Fixing the biggest problem with moss poles
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- čas přidán 16. 06. 2023
- The thing people don't often tell you about moss poles is, depending on your climate, you might need to be working towards maintaining your moss pole daily or every other day. I'm trying to find a solution so you can spend less time with your moss pole and more time watching your plants grow.
Thanks to my friends @GoodGrowing, @AroidDistrict, and @TheLecaQueen.
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No links to the products I used in this video, I'm not recommending them.
Also, self wicking string is just cotton string.
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Big thanks to Emma, Dave, and Nora.
Remember to try something new even if it doesn't work out. That's where all the best learning lives.
Check out @goodgrowing, @aroiddistrict, @theLecaQueen
Have you considered orbees?
@@Anubis30224 lol don't make me regret saying 'try something new'.
I'll think about trying orbees now 🤣
@@KillThisPlant orbees with a fabric mesh cover (like a laundry bag material) with a PVC backing would probably work well
Thanks Lee! Love the problem solving. I am loving that more people are embracing the moss and tree fern fibre combo, I think it is ground breaking!
@@KillThisPlant I use the water retaining gel crstals that you can get for soil in my moss poles and they work well to keep the pole moist for alot longer, just dont go overboard on them or you end up with a jelly pole.
I love this kind of video, this is the only plant channel I have found that does the iterative, problem- solving work on camera and provides conclusive solutions. And the viewers are entertained with your humour, skits and plantfluencer cameos!
I don’t even use moss poles, I have no climbing plants! I will probably still watch every video you do on the topic.
Thanks! I appreciate you watching. Hopefully we can get closer to a better solution one day!
Yes agree! It saves me from doing the experiments myself 😅
I don't even worry about it. I water the pole when I water the plant, and I'll occasionally spray it if I think about it. It's not worth the risk of accidentally rotting the roots of the plant.
This is a much more sane way to handle things instead of striving for an unattainable perfection. 😎
@@KillThisPlant 💯
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I do the same thing because I had the same worries about root rot. My plants are doing great!
me too.. i don't mind if the moss pole dried as i'm more concern about root rot and mold.
man this channel is on the level of PBS. so educational , great speaking technique, great segments
I gave up on moss poles a while ago. Thanks for reminding me of why I did. My vines just go up on stakes now. Great work with this video.
I really love your content! I love seeing the scientific method on full display! I also love that you try to help us find ways to enjoy this hobby on a budget. I also love the length of your videos! Always informative and succinct!
I don’t have a moss pole for anything but am fascinated by the ongoing watering issues with them. I really enjoy your channel and have sent folks your way, thank you! 🌱🤗
I love how you walked us thru your thinking on this!
We have a point A with water and a point B without water.
The aim is twofold:
1 - to allow the water to move from point A to point B via the string
2 - to regulate the flow of water so that by the time it reaches point B, all the water has been consumed by the plant.
Try to reduce the flow of water. To do this, perform various tests with different diameters of string. Empirically, you should find the diameter that corresponds to the plant's water requirements.
Remember to provide a system for easily changing this string if water requirements increase.
That could be a great strategy.
Brilliant video. Thank you. You are a natural in front of the camera...authentic honest witty funny and relaxed. Its a gift. Nice one. X
Im happy with the bottle method but it was a headache at first trying to get the flow right and not make a mess. I ended up using two tiny needle pricks, one in the cap and one in the bottle. Works perfectly. No more mess ever.
That's probably the best tip yet
I love your approach to problem solving! Great video.
I've yet to have a need for a moss pole but they do seem to be a lot of hassle. I'd be scared to go on vacation for more than a couple of days.
Great vid, as always. I only have a select few plants on moss poles. I'm really liking the tree fern fibre stakes atm. They're soft enough for the roots to dig in easily.
Thanks for the insight. That last statement was CLUTCH! A stick or stake actually works well enough to achieve bigger leaves. Moss poles are just ideal for obtaining propagations that are already rooted.
Well said. Totally agree.
Thanks again for your help! 🙏🏾
Best detailed video on youtube,to the point,fast explanation,covers every point..i am your new subscriber❤
I’m so grateful I haven’t gone down the moss pole path. I just use a nice pretty birch branch. I direct air roots back into the pot. My monstera is doing great thanks to you. Next time I repot I’m going to try to find a birch branch that is forked since I have multiple plants in one pot and it would be fun to spread them out a bit more. I had to wash all my plants today because they are covered with Canadian wild fire ash. Hope your air is okay! (I live in Minnesota.)
It's fine now, we had a week of rain. Remember to mask up if needed outdoors, keep your lungs healthy!
