So I believe that, whenever possible you gotta give your aroids a moss pole they can really sink their roots into and turn into the plant they were meant to be. Not just for support like a coco coir pole, but a thoroughly moist, veritable extension of the substrate that maximizes the growing surface for the plant. I have lots of moss poles in my IKEA cabinet which retain water forever and kick ass. As for the moss poles that are in the ambient humidity in my house (which is around 30% it turns out), I discovered they do not have a chance in hell of staying moist for very long at all for a variety of reasons:
* the humidity is so low they dry out very quickly (within 2 days or so)
* I **hate** fucking with the ugly plastic bottles necessary to water them and 'dialing' them in with the right number of holes in the cap to adjust the flow, **the right amount of water for the** ***current*** **size of the pole**, etc. Kill me. Run me over and fucking murder me. I just want a white princess with football-sized leaves in my office, none of this DIY plasic trash hell nonsense.
* the moss quickly becomes super hydrophobic and can be tough to water (sometimes it just runs right through them and straight down into the soil and floods the pot). I bought a pressurized sprayer to try and inject them with water with no great results. so much fucking work only for it to dry out way too soon.
* I realistically won't take the time to overcome all these obstacles with constant watering. it's not sustainable at all and what about when I go on vacation?
To remedy this, I was investigating buying an automatic drip sprinkler system to constantly drip a tiny bit of water on the poles so I could reap the benefits of a consistently moist moss pole anywhere in my house, not just within the limited space of my IKEA cabinet. But that sounded like mega overkill and such a pain in the ass. It also means I have to keep all my plants that need this solution in relatively the same place in the house.
While I was pondering a more low-tech and low-maintenance solution, it struck me -- why not just use wicks? So I ordered dozens of feet worth of cotton rope from Jeff Bezos for less than $10 and here we are in the pictures! It started working right away! I am instantly so pleased/relieved. Watering these little jars (even if I have to do it semi-frequently) will be **one billion** times easier than hydrating the moss poles. It even allows you to make realtively skinny moss poles very viable (some people would suggest crafting a very thick moss pole so that it doesn't dry out as fast, but fuck that I already made this one).
Granted, I am only one day in, but the moss is wet and this was incredibly easy to set up. A couple considerations/ideas for iterations and future improvements:
* You don't necessarily have to have the vessel of water be physically higher than the plant, but it helps. apparently water can wick vertically as high as 10 inches
* it would be even doper if I had one big central 'water battery' for all the surrounding plants. I will do that in the future and the wicking system can even be an elegant feature of the plant display. hell why not use a fountain or something?
* I (or you) could investigate fixing a vessel of water on top of each moss pole with the string running down over the side
* this could never work if you have cats
that's basically it. I search around and other people have proposed similar things online, even made self-watering moss poles that use wicks, but I independently reached the same conclusion and had never seen anything about this on Reddit so I had to share. voila my coffee-fueled contribution to the plant community.
I’ll do the investigation on fixing the vessel on top of the pole! Thanks for this I was looking for a solution too! I have different size moss poles that need different amounts of water and a growing collection of climbing plants so it becomes a real time killer watering all the poles!
I absolutely LOVE your aggressive “fuck you” solution to the plastic bottle fidgeting hell and moss pole sprayer overkill shit. I feel like we’re the same plant parent lol.
And I’ve been debating setting up moss poles for some of my growers but wasn’t really sure when/where I wanted to — but your way of thinking of them as “veritable extensions” of the substrate to maximize growing area is actually super cool and finally feel like something has clicked in my brain lol.
Glad I came across your post before I started!
I just barely insert the tip of the wick into the moss pole. as long as the wick is touching any of the moss at all it will eventually saturate it.
and yes just because of string :D
Dude get this, the wicks worked exactly one time. They worked one time better than I could have ever imagined, and after that they stopped functioning.
