It’s no secret that vining house plants have minds of their own, but with a little persuasion and guidance, you can train your plant to grow in various ways for the perfect decoration in your home. Here is a guide on which vining house plants trail and how to help them grow in the right directions.
The Basics of Vine Training
The key to successful climbers is to train them young. Training your vining house plants in an upright growth habit as early as possible will help them continue growing this way for the rest of their lives. Of course, if you want your plant to grow with trailing vines that hang down, that’s a great option too!
When settling your plant into a new pot, consider how you want to encourage it to grow: do you want it to climb a trellis or pole, or do you want it to climb across your wall or around a door frame? If you choose a pole or trellis, insert it into the container before you plant your vines so that you don’t accidentally damage the roots. Then you can wrap it around the support so it can grow. If you want your plant to grow on your wall or around a window, you can use command hooks, metal picture hangers, plant vine clips, and string for cheap and effective options.
If your plant needs some help staying attached to its support structure while it gets used to growing, you can use trellis clips or covered wire to keep it close to the structure while the new growth climbs. Once your plant is secure, you can easily remove these. Be sure you don’t tie the wire too tight and damage the plant!
Fantastic Climbing Vines You Can Train
Pothos
Pothos plants are an excellent option for low-light environments and are easy to grow! They have a fast growth rate and are perfect for framing a bookshelf or training to climb across a wall. They have stiffer stems, so be delicate when arranging your plant. To encourage bushy growth, pinch your pothos’ leaves back routinely; this helps prevent your vining house plant from becoming thin and lanky.
Hoyas
Hoya plants feature spectacular showy colored flowers and waxy leaves. Most varieties of these vining house plants can climb, but some have leaves that grow too large to climb and should be left to trail. A classic aesthetic for hoyas is a ring-shaped trellis in the container, creating a halo of waxy leaves and gorgeous blooms. You will want to be extra gentle when attaching your hoya to the trellis so that you don’t break any stems or leaves.
Philodendrons
There are many varieties of philodendrons, and many of them climb similarly to a pothos, but they prefer a rough, damp support that their aerial roots can cling to rather than stakes or framework. You can purchase a moss pole at your local garden center or DIY build one at home using some rough textured rope!
Monsteras
Monsteras are a staple houseplant for influencers and plant addicts alike. These gorgeous vining plants love to climb and adapt very well to moss poles and trellises. If you have a mature plant, it may need extra time and slow adjustment to climb the support structure; take it slow and use clips or twine if needed.
Visit us at Ted Lare Design Build & Garden Center in Cumming, Iowa, for all your houseplant care needs, we can’t wait to help you get those vines climbing!
