How To Grow Monstera Upwards - Training It To A Moss Pole

Welcome to our quick guide to training a monstera to a moss pole…

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Introduction

I had to tidy up one of my monsteras this weekend that was sprawling too much, when they get to a certain age they spread out like they would in the wild across the forest floor. I cover all you need to know about tidying it up by tying it to a moss pole…

How To Grow Monstera Upwards – Training It To A Moss Pole

A moss pole is a great way to tidy up your monstera and give it a vertical growth pattern. Their aerial roots can grow into it and mimic a tree in the wild. You want a moss pole with a good spike in the and and you can bury it firmly in your pot. Then you want to train your monstera close to it with twine. Or you can use fabric loops that fasten with velcro they are perfect as they are adjustable and less likely to damage the plant.

Pull the plant close to the pole and tie it firmly but not to tight and it should continue to grow upwards around the pole.

You don’t want to tie the individual leaves to the moss pole, just the nodes, so you tidy up the overall look of the plant, but the leaves will grow out sideways.

Get some twince, scissors and moss pole ready…

This is what my plant looks like from above, it is growing out from one side and spreading out across the floor…

The sprawling monstera in need of tidying up

Firstly I trimmed off some of the excess aerial roots.

I then planted the moss pole into the soil and tighten the leaves around the pole with twine. It’s ok if the first time you do it it isn’t too tight, you can do it again straight after to get the stems closer to the moss pole and give the plant a more vertical shape.

Here’s how it looks from above when done:

Why Train A Monstera Upwards?

A monstera deliciosa will spread out and fall to the floor sometimes when they get large. In the wild hey grow over the forest floor until they reach a tree then they grow up it. They grow bigger leaves when they reach the tree too.

So training a monstera upwards to a moss pole or trellis not only keeps it tidy in your home with a neat vertical growth pattern, it also encourages larger leaf growth.

How Do Monstera Grow In The Wild?

In the wild the plants spread out and grow over the forest floor until they get to a tree which they will grow up like an epiphyte. They grow bigger leaves as the get older.

How To Grow Monstera Upwards – Tying It To Itself

Monstera deliciosa reach a point where they get untidy and unruly and flop all over the place! They want to crawl over the forest floor so there gets a point where your lovely house plants needs tying up. You can in the first instance just tie it to itself – you can get some string or twine, hold the stems upright and together, then loop some string or twine around the stems and tighten it around them so that they keep upright. Be careful not to tie it so tight that it damages the plant.

How To Grow Monstera Upwards – How To Grow Monstera Up A Wall

Monsteras look great trained up a wall when they are big enough. The way to do it is to fix small hooks into the wall and tie twine horizontally across them, then tuck loose branches up and behind to them so they grow upwards up the wall. You don’t really want to use wire as it can damage the plant.

How To Grow Monstera Upwards – Using A Trellis

Trellises are really useful as they provide lots of places to tie up a plant, and it you have a big, spread out plant (or multiple plants in a pot) they are great. Make sure the trellis is well planted in the pot so it offers support.

What Are Monstera Aerial Roots, And Do I Need Them?

The aerial roots help the monstera to tie on to and grow up trees in the wild. You can cut them off if you don’t like them it will not negatively affect the plant. Personally I like to tuck them in or around the moss pole.