Thanks for asking.
@@KillThisPlant Masking for sure! Apparently it no longer rains in Minnesota, I'm so glad you've had some rain! Be well.
I’ve used Saran Wrap and pinned in it onto the moss pole. I’ll leave some extra to cover the emergent leaves as they unfurl. It provides my melanos new leaves with extra humidity and it keeps the moss pole wet for about a week and a half. As the plant grows up the moss pole, I cover the stem with smaller pieces of wrap to keep the moisture in. So far it’s worked very well for me, I do however live in a colder climate. So it’s good to keep that in mind!
So informative, thank you!
Nice. You got me on the drop shipper. Had to rewind that. 😂
Serious big thanks on the drip irrigation. I was contemplating making a multi zone system as I rearranged my plants in a different display. Can’t put my cup on top of my poles, cause…leaves.
Going back to the OG spray bottle.
Have a coffee on me!
Thanks Richard, you're very generous.
I love spagnum moss but I hate moss poles, great content as always, thank you for sharing all of this with us
Any time!
I think I can help on the uneven flow with the pump. To get even flow when you split a hose, you need equal resistance. It looked like you had the Tee hooked up wrong. Ideally you want the supply coming in the middle and then split out to the two lines, also keep the length of hose for the two lines the same length (and elevation).
Very observant, Kyle. I've suggested elsewhere that plastic in-line valves (used for hydroponics, I think) would be a good idea.
i would also suggest getting some cheap air line valves so you can control how much goes into each pole there by evening out the pressure
Thanks!
My moss pile constantly dries out. Watering it once a week or two times a week when hot seems enough to keep my monsteras very happy. I use the water bottle method and know how much water to put in to saturate the pole and the pot without excess water. That makes it a lot easier.
I make my moss poles large enough for a plastic cup to sit it it. I put a Tiny hole in the cup and water the cup. You can monitor the water level and manage accordingly! I think everyone make this more difficult than it is. Yes it’s something you have to manage but that’s what you do when you care for something. And yes, I have used water bottles but I find the cups easier.
Hi, just a suggestion; it's a good idea to make sure the moss in your poles is packed in well, not too tightly that water can't pass thru but dense enough that the water doesn't just fall straight thru to the pot. Then, of course, that produces root rot as I'm sure you know. I have several plants on moss poles and I water the pole just about 3/4 down the pole and no more than every 3 or 4 days because as you said here, "...oh oh gravity, again with the gravity." LOL! And, with my method, the leaves of my plants are getting huge quickly. I find you don't need to keep the poles moist constantly, meaning every single day. Just FYI. Happy growing!😁
I regret ever making my moss poles! I have killed several plants which had been doing quite well for years. I’ve recently purchased some poles with the plastic backing but I’m not exactly crazy about those either. I have several plants on planks and yes, they are much less high maintenance.
Thank you for doing these trials to save us from doing it! I live where it’s very dry and the only thing that helps is running a humidifier 24/7. And I still have to wet them every 3rd day or so😢
this is similar to some of my systems, i use a small USB aquarium pump that you put into water, i have them pumping up water from the self watering reservoir and to the topp of the pole so it run down inside it. just for like 5-10 minutes a day. i use leca and pon so its just the same water that i also "need" anyways.
Honestly, maybe this is my next idea.
What I have tried is a terracotta watering spike, the problem I have had with that is if the moss is dry it doesnt reach all the way to the bottom of the pole depending on the temp etc. And that still runs out every three days about. Plus its very unstable and top heavy.
Great video, thank hanks you answered some of my issues!!! Back to my water bottle I guess
The water bottle technique works really well for me. I leave 1 ¼ inch empty at the top of the pole. A 20 or 28 oz Gatorade bottle meets top the moss while the neck of the bottle rests on the collar of the pole. I drill three holes in the cap and gravity handles the rest.
I used your design of moss pole and run into the exact same issue . That is until I downscaled the size of the pipe I used and packed the pole tight full of moss. I live in AZ so temps get up to the 100s here and get about 2-3 days
I have brainstormed with the idea of terraces on the inside to store a bit of water or at least slow the inevitable drain from gravity. Like a drought vs runoff issue, or water management on land the goal is slow water.
I LOVE your dress. It reminds me of the celestial trend in the mid 90’s.
Regarding the t-shaped diverter you were using, you need to set the center of the t from the infeeding tube.
