In their native environments, many plants have trees and other woody plants on which to grow. If you mimic nature by giving your houseplants a structure to cling to, they’ll oftentimes thrive.
The arrowhead plant in this basket will soon reach the top of its supporting post and need repotting into a container with a new, taller, sphagnum moss pole.
Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
There’s wide variety of houseplant supports and trellises available at your local garden center, or you can make your own.
Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Those plants that benefit from some type of support fall into three categories. First, there are the plants with lax stems or large flower heads. These plants require staking to keep them upright for the best display. You can use an unobtrusive green or black stake for this: Just gently insert it into the soil near the plant stem and attach it to the plant with stretchy, green, plastic garden tape, which expands as the plant grows.
The second plant group is a large category of rambling, trailing and climbing plants. Use a trellis to support these species and direct them to grow wherever you desire, including up a wall or across a room. Most of the plants in this group need some help winding onto the trellis support, so attach them with plastic garden tape. (Vines in this group include arrowhead vine, hoya and pothos. There are a few – some ivy, for example, like Cissus antartica – that will anchor themselves to the trellis with tough fibrous holdfasts.)
The third category includes plants with aerial roots that prefer a continuously moist, moss-covered pole on which to fasten and climb. Monstera deliciosa (Swiss cheese plant) and philodendrons are in this group. These plants should be wound around and attached loosely to the poles, which can be found ready-made at nurseries or garden centers. You also can make your own. (Keep reading to find out how!)
A wide variety of stakes and supports are available in bamboo, metal, plastic, rattan, wire and wood. When selecting a trellis, consider the size of your existing plant and its pot. Supports made of metal will be heavier; make sure that the container can bear the weight without toppling. If necessary, put the pot inside a heavier container to add more support.
It’s best to install trellises and supports at the time of planting, as later installation can cause root damage. Of course, that doesn’t always happen, and supports need to be placed in existing plants. Just do so with care, determining exactly where the support is needed to avoid multiple tries. Set the support as deep as possible and wind the plant around its base immediately to add stability. If more backing is needed, wire the support to the container or plant stand.
For the best houseplant-staking results, tie your plant to the support in several locations, so that it isn’t vulnerable to breaking at just one tie point. Again, use stretchy, plastic tie tape to prevent girdling the plants’ stems, and reattach or replace the ties when necessary.
As stated earlier, large trailing or vining plants look best when supported on fibrous or sphagnum moss-filled stakes. In nature, many tropical plants climb trees to heights of 40 feet (or more). Obviously you don’t want your houseplants to grow that far, but they can do very well if given the proper support. To make your own attractive moss-filled stake, take the steps shown in the following pictures and described in their captions – and give your houseplants a little support!
