves will be allowed to fill in around the bottom once you attach these stems to the totem.
Bring the stem up against the moistened moss and fasten it gently yet securely with a piece of soft plant tie, twine, or cotton string to help it adhere to the totem. If the stem is long, bind it to the totem by tying it to it several times. Repeat this process with any other substantial stems, then take a step back to ensure the plant’s general form is to your liking. Your M. deliciosa will eventually use its aerial roots to cling to the moss and proceed to climb higher on its new support.
Care Tips
With one extra step, caring for a monster on a totem is just like caring for one without. Misting the moss on occasion is a smart idea to keep your monstera interested in its new support. The roots will continue to spread into the moss if the plant detects moisture there.
For routine maintenance, make sure the container drains effectively, let the top inch or two of soil a little amount of soil dry out between waterings, and set your plant where it receives lots of bright, indirect light. Additionally, take sure to turn your wandering plant every so often to keep things balanced if it tends to lean one way or the other while looking for the best source of light.
Some Plants Just Need a Little Guidance
Not just monsteras are helped by a little patient correction in the home. A moss totem is also helpful with other monster species, such as M. adansonii, as well as some philodendrons, like “Prince of Orange” and “Pink Princess.” Ask if you need help caring for any of your “wandering plant pals.” We are always happy to assist.
How do you ascend Monstera with moss pole?
Sphagnum moss can be used to create a moss pole by being wrapped around a bamboo stick or PVC pipe. To hold the material in place, twirl a string around. The thickest stem of your Monstera Deliciosa should be tied to the pole many places along the stem using a soft plant tie. To encourage vertical development, prune the stems that are developing more horizontally. The plant will eventually grow vertically as its aerial roots cling to the moss pole over time.
How do I get my 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 maintain Monstera’s balance?
Right now, Monstera Deliciosa is a stylish and well-liked houseplant, and it’s simple to understand why. The room’s broad, glossy, dark-green leaves have a tropical feel to it, and under the correct circumstances, they develop swiftly. In fact, this plant’s potential for growing too large for some homes is one of its only drawbacks. When a Monstera grows large, it often tips over or leans to one side.
How can a Monstera Deliciosa be kept from leaning over? Staking a Monstera Deliciosa with a support like a moss pole, trellis, or garden stakes is the best way to keep it growing upright. These natural climbers can be trained to climb these poles by being connected to them, and they will be supported as they do so.
Although a Monstera won’t be harmed by not growing upright, most people like them to be as straight and tall as possible for aesthetic and spatial reasons. To help you keep your Monstera looking the way you want it to, I’ll go into further depth below why why this occurs in the first place.
How can a Monstera be taught to scale a wall?
Your Monstera should be allowed to climb since it is not only natural for them but also looks fantastic! The majority of Monstera enthusiasts prefer to offer some sort of support for the plants, like a totem pole or pole covered in moss.
Monstera plants develop tendrils covered in aerial roots to aid in climbing. Monsteras’ aerial roots provide a variety of functions in addition to absorbing moisture and nutrients from the atmosphere. In the rainforest, they also cling to the rough surfaces of big trees to aid the Monstera vine’s ascent to the canopy—exactly what a moss pole may accomplish for your indoor plant.
Not all Monstera climb, though. In hanging pots or baskets, some kinds, such as Monstera adansonii, produce a stunning display. Additionally, they can be stacked on top of bookcases, filing cabinets, or even the refrigerator’s top and left to hang over the sides.
It is ultimately a matter of personal opinion whether you let your Monstera climb or decide to let the cascading vines fall freely.
To add some variation, teach some of your Monstera plants to climb while allowing others to trail from pots or baskets to display their eye-catching foliage. Or, to create a Monstera climbing wall, group many Monstera plants together and build a trellis (or latticework) against the wall.
Do I need to secure my Monstera?
There are several advantages to supporting your Monstera’s posture with a stake or moss poll. As epiphytes, or plants that grow vertically in nature by climbing on the other plants surrounding them, Monsteras do so in their natural habitats. Yes, they survive with a little assistance from their friends.
When your Monstera is housed in a pot, it can be more difficult to adapt this epiphytic tendency, but stakes are the ideal “dupe” for other plants. Your Monstera will maintain a beautiful posture that maintains them looking their best by clinging to its stake, reaching upward, and holding its heaviest stems straight. Aerial roots are a favorite feature of monsteras; avoid cutting them! These roots are designed to support the bulky base of your plant, but staking the plant helps to lighten their burden, allowing you to tuck them into the soil of your Monstera and let them rest invisibly.
Option 1: Moss pole plant support
This option is the most popular since it most nearly resembles the monstera’s natural surroundings and because it usually complements the monstera’s natural shape.