I live in a very dry and hot climate and if I really want to keep it moist I have to water it every day. sometimes even twice a day. it's not easy because I'm a lazy plant parent but I still keep doing it because it's very rewarding to see my plants growing mature, huge leaves and I only have ten plants on moss poles and it doesn't take much time😍I have tried sticks instead of moss poles and my plants got bigger leaves for a while but didn't continue to grow to their mature form. now they are growing much bigger with moss pole(unfortunately sphagnom moss is unavailable in my country so I have to use jungle moss which has tones of other problems)
this time I'm going to use plastic back moss poles and hope it keeps the moss moist for longer
That does sound like a lot of work. I'm happy they're working for you though.
If you have pomp on timer you could try something like ebb and flow approach. You need to set the plants so that excess water can return to the reservoir. Then pump a lot of water every few hours. Circulation rather than watering
4:12 “But yes, let’s ruin my table.” 😄
sidney plant dude, yes it works in Australia, here in scotland its fiasco, glad you looking into issue
Holy cow! I have collected a few Monstera plants that are climbers and I am trying to find what pole to use.
Thanks for doing all the experiments for us. Moss poles are beneficial, but I find that the back of pole next to plastic backing gets hydrophobic; that surprised me as that part should be moist.
Hmm. Interesting. Because mine are one piece I don't actually get to see that. I wonder why 🤔
That’s a common problem with them, the backs are usually dryer.
i had a similar idea with a reservoir on top, i was just gonna run some string through a hole in the bottom and expect i'll have to fill every other day, i'm thinking of it like feeding fish. you gotta do it every day. the water bottle method is good but it just seems too cumbersome. i was thinking plastic cups with a bbq stick either taped to it or run through the bottom of the cup into the moss, one for every pole. I think the open top is an improvement on a closed bottle that i move from plant to plant
I too have tried several different ways to water my moss poles, using the water bottle method is what has stuck. Watering my moss poles has simply become part of my daily routine at this point to be honest.
The top will always dry out quicker due to gravity and being exposed to more air (which I suppose your pvc poles can help mitigate).
All in all, it's as you said at the end, the moss doesn't *have* to be moist for your plant to grow well so no one should really not fuss too much about keeping the moss moist.
I have all my plants in pon in no drainage, i use the lazy pole method eoth drawer liners you can get at ikea, and for the strips I use clear tablecloth, when I water I water through the pole until my reservoir fills up at the bottom and it is always damp, never have any of it dry, it gets wicked up and the strips keep it damp
I use Self-Watering Spikes with a bottle on top. That way I can close it as much as I want, which regulates how fast the water drips (even turning it off).
Interesting idea, I'd love to see pictures.
I do the same. Terracotta wattering spikes and wine bottles.
I’m going to try this! Thank you 😊
I wonder if the addition of an automatic hygrostat designed for reptiles would help--the ones with humidity probes and power control specifically. Maybe putting the probe toward the bottom of the pole could help with the waterlogging and hydrophobic nature of dry moss.
Similarly, some folks put their misting systems on an outlet timer so the animal's tank only gets rained on for as long as it needs to.
Interesting video regardless, thanks for posting!
I use thin cork bark in my moss pole and fill it with my aroid mix and just water it like a pot.
Next, make a video about moss poles and pests! (sincerely; I got whiteflies from my first package of sphagnum moss and it made me cry a lot)
I love moss poles, but they sure as hell are more work. I of course don't mind, because I don't have a social life outside of my houseplants. I also use a pump action spray bottle, and that's definitely the best for watering moss poles. Classic spray bottle is too much work and trying to water moss poles with a watering can ends up with wet socks and dry moss poles.
That's terrible 😔
I have always wondered about the mold. No one ever talks about it. Think I will stay with other mediums for steaking.
How about using a self watering pot. In combination with an adruino a moisture-sensor and a small pump in the reservoir of the pot
There are some adruino kits with pumps and moisture-sensors included.
So you could use the sensor and put in the top of your mosspole. Then you can put the pump in the reservoir and integrate a small tube which ends also in the top of the moss pole.
1.if sensor will sense a dry mosspole
2. The pump gets activated and pumps for x amount of time
Not sure if anybody already commented, but that automatic high-tech device might feed equally if you change the direction of the T. If you notice in your video the cup that is filling up faster is a straight line from the pump whereas the cup that is filling up slower has to make a 90° turn. Fix this the main line should be running into the T and both upcoming lines should be making a 90° turn to go to their designated line. Put another way, the water from the main source should be running up the column of the T and the two supply lines should be hooked to the top or the horizontal part of the T. Thank you as always for your awesome content.
