Monstera Advice

[JohnAndSancho]

I've given my Monstera Deliciosa 3 bamboo stakes from mail order palms, and it's almost outgrown those. My first thought was to buy one of the metal trellis things for tomatoes, but they're not exactly aesthetically pleasing and this plant is leggy as hell so I'm not sure it'd be long term viable. 

 

Unfortunately it'd take an act of Congress for me to move things around enough to get a good picture of it due to most of my outdoor plants being inside now. 

 

Suggestions? Thoughts? Plant is roughly 5 ft tall and super leggy. Every other Monstera I've seen is bushy, mine just wants to go up. 

[rprimbs]

I've seen them grow thirty feet up a tree.  I want to get some.  You have an interesting question.  Do you prune them, or train them up something?

[Silas_Sancona]

Ditch the Bamboo stakes or a Trellis..  Get a Moss or Tree Fern Trunk Pole that is at least 3" in diameter..  Like other epiphytic types of Philodendron , Monstera root as they climb and need something to cling to. Bamboo stakes / Trellis won't cut it, not if you want a full specimen. 

You will have to tie the plant to the pole at first, until it roots onto / through it. After awhile, the plant will hold itself up. 

For " bushiness" ( ...as full as it can get being grown indoors half or the year.. )  plant in a big pot ..something equivalent to a squat 7 / 7Gal+ sized gal Tub, and get a moss / Tree fern Pole ( or 2 ) that is at least 6- 7' in height.  As the plant scrambles to the top, you can trim off the top and force it branch from the sides / base ..unless you want it to climb higher.  You can also train the top back down the pole(s) again as well.

[JohnAndSancho]

4 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Ditch the Bamboo stakes or a Trellis..  Get a Moss or Tree Fern Trunk Pole that is at least 3" in diameter..  Like other epiphytic types of Philodendron , Monstera root as they climb and need something to cling to. Bamboo stakes / Trellis won't cut it, not if you want a full specimen. 

You will have to tie the plant to the pole at first, until it roots onto / through it. After awhile, the plant will hold itself up. 

For " bushiness" ( ...as full as it can get being grown indoors half or the year.. )  plant in a big pot ..something equivalent to a squat 7 / 7Gal+ sized gal Tub, and get a moss / Tree fern Pole ( or 2 ) that is at least 6- 7' in height.  As the plant scrambles to the top, you can trim off the top and force it branch from the sides / base ..unless you want it to climb higher.  You can also train the top back down the pole(s) again as well.

This one is kinda fun. My grow light setup is basically a poverty setup, I have 2 floor lamps with the little reading lamps in them, and LED grow bulbs in those. The Monstera was crazy slow until it got high enough to get enough light at the top, and now it's stupid unsustainably fast lol. Cutting the top off might be my best bet. It's been inside for almost 2 years now. 

 

5 hours ago, rprimbs said:

I've seen them grow thirty feet up a tree.  I want to get some.  You have an interesting question.  Do you prune them, or train them up something?

I'm literally just wrapping it around some bamboo stakes but that ain't adequate.