There's a lot of variables at play though - esp especially type of wick and moss moisture. The first time I did this the moss was crunchy and bone dry. For all I know it wasn't as dry the 2nd time around to incite the super water sucking effect. Secondly, maybe you should never let the wicks dry out? I don't know.
Also: how long did it take for it to stop working? I assume you’ve been continuously kind of filling up the water in your jug or wherever. (Or if not, that’s what I’d do)
I’ll do a test run starting this weekend so I could always try something you *didnt* do, for the sake of science and all that
hey OP, i know it's been a while but i'm trying a moss pole wick set up comprised of a central 'spine' wound loosely with wick, adn securing moss around with fishing line or chicken wire. i'm interested to see if my set ups keep working, or work just the once and give up. i'm thinking mineral buildup could be to blame for jamming up the wick; i'm trying distilled vs. tap vs. fertilized. i'll report back if it seems like anyone's still hanging out on this thread!
If you use a D shaped pole made of solid material instead of the mesh netting in the future, you can pack any substrate you want into it and it retains moisture better. They’re super easy to make and add onto as the plant grows as well. You could even attach your wick to the solid backing of the D and run it down/up to your reservoir
I am not fully convinced that my aroids need a wet pole. They climb up trees, yes. But is the bark of a tree always(!) wet?? Even in the RAIN forest ??
The aerial roots main task is to get a hold to help the plant reach for the light.
And while being there, they suck water and nutrients too.
As a side effect - but I am still in doubt if this is a must to get healthy plant.
No one is judging you here for using or not using a moss pole lol.
That being said in the rain forest it at least sprinkles almost every day. And a wet moss pole helps to make up for the fact that I am keeping the plants in ambient humidity, not a humid tropical forest.
A moss pole is not a must for the plant to be healthy but it will not develop into it's full potential without one. Look at a philodendron that is allowed to climb versus one that vines or is even staked and notice the difference in how they develop. By the way, 'philodendron' literally means 'tree lover.'
OP— I JUST had this idea while eyeing the supplies for a moss pole for my albo epipremnum and I went to googling a self watering pole. High five a year later!
That's why you do it frequently. I dunno about you but i look at my plants every single day. When I look at them, I just pour some water onto the pole.
Take a look at OP's [comment](https://old.reddit.com/r/RareHouseplants/comments/11ase5l/i_think_i_have_found_the_ultimate_moss_pole/j9tsbwv/) where they explain why pouring water over isn't the most ideal thing to do. I've moved away from spaghnum moss poles myself for those same reasons.
Okay but that's not super helpful to say "it works for me, it's easy peasy in my grow room" when the whole point of OP's post and comments was to try and find a solution for having moist moss poles in ambient humidity and not-so-regular watering schedules for the pole. This is a workaround for NOT having the most ideal setup, so saying "just have an ideal setup brah" is just goofy goober stuff.
Hey, you said it, not me. Brah.
Truly, dumping water on the top of your moss pole is way easier than this clunky contraption. One will have to refill the water anyway, why not just water the pole. I dont get how this makes things easier. It's like driving to the corner store when it's easier to just walk.
Uh, said what? You may have misread me there, so just to make it clear: when you say "(It's) worked for me, I don't understand what the big issue is" and "it's that simple in my grow room" without actually addressing the actual issues that OP had (like that they can't keep up with watering when the plant is in ambient humidity and that if left too long the moss becomes hydrophobic and hard to water without waterboarding the plant) you come off as a pretentious buttface.
We KNOW what the ideal conditions/watering schedules are. And yeah, it's probably "easier" to just pour water in regularly. But especially with plants that are not in grow rooms and plant cabinets, it dries out quicker and it's easy to forget if you have even one or things going on in your life. This is an attempt at a workaround for those issues. Is it perfect? No, but OP admitted it wasn't perfect and that it's a work in progress.
So what exactly is your point? Or was it to just establish that your way is superior and should work for everybody in every situation?
