The Swiss Cheese Plant, also known as Monstera adansonii, is a star of the current indoor plant craze. In addition to trail beautifully from baskets in thick, glorious vines, it is also a terrific climber that can be trained to have luscious, large-leaved stems.
You’ll need a moss pole, stake, or trellis to train your Monstera adansonii to climb. However, it will eventually reach ten feet in height and produce larger and larger leaves with time and patience.
Let’s take a look at what you’ll need to propel your Monstera into the stratosphere!
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Does Monstera adansonii Climb?
Most people think the Monstera adansonii is a vine-like plant trailed down. However, it produces long, glossy vines covered in leaves with holes dappled with light reflections.
It is known as a “Swiss Cheese Plant” because of these fenestrations. Here is a care guide and details about the plant if interested.
However, the Monstera adansonii heads straight for the top whenever possible in their natural habitat. In a process known as negative phototropism, they seek out structures to climb.
When it comes to growing in the sun’s direction, these plants instead seek out the shade provided by large trees. They’ll take off as soon as they locate that tree.
Aerial roots soon take hold, and new growth heads upwards in search of new, higher anchor points. Using this method, an outdoor Monstera can soar through the jungle canopy to new heights.
Monstera adansonii is a natural climber because it has climbing genes written into its DNA. As a houseplant, Monstera exhibits many traits as its wild ancestors, including a fondness for structures and a tendency.
Should I Let My Monstera Climb?
It’s entirely up to you whether or not to allow a Monstera adansonii to climb or trail. Let those vines dangle from a basket or hanger for all they’re worth. That plant will not be harmed in any way.
If you want to train your Monstera to climb, you need to know that it will keep going up! With a bit of planning, it’s possible to create an attractive trellis or pole with little effort.
The maintenance of a climbing Monstera adansonii differs from that of a trailing one. In addition to the inconvenience of having to re-pot them, maintaining the aesthetics of the supports can be a real challenge.
Other forms of support require less water than moss poles. There are some minor issues, however. Simply put, it’s a matter of preference.
How Do You Make Monstera adansonii Climb?
You’ll need to give your Monstera some support to get it going. Unlike actual trees, they lack the deep roots and sturdy trunks necessary to support themselves.
You can use moss poles, trellises, or clips, or hooks to train the vines along a wall or other piece of furniture.
How and When to Attach Monstera to Moss Pole
A moss pole is probably the best way to help your Monstera adansonii climb. Moss or Coco Coir is commonly used to wrap a central pole in a loosely packed, porous material.
Using moss poles to climb tropicals, such as your Monstera adansonii, is a great option. Mossy texture mimicking tropical trees’ bark helps them grow upward and provides an excellent grip for aerial roots.
In addition, the water-holding capacity of the porous material ensures that the roots are kept moist, and the weak new growth is kept at a constant temperature.
Stackable moss poles are a personal favorite of mine! (Check out the prices on Amazon here)
You can easily add another pole to your Monstera adansonii as it grows, so your adventurous explorer always has somewhere new to go.
When your plant is still young, you should install it to get the most out of your moss pole. It is easier for young plants to reach the top of the pole than those around for a long time.
So that you can work with some of the vine’s aerial roots, let it grow for a foot or so. Then, the pole can be attached once the vines have grown a bit.
- Soak your pole until it is thoroughly wet.
- Squeeze out the excess water so that it is damp but not soggy to the touch
- Slowly but firmly insert your stick into the pot to avoid damaging the roots.
- Gently wrap your Monstera adansonii around the bar, with the aerial roots placed against the moss pole.
- Garden ties are a great way to keep vines from falling over.
Avoid string or other organic material that can rot and host dangerous fungi or bacteria close to your plant.
Also, avoid thin material like a fishing line or a bare wire, as they can cut into your plant over time and leave wounds vulnerable to infection.
Once your pole is installed, you can let your Monstera do the rest of the work. It will sink its aerial roots into the soft matter of the stick and soon head upwards.
Keep an eye on the roots lower on the pole- once they are thoroughly worked into the moss, remove the ties to allow the vine to grow freely.
You may need to periodically tie new vines into place or add an extension to your pole. Keep the pole moist, and you may be surprised at how rapid new growth can be!
How Do You Trellis Monstera adansonii?
Using a trellis is another option for your Monstera. A frame is a rigid structure, usually made of timber, wire, or plastic. Instead of allowing to drape the plant over the trellis or tie it to the structure itself, they do not allow the plant to anchor itself.
They are a less permanent option than a moss pole. However, as the plant’s aerial roots do not anchor to the trellis, the structure can be expanded or reworked as needed.
I like trellises for Monstera in odd corners or to provide structure to overly large plants that would swamp a moss pole.
It’s also a creative option, allowing all manner of shapes and designs. Sprawling trellises can expand into any space and in any direction, limited only by your creativity.
Like a moss pole, it’s simply a matter of adding the trellis to the pot, then tying or draping your Monstera into place. Secure as needed with garden ties, and check and tie-down new growth as needed.
Monstera adansonii Climbing Wall
Monstera training along a wall might be the most dramatic option. However, this is a more long-term solution, so be sure to take care of your plant before deciding on this option. It needs to be in a large pot, and you need to be sure of the light levels.
There are two general approaches to building a climbing wall. If you have a large wall, you can attach a trellis to it. Then, you can hang your adansonii Monstera on the frame as it grows.
Decorator items like wall-sized trellises can add a lot of character to your growing environment, especially if your Monstera has had time to grow into them.
Just like a freestanding trellis, you can simply secure the Monstera to it once the support structure is put in place.
It’s also possible to use hooks or clips to fasten your Monstera to the wall. Vining plants that have grown too large for their baskets or hangers can benefit from this option.
A few inches apart along the wall, hang hooks or clips that are a few inches long. Your plant should then be carefully turned or clipped in place.
With a wall-climbing Monstera, you’re only limited by your own creative imagination. You can train them over doorways and window frames, as well as along bookcases and other furniture.
They spread out in great profusion.” For those who like to joke about having an “indoor jungle,” there is nothing quite like a wall covered in lush, glossy vines.
Is Monstera adansonii Vining?
Monstera adansonii is a versatile plant. It will adapt its growth habits to take advantage of the resources it has available.
Your Monstera will happily vine, showing all the signs of happiness if it has nowhere to climb. Nevertheless, your Monstera adansonii is going to change its growth habits if given the opportunity.
The more you train your Monstera to climb instead of a vine, the more it will be able to grow. If you notice dramatic changes in the leaves of your plant, don’t be alarmed.
Small, heart-shaped leaves with no holes are typical in young Monstera adansonii plants. They get those distinctive fenestrations as they grow up.
You may also notice that the leaves become more extended and broader if they reach a height where they can be seen clearly. There are fewer and smaller holes in these leaves.
It can climb and vine. It all boils down to what you’re looking for in terms of your growing conditions.