Growing your vining Aroid up a totum is worth it for so many reasons. Most of all, it will free up space for more plants. Lol. It also allows your plant to do what it is designed to do. That is to climb.
With practice and experimenting with methods, I have gotten pretty good at making my own poles. I have also saved a lot of money this way. In this post, I would like to share with you how I make my own Coir poles.
There are many types of poles that you can make. Most of my plants are growing on poles that I have made from coconut coir and either bamboo cane or PVC pipe.
I like coconut coir because it is a natural product, easy to find, cost effective and a byproduct of the coconut industry and would likely be wasted otherwise. I like bamboo because it is a plentiful, fast growing and natural product. I only use PVC on large poles, made for plants that I intend to keep on that pole indefinatly. I also use fishing line because I am yet to find the right natural product that lasts and won’t break down. I am very careful to make sure any off cuts of line are disposed of properly to avoid animals getting caught up or swallowing them.
For this article, I am making a small coir pole for my Pink Princess Philodendron to start growing on.
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You Will Need!
You will need;
• Coconut Coir Pot Liner *Cut to size.
• Bamboo cane• Fishing line• Scissors
* And perhaps a clamp of some sort to help hold it all together while you work. Your hands will thank you!
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Making You Coir Pole
Take the cane and stand it inside your pot, in the spot you want it to sit in the end product. Measure and mark where the top of your pot sits on the pole. Below this line is where your pole will be buried under your soil medium.
Next measure your coir liner. The length of this will be the remainder of the canes length, plus one extra inch. This inch of liner will be buried in the soil. Why? Because it will help the pole to be more firm and not able to flop about. Therefore, it will be more secure for the plant and not damage it.
The width of the coir liner is important. Ideally, it should just overlap itself when rolled around the cane. I aim for around 2-3cm or half an inch. Any more and it’s hard to keep the Coir tight around the pole while tying it on. This will only lead to the liner being tied on baggy and then eventually slipping down the pole and not doing the job it’s designed to do. It also looks sloppy and distracts from the beauty of the plant.
To roll the liner on to the cane, place the cane on one edge of the coir and roll it itself. Like how a Snail Shell spirals.
You can’t hold it all together and wrap fishing line on as well. Not without extra hands helping you. As you can see in the picture above, the coir easily comes back open again. Clips, clamps or even plant ties will be a big help here. Your hands will thank you!
On a small pole, I clip the end and middle of the rolled on liner, removing them as I go. On a large one, I clip the end and then another just ahead of where I am working. The coir liner inbetween the clamps will unravel anyway. Its faster and easier to re-roll it as I move up the pole.
Start at one end and tie the fishing line on to the pole. I use a clove hitch, but a simple double knot will also do. As long as it is secure and won’t come loose.
Wrap the same way as the liner, so that you can tighten it as you go. Going ‘against the grain’ will only loosen your work. Keep firm tension on your line so that the coir can’t come loose.
I like to work in sections a few inches long. This way I can make sure the liner is tight and secure in that section before moving on. Then, if there is a problem, you only have to undo that bit.
My prefered method of wrapping the line over the liner is to do three passes of each section. First, work along the pole, wrapping on at an angle every few cm and then on the second, I come back over the first, doing the same on the opposite angle and finishing where I started. On the final layer of wrapping, I work back towards the clamps and unfinished end, I use this trip back along the section to aim the line for any loose sections or bumps.
This takes me to the opposite end of the section from where I started. Before moving on to the next part of the pole, I tie off my line before I start on the next section. Then if one part unravels or the line breaks, the whole pole will not come undone.
Once you finish tying on the whole length of the coir liner, it’s time to tie the fishing line off and finish up. I tie every pole off with a standard double knot. It really doesnt matter how you tie it, as long as it is secure and wont come loose.
When done, cut any loose strands of line and…
You are done!
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It’s actually quite fast to make one this size. Probably no more than 5 minutes total. Of course, my first one took much longer, but once I got the hang of it, its quick to make.
Here is the finished product. My (not so) Pink Princess Philodendron and it’s new Coir Pole.
I really hope you get to try making a few poles of your own. The money you save will be worth the effort. If you would like to see a breakdown of costs, then check put the post in the link below.
COIR POLES: DIY and more bang for your buck.
Thanks for reading and happy growing. Xx
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