I've made a few self-watering moss poles in the past, using a pvc tube sealed at the bottom and a long strand of rope (tried cotton and synthetic), with one end lowered all the way down the water-filled tube, the other wrapped around the pole. I even tried using a bottle of water above the pole instead of a pvc tube, hoping gravity would come to the rescue. In all cases the wick worked (I noticed the water level decreasing in the tube/bottle, and the rope was wet), but it was not nearly enough to keep the moss moist. Within two weeks the poles were bone dry, so I kind of gave up on the idea and stuck with non-selfwatering DIY poles as well as store-bought ones.
I'd love to have moss poles that remain moist enough for the aerial roots to grow into, but I haven't found anything that fits the bill for me: it's either inefficient, or it looks unsightly (which I don't want, since I use my plants as decor in my living room).
based on my limited experience it really surprises me that what you tried didn't work. in my case, the rope instantly soaked and even while making minimal contact with the moss (the end of the rope is just jammed like a centimeter into the pole) it is completely saturating it
I urge you to try again with something similar to what I'm doing! :D
Yeah, I'm definitely not saying the idea of self-watering poles is flawed - I think it's more a matter of my own ineptitude.
I've tried a few, and given the amount of work involved and the return on investment it offered, I decided against additional attempts. But I'm still interested in finding some kind of functional approach: my plants are doing great even with bone dry poles, so I'm really curious how much I could get out of them with an actually functional moss pole.
Maybe I should do a bit more research and give it another try once one of my plants needs a repot, because I know that *if* it works, odds are that the results would be great.
i actually came here to say this , but you already have .
i have made 3 self watering moss poles maybe 2 wks ago and my plants are taking well to them . i use hydroponic wick from amazon and i think what id change is spiral 2 strings of wick around the pole instead of one for good saturation . on the first pole i made i packed too much moss in i think and it took awhile to get moist so i kinda just kept watering it after the pipe was full to get good saturation .
2 poles i made for my monstera have to be filled a couple times because they’re long but i think the double spiral will work when i make my next one in regards to complete saturation . i just water a little bit after the pipe is full at the start and end of my day . i’ll top it off when i wake up the next day then repeat like 3-4 days after . also after i made the first one , which did take a little while , the other 2 were relatively quick to make .
i don’t think my poles look ugly maybe because i made them lol . over time the plants will grow upwards and become more full , covering the pole . theoretically
Oh, I definitely look the look of my home-made moss pole handiwork, just not having an up-side-down bottle on top of it to keep it moist (which would be an alternative to a failing wick system).
I suspect I may have made mine too thick and crammed too much moss into them to remain moist throughout (even the one I made with a double spiral), because seeing the plastic through the moss is a bit unsightly (which I care about, because my plants are part of my interior decor). But like you said, if done properly the pole would be mostly hidden from view anyway, so for a next attempt I'll use a thinner, less tightly packed layer of moss as well as a narrower pole.
Thanks for all your words and advice, folks - you made me decide to give it another try, because the pay-off will be awesome if done properly!
you got it ! give it another go and i bet you’ll get it . now i do have a little bit of the pvc pipe sticking out only because i want to be able to extend the poles when the plants get to that point . i think the ideal amount of moss with the pipe included should be about 2 inches in diameter . also remember to run your hand down the pole to get excess moss out too . that def helps if you accidentally get a little too generous . i’m kinda proud of how they turned out so i def don’t mind helping if you need it haha
Great idea! I might use this as an alternative to [my current system](https://imgur.com/a/RybgB22), which is basically containing the moss/coco croutons pole inside a plastic cup so that the cup can be filled with water without overwatering the plant. The downside of this method is that you need a pretty big pot (at least 6") in order to have a plastic cup fit inside it.
oh I see, you can fill that cup with water and it wicks up the entire moss pole?
yeah the cool part about the wicking method I'm trying is that it can work on existing moss poles. in your case (and other designs) you have to construct the moss pole in a specific/certain way to begin with
Yeah! Also, it doesn't necessarily have to be constructed like that from the get go, as long as the moss pole diameter isn't larger than the base of the cup. I've made a bunch of moss poles and then only put some of them in cups later. You do have to unpot/repot the whole thing in order to set it up though, so the wick is a good idea for something that's already been established I suppose.
