- Simple staff
- moss stick
- Trellis with coconut fiber or jute
- Obelisk as a climbing aid
- Build a simple trellis
- Offer the net as a stop
- Cord as a climbing aid
- wall hook
- wire arches
- Gravity as a climbing aid
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Some of the loveliest houseplants are climbing specimens. In the great outdoors, they find a suitable hold on their own. Mostly on trees of the rainforest, because they are mainly tropical plants. In our living rooms there is no natural climbing aid available. So the owner must provide a stable support in a timely and targeted manner. There are many possible solutions to this. With these instructions, anyone can build a climbing aid themselves at low cost.
Simple staff
Small, upright indoor plants can easily be supported. You don't even need instructions for this. A sufficiently large and stable rod is sufficient. Some indoor plants also need to be tied down. They either do not develop attachment organs or require support before they can hold on to themselves. The tying also makes it possible to arrange the numerous tendrils of the plant according to your own wishes. Therefore, you also need suitable fastening material. It should connect the tendrils firmly to the staff, but without constricting them.
- Sticks can be bought in hardware stores and garden centers, e.g. B. made of plastic, metal or bamboo
- each in different sizes
- Fastening material is also commercially available
- however, any other available rod may be used
- however, the material must be able to withstand damp soil
- Soft strips of fabric can be used as fastening material, e.g. B. from old, worn-out jeans
Insert the stick deep into the soil of the plant and then attach the vines to it. The simplest climbing aid is ready. If necessary, you can also use several sticks at the same time as a climbing aid.
Tip: Think ahead when choosing the wand. The houseplant will grow, getting bigger and heavier. Subsequent replacement of rods can mess up the shape or damage roots when inserted.
moss stick
The moss stick is very popular as a climbing aid. That has its reasons. In terms of its shape, it is also just a rod. But the moss layer around it offers additional advantages. The soft moss is "gentle" on the plant's adhesive roots. While it is difficult to find a hold on smooth sticks, the moss layer can be deeply penetrated by roots. A moss stick also blends harmoniously into the overall picture. With our instructions you can build a moss stick yourself. You will need the following materials:
- an appropriately sized stick
- enough sphagnum moss
- fastening wire
- alternatively stable twine for wrapping or tear-resistant and water-resistant jute cord
Tip: Use green painted wrapping wire to attach the moss to the stick. Due to this coloration, it is not noticeable under an equally green leaf dress. In addition, its coating prevents it from rusting. This is important because it will come into contact with a lot of moisture.
Instructions for wrapping
These are the individual steps with which you can build this climbing aid yourself:
- Moisten the moss as this makes it easier to handle. To do this, simply soak it in water until it is soaked with water.
- Bend one end of the wire so that you are holding a U with a side length of about 5 cm.
- Place the U over the tip of the stick and then wrap the wire around it several times.
- Now take some moss in your hand and squeeze out the water.
- Lay the moss on the stick so that about 3 to 5 cm of it is well covered all around.
- Now wrap wire around it two or three times. Firmly so that the moss does not slip off later.
- Work your way piece by piece until almost the entire stick is wrapped in moss. Save the end that goes into the potting soil.
- Form a loop with the wire and then continue to wrap the wire around the rod.
- Cut the wire leaving about 5 cm. Now knot or twist the end with the previously formed loop. This means that the fastening can no longer loosen or loosen.
- Stick the moss stick into the soil of the houseplant and attach some tendrils or aerial roots to it.
Tip: Spray the moss stick regularly with water. This gives the moss a nice shine and stimulates the growth of aerial roots.
Trellis with coconut fiber or jute
In addition to moss, there are two other natural materials for wrapping trellises: coconut fiber and jute. A combination of both materials is also welcome. The instructions for the moss stick already provide information on how to build this climbing aid. Only the moss is simply replaced by coconut fiber. Jute can be bought as a woven fabric and wrapped around the stick in several layers. Then it is fixed with jute twine. The jute fabric can also be wrapped around a trellis equipped with coconut fibers. This gives the coconut fiber additional support and it also looks decorative.
Obelisk as a climbing aid
Several simple sticks grouped into an obelisk or a pyramid shape result in a three-dimensional climbing shape. This is ideal for plants such as ivy, which conquers the given shape from all sides.
- Insert three or four sticks into the flower pot, each close to the edge of the pot. The distances between the bars should be even.
- Bring the tips of the sticks together so that they slightly cross each other.
- Tie these tips tightly together.
- If you like, you can reinforce the bar construction horizontally with bars at several heights.
Build a simple trellis
Houseplants that grow expansively cannot be satisfied with a simple climbing aid. You need a stable trellis that can not only withstand the weight of the leaf mass, but also allows the plant to grow attractively. You build the simplest trellis out of several sticks. Insert two long trellises into the potting soil. There should be a larger distance between the two. Now take several shorter sticks and attach them horizontally to the large sticks. Each with a distance of 15 to 20 cm. You can tie the tendrils of the houseplant to it.
Tip: The larger a plant is or becomes over time, the thicker and larger the stakes used must be. The material must also be selected to be sufficiently stable.
Build a sturdy trellis
Some climbing houseplants can grow very tall over the years. They usually have a sufficiently large, permanent place in the house. They often stay there for a lifetime or at least for many years. It is therefore advisable to build a stable and durable climbing aid right away. This must be screwed firmly to the wall to prevent it from tipping over.
- Buy ready-cut metal mesh in stores
- Wooden lattices can be built from wooden slats yourself
- attach to the wall with spacers
- Tie tendrils of the plant
Offer the net as a stop
A net made of sturdy cords can also be a good climbing aid for indoor plants and is also easy to build yourself. An ivy, for example, can spread its many long tendrils in it. Where you place the net sensibly depends on your houseplant and attachment options. A few wall hooks are sufficient for attachment. Any sufficiently stable network can be used for this purpose. Of course, they also have to meet the optical requirements. Because such a net can hardly be used as a climbing aid without attracting attention.
Cord as a climbing aid
A rope hanging from the ceiling can fulfill the function of a trellis. Tendrils of indoor plants can be attached to it. While a trellis sometimes doesn't find a firm footing in the ground, each cord can be securely attached to the ceiling or wall with a hook.
wall hook
Some houseplants only need a little support here and there to keep the tendrils from sagging under their own weight. A flexible climbing aid that grows with the houseplant can be the solution here. It consists of hooks that are screwed to the wall behind as required. Individual tendrils can be tied to it with a loop. The good thing about this climbing aid is that it is quickly covered by the green and is therefore hardly noticeable. The plant is held as if by an invisible hand.
wire arches
Wax flowers or jasmine, but also other plants, tend to grow particularly decoratively on arches. You can easily build this type of trellis yourself from sturdy but flexible wire. You can use a trick to make the bow look nice and round.
- Obtain wire with a diameter of at least 2 mm from the hardware store. It must be flexible, but not too soft, so that the arch remains dimensionally stable over the long term. A wire length of 1.2 m is sufficient for each small arc.
- Find a round bucket or large saucepan of appropriate diameter.
- Wrap the wire around the bucket to give it the round shape.
- Using both hands, carefully move the archwire to the edge of the bucket, then detach it completely.
- Shape the two ends of the wire with your hands so that they can be inserted into the flower pot like small sticks.
Tip: If you use two or more arches per plant, you can pin them so that together they form a spherical shape.
Gravity as a climbing aid
Find an elevated location for your houseplant from which it can let its tendrils hang, following the law of gravity. Then there is no longer any need to offer her a climbing aid. Of course, this is not possible with every houseplant. But plants with fine tendrils like ivy lose none of their beauty. Large specimens can even be used as room dividers.