Lee Anne: What a great tutorial! Those poles are perfect for Philodendrons and other plants that like to cling and climb!

I thought about making moss poles like that for a long time but I knew I wasn't strong enough to cut that thick wire, and hubby never seemed to have the time ... so for my philodendron's I used small tree branches that I wrapped and tied coir fiber around and "planted" them in the pots when I re-potted the philodendrons.


The tree branches wrapped in coir are okay for smaller plants but those wire cages stuffed with LFS are perfect for large plants! My Monstera deliciosa could sure use a big cage/pole like that great one in your photo! Maybe I will see if I can talk my husband into helping me with one the next time he has some free time.

"Wow!" is right !! This would look great in my sunroom -- what do you think about using a piece of 1-inch PVC pipe with small holes drilled in it, placed in the center of the wire mesh and surrounded by the moss, for watering?

Thanks for the great idea!

Great idea Lee Anne, and perfectly explained. I love the pictures. Good job all around!

I made these to grow Dischidia on and found that I made them TOO narrow (only about 4" in diam) which meant the moss dried out and the diam. wasn't large enought to water it from above. That is the only drawback I found....and the moss shrunk over time so pack it really full!!!!

Great idea, Sandy! I've seen a similar idea, used to sink in the middle of a strawberry pot so all the levels got watered. I bet that would work in the center of the moss pole, too! It might make packing the moss in a little harder, but would solve the watering problem.

Hi Angie -- I think I got this idea from something I saw somewhere about using PVC as tomato stakes, with holes drilled in the below-ground part so you could pour water in the top to get water down to the roots...

Didn't realize there was a Mackinaw in Illinois -- I thought we had the corner on that in Michigan!

Hope you're having a great gardening season!

Hmm, interesting concept for tomato stakes.

Everything is dry, dry, dry around here. My veggie garden is pathetic. The tomatoes are only about the size of eggs, and lots have had blossom end rot. The beans have been fodder for the very thirsty rabbits. The corn tasseled, but didn't set ears. Most of the peppers aren't producing much of anything; too hot to set fruit, I guess. The only thing that seems to be actually thriving in our triple-digit temps this summer is the cantaloupe. Good thing we love cantaloupe!

I've heard of Mackinac Island. Good friends went on their honeymoon, and return every few years for their anniversary. I've always wanted to visit there, after hearing their stories! My Mackinaw isn't quite as picturesque.

Have been looking for one of those plant poles, like they "use to" sell at nurseries years ago, for my philodendron. No luck yet, why did the industry quit making them, does anyone know? Did the masses shy away from these types of plants? I searched high and low, so now I guess I'll have to make my own, thanks for the awesome tutorial!