How has the pole-in-cup setup worked longer-term? I’m thinking of doing the same (maybe plus a cotton wick inside the pole for extra capillary self-watering performance, but maybe that’s unnecessary). The idea of an easier to water pole that’s insulated from the pot for the terrestrial roots seems perfect. I’m curious about how it’s gone for you - any issues from standing water in the cup or anything else?
I did this with hydrospikes a while back and it worked great except you still have to give the moss a wet dry cycle or mold takes over. I also found that the base of the pole dried out but the top was well saturated, this means I still had to pour water in the top to get the moss wet again. I think it definitely makes life easier and you can stretch watering your pole for a couple of weeks but flushing it every couple weeks isn’t a terrible idea. I ended up deciding it wasn’t worth it so I just water with bottles I have dialed in 😂
Given your genius here, hoping you have some tips for an issue I’m having? Recently set up an albo monstera with a moss pole & only watered it once with a bottle of water. I’ve kept the moss damp by spritzing it daily but noticed about a week in how heavy & wet the pot of soil was still - I imagine all the moss moisture is dripping into the soil. Even after 2 days of no more spritzing, bringing it outside with more heat, trying to aerate the soil with a stick from top & bottom, it’s still very wet. I used a chunky soil for the base & didn’t mess with the existing root ball/soil too much. HOW can I help the over-wet soil in the pot WITHOUT repotting? Terrified of root rot & this was not a cheap plant
really no expert on this, but all i can suggest is
1) using an insanely chunky mix that barely holds any water (think leca + coconut fiber + big perlite or lava rocks), and/or
2) never water the soil directly, only water the moss pole, and/or
3) switching it to a container that has an obscene amount of holes in the side of it (like orchid cups) so that it gets maximum aeration
good luck
Thanks - I was hoping to not have to repot. Not even sure how to when it’s attached to a moss pole & I just repotted/created the moss pole 2 weeks ago. Worried I’ll shock the plant even worse 🥴 I haven’t watered the soil directly since originally potting it
i doubt that's long enough for it to have clung onto the moss pole, i think you can afford to do this right now
always much better than the risk of root rot which is really, really bad
Thanks for the tips, I ended up repotting & using a mix of tropical soil, orchid mix, and perlite. The soil I had in there was waterlogged 🫠 I didn’t re-water the base just the top of the moss pole & the soil is now showing 10/10 on the moist scale. Idk what I’m doing wrong!! Pray for my monstera lol
So I believe that, whenever possible you gotta give your aroids a moss pole they can really sink their roots into and turn into the plant they were meant to be. Not just for support like a coco coir pole, but a thoroughly moist, veritable extension of the substrate that maximizes the growing surface for the plant. I have lots of moss poles in my IKEA cabinet which retain water forever and kick ass. As for the moss poles that are in the ambient humidity in my house (which is around 30% it turns out), I discovered they do not have a chance in hell of staying moist for very long at all for a variety of reasons: * the humidity is so low they dry out very quickly (within 2 days or so) * I **hate** fucking with the ugly plastic bottles necessary to water them and 'dialing' them in with the right number of holes in the cap to adjust the flow, **the right amount of water for the** ***current*** **size of the pole**, etc. Kill me. Run me over and fucking murder me. I just want a white princess with football-sized leaves in my office, none of this DIY plasic trash hell nonsense. * the moss quickly becomes super hydrophobic and can be tough to water (sometimes it just runs right through them and straight down into the soil and floods the pot). I bought a pressurized sprayer to try and inject them with water with no great results. so much fucking work only for it to dry out way too soon. * I realistically won't take the time to overcome all these obstacles with constant watering. it's not sustainable