The Monstera plant, commonly known as the Swiss Cheese Plant, is a popular choice for indoor gardening due to its unique perforated leaves. As this tropical vine matures, it naturally sprawls outward, often losing its upright structure. Providing structural support helps the plant thrive by mimicking its native environment and promoting healthier, larger foliage. This guide provides instructions for selecting materials and securely tying your Monstera to a support structure.
Understanding the Monstera’s Climbing Habit
The need to tie up a Monstera stems from its biology as a hemiepiphyte in its native Central American rainforests. As seedlings, they exhibit negative phototropism, growing toward the darkest area until they locate a host tree trunk. Once anchored, the plant begins its ascent toward the light.
Upward growth is facilitated by specialized aerial roots that emerge from the stem nodes. These roots anchor the vine to a surface and absorb moisture and nutrients.
The climbing position triggers a morphological change, resulting in the development of the iconic fenestrations, or splits and holes, in the leaves. When a Monstera lacks vertical support, it often reverts to juvenile growth, producing smaller leaves with few or no splits. Providing a suitable pole or trellis encourages the plant to maintain its mature foliage.
Selecting the Appropriate Support Materials
Choosing the right support material is the first step in training your Monstera. The preferred method uses a moss pole, often constructed of sphagnum moss wrapped around a PVC pipe or wooden dowel. The moss pole resembles damp, fibrous bark and encourages aerial roots to penetrate the material, creating a secondary root system that provides stability and supplemental moisture.
Alternatively, you can use a simple wooden stake or a trellis, though these primarily offer physical support rather than encouraging root attachment. If using a wooden stake, choose untreated material to avoid harming the plant. Ensure the stake is sturdy enough to bear the weight of the mature plant, which can become heavy.
For the tying process, select soft and flexible materials to avoid damaging the stem. Recommended choices include Velcro plant ties, soft cotton twine, or specialized flexible plant wire. Avoid thin string, fishing line, or hard wire, as these materials can cut into the soft stems and petioles as the plant grows, disrupting nutrient flow.
Securing the Plant: Installation and Tying Technique
The installation of the support pole must be done carefully to prevent damage to the existing root ball. Place the pole into the pot, positioning it close to the main stem. Push the support straight down into the soil until it rests firmly on the bottom of the container, ensuring maximum stability.
Correctly orient the plant so its natural climbing side faces the support structure. Monstera stems have a distinct “back” side where the aerial roots emerge and a “front” side where the new leaves unfurl. Ensure the side with the emerging aerial roots is aligned against the moss pole or stake.
Begin the tying process by securing the main stem at the nodes, which are the points where the leaves and aerial roots emerge. Use your chosen soft tie material to gently wrap around the stem and the pole. The tie should be snug enough to hold the stem upright but loose enough to allow for future stem thickening.
Do not tie the leaf petioles—the thin stalks connecting the leaf blade to the main stem—to the pole, as this restricts their movement and causes damage. Focus on securing the woody, main vine. As the plant produces new aerial roots, gently guide them toward the moist surface of the moss pole. Misting the pole regularly encourages the roots to latch onto the support.