All species of monstera plants, including the tiny adansonii and micro monstera (which isn’t a monstera, but who cares?) work nicely with moss poles. to the delicious monstera that is monstrous.
The aerial roots of the monstera are supposed to naturally cling to the moss in the same way as they would naturally cling to a moss-covered rainforest tree in the wild.
When the plant is young and not yet spreading, it is better to put a moss pole.
With an older, more unruly plant, you can still use a moss pole, but you might need to bind the monstera’s vines to the pole with soft twine or twist ties first until the aerial roots begin to cling to it naturally.
Moss poles are available already constructed at garden supply stores or online, or you may make your own!
How can I use this lanky Monstera?
Like all plants, a Monstera deliciosa can become sparse and lanky from a lack of sunshine. The issue itself is simple to identify, but how can you put a stop to it? How do you mend a Monstera that is “leggy” and what does that mean?
When a Monstera doesn’t receive enough light, it becomes leggy and becomes elongated and sparse. Once a leggy Monstera has been identified, it can be treated by cutting back the leggy growth and making sure the plant continues to receive enough sunshine going ahead.
It can be frightening whenever your plant starts to appear less than healthy. Leggy, fortunately, is a simple problem to resolve. So don’t be afraid! Continue reading to learn what the issue is, how to resolve it, what kind of light a Monstera requires, and how to accommodate Monsteras in low-light conditions.
Are Monstera adansonii climbers at heart?
What if you don’t want your plant to encroach on your workplace break area or climb the walls? Monstera adansonii are adaptable plants, yet they prefer to climb in the wild. If given the proper amount of light, water, and nutrients, Swiss cheese plants can grow into healthy, long-lasting vines. And you might discover that they develop just as swiftly.
Swiss cheese plants can trail for up to 13 feet and may require regular pruning to prevent them from becoming unmanageable. These plants, if allowed to climb, can easily grow as high as 10 feet indoors, making for a really stunning display.
However, growing your Monstera as a climbing plant presents some difficulties because it requires the right structure. Monstera adansonii can reach heights comparable to small trees, but it lacks the robust trunk and extensive root system needed to stand on its own. And if the plant doesn’t have enough support, it could topple over and potentially damage stems.
Because of this, owners of Monstera plants turn to trellises and moss poles for sturdy support that won’t harm their plants or your furniture.
How can you control a wild monstera?
Giving monstera a moss totem to climb is the best approach to train it to become a house plant. These are available at garden centers, or you can create your own by rolling a tube of chicken wire with an inch-mesh 36 or 48 inches long and 4 inches in diameter. Put moistened long-strand sphagnum moss inside.
Light
Mini monsteras enjoy bright, indirect sunshine just like the majority of tropical plants, including monsteras. This indicates not directly in the sun’s beams, but next to or in a very bright window. Typically, an east-facing window is the ideal.
Water
When the top two inches of soil are dry, add water to the soil until it begins to drip out the bottom of the pot since mini monsteras prefer a modest amount of water. then right away empty the drainage pan.
It’s crucial to avoid overwatering because it can promote root rot. Repotting and our Root Rot Treatment can cure this disease, but if you don’t catch it in time, it can kill a plant.
Never let the soil get completely dry, on the opposite end of the watering range, or you’ll have a dried-out, perhaps dead micro monstera on your hands!
Soil and Potting
To prevent your mini monstera’s roots from sitting in water (hello, root rot! ), choose a soil and container that drain properly.
Consider adding some orchid bark to your indoor potting mix and using a plastic or ceramic container with one or more drainage holes.
Fertilizer
In the spring and summer, Rhaphidophora tetrasperma grows quickly, so it’s crucial to fertilize it many times per month with liquid fertilizer mixed in with its water.
Because I can use Indoor Plant Food for ALL of my indoor plants, even micro monsteras, I use it every week in my watering can. It removes all of the uncertainty about fertilizing schedules because it is intended to be applied with each watering. There’s no easier way to put it than that!
Climbing
To give the aerial roots of mini monsteras something to hold onto when climbing, place a moss pole or trellis in or close to the container. A small or tall moss pole can be bought, or you can even create your own.
Temperature and Humidity
These plants perform well in conditions resembling those of their native environments in Thailand and Malaysia, however they are a little more adaptable to temperature and humidity than monstera deliciosa.
The ideal temperatures for mini monsteras are between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (aka average room temperatures). They are able to handle typical indoor humidity levels, but they value the added moisture from a humidifier or pebble tray.
(To set up a pebble tray, just add water and pebbles to a shallow tray, then place your potted plant on top so that the roots and soil are not in contact with the water.)
A Fun New Plant for Monstera Lovers
Try the small monstera if you enjoy other monstera variations! It’s the ideal addition to your collection and is becoming accessible (and inexpensive). They are available online and in certain local nurseries.