Got a Monstera plant at home or in your garden that’s not quite hitting the mark? Are you seeing some sparse growth and hoping for something a bit more exciting from this super cool houseplant? No worries! You can get your Monstera growing greater heights with the right love and care. In this blog post, we’re gonna chat about how to get Monstera to climb up support and grow tall. We’ll also throw in some tips on how to look after your Monstera.
How to Get Monstera to Climb?
Monstera deliciosa, commonly known as the Swiss cheese plant, is a natural climber. In its native tropical rainforest habitat, it climbs trees seeking sunlight. You can get it doing the same indoors with stuff like moss poles, stakes, or trellises. Here’s how to get your Monstera climbing:
- Select the Right Support: Find support that’s tall and wide enough for your plant’s growth. Moss poles are pretty popular ’cause they’re natural, and Monstera’s aerial roots can grab onto them, helping it grow up.
- Insert the Support: Put the support in the middle of the pot, and make sure it’s stuck deep in the soil so it’s stable.
- Attach the Monstera to the Support: Using a soft material like string or twine, loosely tie the plant to the support. This lets the plant move a bit but keeps it attached to the pole.
- Prune Your Monstera: Regular pruning encourages new growth and maintains plant health. Remove any dead, diseased, or damaged leaves to keep your plant looking its best.
Along with these steps, taking care of your Monstera right is key to getting it growing:
- Watering Monstera: Regular watering is a must, but let the soil get a bit dry between waterings to avoid turning your Monstera roots rot.
- Fertilization: Give your Monstera some fertilizer every month during the growing season (that’s spring and summer).
- Monstera Lighting: Position your Monstera in a spot that receives bright, indirect sunlight. Direct sunlight can scorch its leaves.
- Monstera Pest Control: Monsteras are generally pest-resistant, but keep an eye out for mealybugs and scale. If you spot them, isolate the plant and treat it with insecticidal soap or neem oil.
With the right support and care, your Monstera can do its natural climbing thing, giving your indoor garden a cool vertical touch.
Video about How to use a stake, moss pole or trellis for your Monstera / indoor plants + Pros & Cons
Best Support for training Monstera climb
Monstera plants are born natural climbers and can get pretty tall if you give them the proper support. You can get your Monstera to climb with all sorts of supports, but the best one really depends on what you like and how big your plant is.t.
Here are a few popular ways to support and train Monstera plants to climb:
- Moss poles: Moss poles are tall poles covered in sphagnum moss that help to hold up the plant while also encouraging healthy root growth. You can get your Monstera to wrap around the pole and climb upwards as it grows.
- Trellis: A trellis is like a latticework or crisscrossed bar frame that you can attach to a wall or put in a pot. By threading their stems through the gaps, you can get your Monstera to climb up the trellis.
- Wall-mounted hooks: If your Monstera plant is close to a wall, you can pop some hooks on the wall and get it to climb up. This can give you a really cool living wall effect.
- Tripod: A tripod support is a three-legged thing that you can put in the pot, and your Monstera can be trained to climb up the tripod legs.
No matter what support you go for, make sure it can hold up your Monstera as it gets bigger. It’s also super important to check on and adjust your plant’s growth regularly to make sure it’s properly trained and supported.
New Monstera leaves climb up a Moss Pole support
Best time of year to prune Monstera plants
Monstera plants, like many other indoor and outdoor species, exhibit a seasonal growth pattern. These natural climbers have peak growth spurts during the spring and summer seasons. Consequently, the best time to prune your Monstera is in the spring.
Pruning in the spring offers several benefits. Firstly, it aligns with the plant’s natural growth cycle. This timing allows the plant to recover faster from the pruning process and utilize the growing season to regenerate its foliage. Secondly, spring pruning can stimulate more vigorous growth, helping your plant become fuller and healthier.
Keep in mind that the goal of pruning extends beyond merely controlling the plant’s size. It’s also a vital step in sustaining the overall wellbeing of your Monstera. By consistently eliminating any dead, diseased, or damaged leaves, you can preemptively halt the spread of potential diseases and pests, consequently fostering a more resilient and vigorous plant.
To optimize your Monstera’s growth and health, consider carrying out your pruning tasks in the spring. This timing will enable your plant to recover swiftly and capitalize on the upcoming growth spurt, leading to a lush and vibrant Monstera.
When Should You Give Monstera Climbing Support?
When you first bring your Monstera home, it may not be actively growing and therefore won’t require any kind of support. However, as the plant starts to spread out and get longer, this is when you should provide it with a support system.
The monstera is growing horizontally, so I made a moss pole to support it
Here are the most common signs to support monstera plants.
Sign 1: The Appearance of Aerial Roots
When aerial roots grow, it indicates that your plant is mature and should be supported shortly. As a Monstera becomes older, aerial roots develop from the stems and dangle over the pot’s edge.
Monstera Aerial roots are sometimes trimmed by people who don’t like the way they look, yet they are a sign of a healthy Monstera.
Aerial roots serve as anchors to help the stem affixed to the support structure, which helps the plant to climb. The aerial roots of a moss pole plant will also draw moisture from the air and the pole to maintain the plant’s hydration in between waterings.
Sign 2: Bent or arching stems
Over time, Monstera stems can start to bend and become weak. When this happens, it’s important to provide the plant with a support structure to help hold up its weight. If left unsupported for too long, the stem may break off or cause the entire plant to collapse.
Sign 3: Slender and fragile stems
Monstera’s stems become more delicate as the plant grows. Providing support helps keep the stem from breaking due to its own weight or movement in the wind. The support structure can also help protect it from potential pests that may be attracted to weak stems.
Sign 4: New Growth horizontally
If your Monstera is growing horizontally instead of vertically, it’s a sign that the plant needs some support. By providing a structure for it to climb on, you’ll be able to encourage vertical growth and make sure that your Monstera gets plenty of light.
If you want to know how to Get Monstera to climb up a support and grow, all you need is some patience and the right tools. Providing climbing support for your monstera will help it to thrive and maintain its beauty. By looking out for the signs that Famiplants mentioned above, you can ensure that your monstera receives the support it needs to keep growing strong and healthy.