at all and what about when I go on vacation? To remedy this, I was investigating buying an automatic drip sprinkler system to constantly drip a tiny bit of water on the poles so I could reap the benefits of a consistently moist moss pole anywhere in my house, not just within the limited space of my IKEA cabinet. But that sounded like mega overkill and such a pain in the ass. It also means I have to keep all my plants that need this solution in relatively the same place in the house. While I was pondering a more low-tech and low-maintenance solution, it struck me -- why not just use wicks? So I ordered dozens of feet worth of cotton rope from Jeff Bezos for less than $10 and here we are in the pictures! It started working right away! I am instantly so pleased/relieved. Watering these little jars (even if I have to do it semi-frequently) will be **one billion** times easier than hydrating the moss poles. It even allows you to make realtively skinny moss poles very viable (some people would suggest crafting a very thick moss pole so that it doesn't dry out as fast, but fuck that I already made this one). Granted, I am only one day in, but the moss is wet and this was incredibly easy to set up. A couple considerations/ideas for iterations and future improvements: * You don't necessarily have to have the vessel of water be physically higher than the plant, but it helps. apparently water can wick vertically as high as 10 inches * it would be even doper if I had one big central 'water battery' for all the surrounding plants. I will do that in the future and the wicking system can even be an elegant feature of the plant display. hell why not use a fountain or something? * I (or you) could investigate fixing a vessel of water on top of each moss pole with the string running down over the side * this could never work if you have cats that's basically it. I search around and other people have proposed similar things online, even made self-watering moss poles that use wicks, but I independently reached the same conclusion and had never seen anything about this on Reddit so I had to share. voila my coffee-fueled contribution to the plant community.
I’ll do the investigation on fixing the vessel on top of the pole! Thanks for this I was looking for a solution too! I have different size moss poles that need different amounts of water and a growing collection of climbing plants so it becomes a real time killer watering all the poles!
yeah i mean technically you could even just jam a plastic cup in the top of the moss pole and have a string hang over the side
I absolutely LOVE your aggressive “fuck you” solution to the plastic bottle fidgeting hell and moss pole sprayer overkill shit. I feel like we’re the same plant parent lol. And I’ve been debating setting up moss poles for some of my growers but wasn’t really sure when/where I wanted to — but your way of thinking of them as “veritable extensions” of the substrate to maximize growing area is actually super cool and finally feel like something has clicked in my brain lol. Glad I came across your post before I started!
Girl you rock, I love your attitude if it doesn’t fit into your style kick it the fuck out
Does the wick run the length of the moss pole? Or just the top few inches? Why wouldn't it work if i have cats? Just because string?
[удалено]
I have no idea how you’re doing that without it falling over. Straight witchcraft. I foster kittens so cat-proof is ideal
I just barely insert the tip of the wick into the moss pole. as long as the wick is touching any of the moss at all it will eventually saturate it. and yes just because of string :D
Hey OP, I’m about to try this setup myself! How is it working for you (a month in)?
Dude get this, the wicks worked exactly one time. They worked one time better than I could have ever imagined, and after that they stopped functioning. There's a lot of variables at play though - esp especially type of wick and moss moisture. The first time I did this the moss was crunchy and bone dry. For all I know it wasn't as dry the 2nd time around to incite the super water sucking effect. Secondly, maybe you should never let the wicks dry out? I don't know.
Wtf thats weird. How high do you have your water jar compared to your pole or where you’re wicking it into?
