Growth Points: The Moss Pole Mambo
I often find myself reaching out to my friend Bre (@plantgirl_50) about all things plant. She is not only the kindest and most patient teacher on the planet, but has a never ending wealth of knowledge when it comes to caring for your plants! Her and I have decided to team up to bring you a new series called, “Growth Points.” In this series, our goal is to provide easy to read, easy to access information to help you keep your plants thriving and happy. We are going to touch on several topics, one per post, and hope they help you dive deeper into your plant knowledge and learn something new! Please enjoy Ep. 1: The Moss Pole Mambo!
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What’s the deal with those moss poles, huh? Like, they’re kind of ugly, annoying to make, impossible to keep wet… why do we even need them? Well, we don’t, but our plants do. They don’t care about aesthetics, they care about functionality. Below is a little explanation on why our plants need something to climb.
Imagine this: You’re carrying something super heavy when suddenly someone tells you to stand on one leg. After a while, you’d get pretty tired of carrying that heavy load, and depending on your balance you might fall over. Even if you’re not carrying something large, standing on one leg, unsupported, for a long time will make anyone take a tumble.
Now imagine that you’re asked to stand on one leg, but you can hold on to the wall. Much easier to do, right? This is a plant with a moss pole.
In the wild, climbers do what they do and climb up large trees to support themselves. Those little stems are constantly being pulled forward and towards the ground by gravity, so giving your plant something to anchor itself to will help fight the natural forces at work, here.
There are several benefits to moss poles! One of the most important being that you will get larger and larger leaves as the plant takes hold and continues to climb. The better it is attached, the larger foliage it can handle and support.
What is a pole? Well, they’re made of many things. Some people prefer coco coir, some sphag moss, and if you’re like me, sometimes you just prefer plain ol’ wood. Both of my Albos are staked on plain 2”x2” wooden stakes that are driven deep into the pot, all the way to the bottom! I tend to prefer wood for these because I don’t have to worry about keeping it moist like you do with some other varieties of support stakes. Why wood, though? It’s not generally a fan favorite…
Bre: “Some of you have said “but I tried wood and it just didn’t work, the roots grew into moss so much more effectively.” Well, lets look deeper at that shall we? In regard to poles and climbing habits, as with anything in plant care, I like to look at nature. I think sometimes we forget that they lived there, first, before they started to grace our homes with their beautiful presence. In nature, the roots climb up the rough, uneven surface of trees. They are not climbing up moss bogs or sanded smooth trees right? The key element here is the rough “natural” surface. This is why a tree branch or drift wood are great options. Just make sure to clean them first to prevent any unwanted bugs or creatures becoming your roommates. You can purchase wood at most home improvement stores, I like to use an old cheese grater, hammer chisel, etc. to create a very rough and uneven surface on the wood, this way the roots can grow into the fiber and “fuse,” essentially, just as they do in nature.”
But what about the other kinds? Moss and coco coir? I, personally find my poles wrapped in moss from Arium Botanicals! This is my first experiment using them, but Bre is always full of information about them!
Bre: “Some people ask, ‘But the roots grow “in” to the moss, isn’t this better?’ - well the answer is, not really. They are growing, but you’re not rooting a cutting here, you’re wanting your plant to anchor itself. It doesn’t anchor in moss until it has filled out that moss area to the point it won’t fall out. Makes sense why you still have to tie your plant to your moss pole eh? They are growing into, not anchoring, and that I believe is the key difference.
Lets also talk about how Sphagnum really isn’t the best option when it comes to an environmentally friendly or sustainable option. Coco coir (not the loose kind but the sheets) have a similar texture to rough wood and are much more sustainable if your looking for an option besides wood.”
If using a moss or coco coir pole, you need to keep it hydrated so that the aerial roots reach for it and seek it out. Misting your pole each day, or using a self-hydrating moss pole are great ways to keep things going smoothly.
Your plant needs a pole, but you don’t have the time to get to it right now. No problem! Sometimes if I’m not ready to make a pole and need a little temporary fix, I’ll stick a piece of bamboo in the pot next to the stem, and use a hair clip (the comb-like ones with the hinge in the middle) to secure the stem to the support to avoid awkward growth or worse… a complete snapping of the stem. This is not a permanent solution, however, and is only meant to be a place holder until you have time to purchase/make your own pole.
Pre-made poles can be found all over the internet, and are often offered on instagram by those who are actually really good at making them (much better than me!). Wood can be found at your local Home Depot, just ask for a 2”x4” cut in half length-wise, or on the beaches near you! Drift wood can be a very acceptable and eco-friendly way to help support your growing gurls!
Bre: “In short, Mother Nature does this all best, so anytime we can look to her and take a page out of her book is always the better option.”
Remember, nobody likes to stand on one foot unless they’re a flamingo, and your plants are not flamingos (sorry to break the bad news!)
This is an example of Scindapsus ‘Silvery Ann’ climbing a regular wooden post.
