Training Monstera Adansonii + A Moss Trellis DIY
This is all about training Monstera adansonii plus the DIY moss trellis I made to get the job done.
When I saw this Monstera adansonii (aka Swiss Cheese Vine) at the nursery, I snatched I it right up and knew it was coming home with me. I have quite a few hanging plants and at this point in time, the ones I have are enough. I decided to do something different with this one which might also be useful for a number of other trailing plants.
I repotted my Swiss Cheese Vine from a 6″ pot into an 8 1/2″ pot right before training it. I decided to do this as a separate post and video in case you were interested in one and not the other. I placed the root ball at the front of the pot and not in the middle so I could leave room for the trellis at the very back.
The Monstera adansonii has much smaller leaves and thinner stems than does its relative the Monstera deliciosa. This moss trellis wouldn’t support the later. The adansonii grows fast. In nature, it gets quite tall whereas indoors the longest or tallest I’ve heard it get as a houseplant is 8′. If you want it to grow upwards, you’ll need a method of training to do that.
I made a trellis because I couldn’t find a smaller one that I liked for this plant. The moss-covered trellis gives that tropical vibe just like the Swiss Cheese Vine and I’m happy with how it all looks.
Materials
- 2′ Moss poles. These thinner ones work just fine because the stems & leaves of this plant aren’t heavy, at this point anyway.
- Jute twine string (another option would be hemp cord).
How to Make a DIY Moss Trellis
I made this out of 2′ stakes because the plant was small in size and 3′ ones would have been out of scale. I filmed this video a little over 2 months ago and the Swiss Cheese Vine has grown like crazy in the warm weather. It’s ready for an extension with the 3′ stakes and I just ordered them yesterday.
You can watch the video below to see how I put this together. It’s really simple to do and here’s how:
Measure the base of the pot to see how wide you have to make the trellis. It needs to fit into the pot and touch the bottom so it can support the stems as they grow.
Cut 1 pole to make the 4 horizontal rungs. The bamboo under the moss is thin so I used my Felco pruners for this. I made each rung slightly bigger than the last so the trellis could fan out at the top.
Space the rungs out evenly on the vertical supports. Put a dot of hot glue where the rungs connect to the supports. This holds them in place for the step below.
Tie a piece of twine string tightly around the end of each rung to secure.
Some Of Our General Houseplant Guides For Your Reference:
- Guide To Watering Indoor Plants
- Beginner’s Guide To Repotting Plants
- 3 Ways To Successfully Fertilize Indoor Plants
- How to Clean Houseplants
- Winter Houseplant Care Guide
- Plant Humidity: How I Increase Humidity For Houseplants
- Buying Houseplants: 14 Tips For Indoor Gardening Newbies
- 11 Pet-Friendly Houseplants
Steps for training a Monstera adansonii
This process is shorter than the moss trellis DIY unless you’re repotting the plant at the same time!
Place the trellis in the back of the pot making sure it goes all the way to the bottom.
Weave the stems around the trellis however is pleasing to you.
Attach the stems (as needed) with twine string.
You’ll need to attach the stems to the supports here and there as your plant grows. And at some point, you’ll need a bigger support.
Questions About Training a Monstera
You need something for it to climb on. Moss poles are most commonly used but some alternatives are metal trellis’, wooden trellis’, bamboo stakes, pieces of wood or bark, & topiary forms. Or, you could DIY a trellis like I did!
You need a method of support like the ones listed above & something to attach the stems with. How you train it depends on the support you choose & the look you’re going for. I want half of mine to climb, & the other half to trail.
If you want it to grow up, yes. If you want it all to trail, no.
You’ll need to use twine, string, or some kind of tie to attach it to the support. It doesn’t grab on by itself. You may be able to weave it in & out & get the look you want but I’ve always found a tie or 2 (or more) gets the stems to face & grow the way I want them to.
My Swiss Cheese Vine only had 2 long stems to attach at this point. There’s 1 more which I’ll train up the trellis & the rest will trail.
This is done by pruning. If you start doing this earlier on, tip pruning will do the trick to keep your plant bushy. If it’s too leggy, you can propagate it by the stem cutting method in water or a light soil mix and replant.
No, but many people use moss poles, especially with a Monstera delicosa. Because the stems on the Monstera adansonii are much thinner, you could use a less “robust” option like I did.
There will be a care post on this attractive, fast-growing plant coming your way within the next couple of months. And, now you know one way of training a Monstera adansonii!
Happy gardening,
Other helpful guides to help you garden!
- Monstera Deliciosa Care
- Monstera Adansonii Repotting
- Keeping An Arrowhead Plant Bushy
- Prune, Propagate + Train My Stunning Hoya
- Where to Buy Indoor Plants Online
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- About the Author
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Nell, the founder of Joy Us garden, was born into a gardening family and grew up in Connecticut’s countryside. After living in Boston, New York, San Francisco, & Santa Barbara, she now calls the Arizona desert home. She studied horticulture & garden design, working in the field all her life. Nell is a gardener, designer, blogger, Youtube creator, & author. She’s been gardening for a very long time & wants to share what she’s learned with you.