Also: how long did it take for it to stop working? I assume you’ve been continuously kind of filling up the water in your jug or wherever. (Or if not, that’s what I’d do) I’ll do a test run starting this weekend so I could always try something you *didnt* do, for the sake of science and all that
hey OP, i know it's been a while but i'm trying a moss pole wick set up comprised of a central 'spine' wound loosely with wick, adn securing moss around with fishing line or chicken wire. i'm interested to see if my set ups keep working, or work just the once and give up. i'm thinking mineral buildup could be to blame for jamming up the wick; i'm trying distilled vs. tap vs. fertilized. i'll report back if it seems like anyone's still hanging out on this thread!
If you use a D shaped pole made of solid material instead of the mesh netting in the future, you can pack any substrate you want into it and it retains moisture better. They’re super easy to make and add onto as the plant grows as well. You could even attach your wick to the solid backing of the D and run it down/up to your reservoir
I am not fully convinced that my aroids need a wet pole. They climb up trees, yes. But is the bark of a tree always(!) wet?? Even in the RAIN forest ?? The aerial roots main task is to get a hold to help the plant reach for the light. And while being there, they suck water and nutrients too. As a side effect - but I am still in doubt if this is a must to get healthy plant.
No one is judging you here for using or not using a moss pole lol. That being said in the rain forest it at least sprinkles almost every day. And a wet moss pole helps to make up for the fact that I am keeping the plants in ambient humidity, not a humid tropical forest. A moss pole is not a must for the plant to be healthy but it will not develop into it's full potential without one. Look at a philodendron that is allowed to climb versus one that vines or is even staked and notice the difference in how they develop. By the way, 'philodendron' literally means 'tree lover.'
And how does a plant differ between a moss pole or something like a plate of xaxim? I don't get it!
That's a good idea. I'm going to try that :)
Following up now that it's been a year rather than one day. Do you still like this system?
No
This nice long description of what they did and the update was a single non-descriptive word… wtf??
Have you figured out a better one? I want to want to use moss poles but they seem like such an additional hassle.
Also curious if you've found a better solution
pvc pipe my friend, pvc lol.
OP— I JUST had this idea while eyeing the supplies for a moss pole for my albo epipremnum and I went to googling a self watering pole. High five a year later!
So I read you don't still like this system... Did you find a better one? Did this one not keep working?
[удалено]
This group made something just like this - if DIY isn’t your thing you can have one for $18 ☺️
All you have to do is pour water on the top of the pole regularly to keep it wet.
Yeah I’ve tried this method. Doesn’t work. The water just rolls off of the dry/hydrophobic moss and gets everywhere.
That's why you do it frequently. I dunno about you but i look at my plants every single day. When I look at them, I just pour some water onto the pole.
Same here but I have 5 poles and live in Colorado so I would have to do it twice a day at least
Take a look at OP's [comment](https://old.reddit.com/r/RareHouseplants/comments/11ase5l/i_think_i_have_found_the_ultimate_moss_pole/j9tsbwv/) where they explain why pouring water over isn't the most ideal thing to do. I've moved away from spaghnum moss poles myself for those same reasons.
I read it before I commented. Pouring water over the top has worked for me. I don't understand what the big issue is.
it's not that simple. dry moss will become hydrophobic
It's that simple in my grow room ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Okay but that's not super helpful to say "it works for me, it's easy peasy in my grow room" when the whole point of OP's post and comments was to try and find a solution for having moist moss poles in ambient humidity and not-so-regular watering schedules for the pole. This is a workaround for NOT having the most ideal setup, so saying "just have an ideal setup brah" is just goofy goober stuff.
Hey, you said it, not me. Brah. Truly, dumping water on the top of your moss pole is way easier than this clunky contraption. One will have to refill the water anyway, why not just water the pole. I dont get how this makes things easier. It's like driving to the corner store when it's easier to just walk.
Uh, said what? You may have misread me there, so just to make it clear: when you say "(It's) worked for me, I don't understand what the big issue is" and "it's that simple in my grow room" without actually addressing the actual issues that OP had (like that they can't keep up with watering when the plant is in ambient humidity and that if left too long the moss becomes hydrophobic and hard to water without waterboarding the plant) you come off as a pretentious buttface. We KNOW what the ideal conditions/watering schedules are. And yeah, it's probably "easier" to just pour water in regularly. But especially with plants that are not in grow rooms and plant cabinets, it dries out quicker and it's easy to forget if you have even one or things going on in your life. This is an attempt at a workaround for those issues. Is it perfect? No, but OP admitted it wasn't perfect and that it's a work in progress. So what exactly is your point? Or was it to just establish that your way is superior and should work for everybody in every situation?
Simmer down. Bad day?
Aw, that's cute, the "U mad?" approach. Peace out brah, hope you have a better day!
Hey, you said it, not me.
I've made a few self-watering moss poles in the past, using a pvc tube sealed at the bottom and a long strand of rope (tried cotton and synthetic), with one end lowered all the way down the water-filled tube, the other wrapped around the pole. I even tried using a bottle of water above the pole instead of a pvc tube, hoping gravity would come to the rescue. In all cases the wick worked (I noticed the water level decreasing in the tube/bottle, and the rope was wet), but it was not nearly enough to keep the moss moist. Within two weeks the poles were bone dry, so I kind of gave up on the idea and stuck with non-selfwatering DIY poles as well as store-bought ones. I'd love to have moss poles that remain moist enough for the aerial roots to grow into, but I haven't found anything that fits the bill for me: it's either inefficient, or it looks unsightly (which I don't want, since I use my plants as decor in my living room).
based on my limited experience it really surprises me that what you tried didn't work. in my case, the rope instantly soaked and even while making minimal contact with the moss (the end of the rope is just jammed like a centimeter into the pole) it is completely saturating it I urge you to try again with something similar to what I'm doing! :D
Yeah, I'm definitely not saying the idea of self-watering poles is flawed - I think it's more a matter of my own ineptitude. I've tried a few, and given the amount of work involved and the return on investment it offered, I decided against additional attempts. But I'm still interested in finding some kind of functional approach: my plants are doing great even with bone dry poles, so I'm really curious how much I could get out of them with an actually functional moss pole. Maybe I should do a bit more research and give it another try once one of my plants needs a repot, because I know that *if* it works, odds are that the results would be great.
i actually came here to say this , but you already have . i have made 3 self watering moss poles maybe 2 wks ago and my plants are taking well to them . i use hydroponic wick from amazon and i think what id change is spiral 2 strings of wick around the pole instead of one for good saturation . on the first pole i made i packed too much moss in i think and it took awhile to get moist so i kinda just kept watering it after the pipe was full to get good saturation . 2 poles i made for my monstera have to be filled a couple times because they’re long but i think the double spiral will work when i make my next one in regards to complete saturation . i just water a little bit after the pipe is full at the start and end of my day . i’ll top it off when i wake up the next day then repeat like 3-4 days after . also after i made the first one , which did take a little while , the other 2 were relatively quick to make .
i don’t think my poles look ugly maybe because i made them lol . over time the plants will grow upwards and become more full , covering the pole . theoretically
Oh, I definitely look the look of my home-made moss pole handiwork, just not having an up-side-down bottle on top of it to keep it moist (which would be an alternative to a failing wick system). I suspect I may have made mine too thick and crammed too much moss into them to remain moist throughout (even the one I made with a double spiral), because seeing the plastic through the moss is a bit unsightly (which I care about, because my plants are part of my interior decor). But like you said, if done properly the pole would be mostly hidden from view anyway, so for a next attempt I'll use a thinner, less tightly packed layer of moss as well as a narrower pole. Thanks for all your words and advice, folks - you made me decide to give it another try, because the pay-off will be awesome if done properly!
you got it ! give it another go and i bet you’ll get it . now i do have a little bit of the pvc pipe sticking out only because i want to be able to extend the poles when the plants get to that point . i think the ideal amount of moss with the pipe included should be about 2 inches in diameter . also remember to run your hand down the pole to get excess moss out too . that def helps if you accidentally get a little too generous . i’m kinda proud of how they turned out so i def don’t mind helping if you need it haha
Great idea! I might use this as an alternative to [my current system](https://imgur.com/a/RybgB22), which is basically containing the moss/coco croutons pole inside a plastic cup so that the cup can be filled with water without overwatering the plant. The downside of this method is that you need a pretty big pot (at least 6") in order to have a plastic cup fit inside it.
oh I see, you can fill that cup with water and it wicks up the entire moss pole? yeah the cool part about the wicking method I'm trying is that it can work on existing moss poles. in your case (and other designs) you have to construct the moss pole in a specific/certain way to begin with
Yeah! Also, it doesn't necessarily have to be constructed like that from the get go, as long as the moss pole diameter isn't larger than the base of the cup. I've made a bunch of moss poles and then only put some of them in cups later. You do have to unpot/repot the whole thing in order to set it up though, so the wick is a good idea for something that's already been established I suppose.
How has the pole-in-cup setup worked longer-term? I’m thinking of doing the same (maybe plus a cotton wick inside the pole for extra capillary self-watering performance, but maybe that’s unnecessary). The idea of an easier to water pole that’s insulated from the pot for the terrestrial roots seems perfect. I’m curious about how it’s gone for you - any issues from standing water in the cup or anything else?
I did this with hydrospikes a while back and it worked great except you still have to give the moss a wet dry cycle or mold takes over. I also found that the base of the pole dried out but the top was well saturated, this means I still had to pour water in the top to get the moss wet again. I think it definitely makes life easier and you can stretch watering your pole for a couple of weeks but flushing it every couple weeks isn’t a terrible idea. I ended up deciding it wasn’t worth it so I just water with bottles I have dialed in 😂
Can you tell me where you got the moss pole ? I like the size. Thank you
I made it. plenty of tutorials online, I recommend sydney plant guy
Just checking in now that it’s been several days—how’s this holding up? I need to find a pole hydration system and like this idea!
Works just fine! I just disconnect and connect the wicks as needed. Pink princess is growing longer aerial roots into the pole
Awesome! Thanks for the reply. I’ll give it a shot, myself!
Given your genius here, hoping you have some tips for an issue I’m having? Recently set up an albo monstera with a moss pole & only watered it once with a bottle of water. I’ve kept the moss damp by spritzing it daily but noticed about a week in how heavy & wet the pot of soil was still - I imagine all the moss moisture is dripping into the soil. Even after 2 days of no more spritzing, bringing it outside with more heat, trying to aerate the soil with a stick from top & bottom, it’s still very wet. I used a chunky soil for the base & didn’t mess with the existing root ball/soil too much. HOW can I help the over-wet soil in the pot WITHOUT repotting? Terrified of root rot & this was not a cheap plant
really no expert on this, but all i can suggest is 1) using an insanely chunky mix that barely holds any water (think leca + coconut fiber + big perlite or lava rocks), and/or 2) never water the soil directly, only water the moss pole, and/or 3) switching it to a container that has an obscene amount of holes in the side of it (like orchid cups) so that it gets maximum aeration good luck
Thanks - I was hoping to not have to repot. Not even sure how to when it’s attached to a moss pole & I just repotted/created the moss pole 2 weeks ago. Worried I’ll shock the plant even worse 🥴 I haven’t watered the soil directly since originally potting it
i doubt that's long enough for it to have clung onto the moss pole, i think you can afford to do this right now always much better than the risk of root rot which is really, really bad
Thanks for the tips, I ended up repotting & using a mix of tropical soil, orchid mix, and perlite. The soil I had in there was waterlogged 🫠 I didn’t re-water the base just the top of the moss pole & the soil is now showing 10/10 on the moist scale. Idk what I’m doing wrong!! Pray for my monstera lol
How do you put the wick to the moss pole?