I was actually curious about needing a stick versus a moss pole. In the wild climbing plants need to know if its attaching to the ground versus the tree bark and both are relatively moist surfaces. How does it know "its ok to start spending energy growing larger leaves now cuz ull see the canopy soon"? Conclusion, prob if it just goes up regardless if its attached to anything. I feel like I just wasted a lot of money LOL . Having a more robust root system (including the roots that grow into the moss pole) prob also contributes to iit tho
At the moment I am testing a terrakotta hydrospike with a container attached to the top of it, it is a small container and has about two cups of water volume when full but it lasts 2 days, I stick it on the top of moss pole and the terrakotta slowly releases water in to the moss. I have been using it for 3 weeks now and it keeps the moss moist as long as container has water, however I am still testing how much water it leaks through the bottom of the pot, which initial result was about 4 table spoons of water sitting at the bottom of the pot at every given time. If the leak stays like this, i think is not that bad, and I will probably get a hydrospike with a larger container to test and see if I get the same results in terms of leaking through the pot or not. If the results are the same than i think this is so far the best self watering solution i could find for moss poles. Maybe other people could give it a go in different climates and see if results are similar or not.
Here in UAE I use IV set 😊
Consider the fertigation watering method commonly used by farmers.
That was an example of empiricism and innovation worthy of a Victorian gentleman scientist. I think an automated watering rig with valves on each line (after a splitter) would be best to distribute water evenly. There's at least one video here of a guy creating an (outdoor) automated watering system with a small submersible pump, a digital timer switch, aquarium tubing, a splitter and plastic line valves that looks like it would work better than the automated system you tried for not much $.
Put a long pvc pipe in the middle all the way to the bottom with a cap under. Cheap from a hardware store. Get one 1/4 to 1/3 the size of your moss pole, preferrably chicken wire. But before you put the pvc pipe in there, run the wick around the outside of the pipe from the bottom to top. Use small roap and tie the bottom wick to exterior. After running spirals to the top drop the wick inside, make sure long enough to reach bottom. Now gently push swag moss around the sides with a long chopstick till full. Water from top into pvc hole.
Put the water at the bottom of the pole with the string soaking from the bottom to top
Can we send you our poles. They will blow your mind!
One solution to your wick overwatering plant soil mix could be that you place your moss pole inside Leca balls at the base of your plant pot. I mean your plant soil mix should be sitting on top of leca balls at thr bottom of pot. And moss pole bottom side should be placed in leca balls. So you can water them differently. In the sense when you overwatered your pole, it will drain out of leca balls. And when you water plant main roots, water will drain out through leca balls again.
A great thought. Maybe this summer I'll play around with that idea.
Just buy a pressurize sprayer and spray it every other day if you love your plants and you don’t mind taking care of them it shouldn’t be a problem. It’s much less labor to use a pressurize sprayer with RO water.
I think you hooked up the water splitter wrong. It should work if you put the incoming flow in the middle node and have the outgoing flow in the other two nodes. In the way you set it up, inertia will keep the water flowing through the splitter to the one directly across.
Your video is timely for me. In India, Delhi gets heat wave for 2-3 months atleast before monsoon starts. While you are talking about moss pole drying up in 1-3 days, mine dries up in 1-2 hrs. I don't have weather control in my shaded balconies or plant room. One way I am planning to counter is to not open drain pipe at all. (I am using your idea of using pvc plumbing pipes). Instead I am planning to make holes (using soldering iron) near aerial roots and manually insert the roots into these holes. Then they will find their way. Also I think since moss is so hydrophobic, I might use cocopeat and compost only. So your ICU bags and automated spray system will not work for me. What do you think? Temperature here is 40-45 degrees Celsius and humidity is generally 10- 20%
That sounds like an impossible amount of work! I would definitely keep searching for another option.
@@KillThisPlant 👍got to try something which stays wet in this dry hot weather with budget in mind.
"again with the gravity" is instantly going to become a part of the things I say....
I never water my moss poles but I am interested in trying one of my kids old gravity gtube bags to try that as a plant iv for curiosity sake. 😂
I tried three different versions of a homemade moss pole and all three ended up being a failure. Like your experiments in the video - either the water just plonked right down to the bottom of the pot or the pole simply dried out from not getting the water. So I gave up.
In my experience, toilet paper and medical grade dressing cotton work better than moss.Just add 3 pellets of Controlled release Basacote Plus / Osmocote Plus on top of the pole.
I have coco coir poles, and I don't water them. I just them for support, like a plank or bamboo sticks. If I were to have to water moss poles, I'd probably drown my plants.
Yesterday, my Adansonii came crashing to the ground after I put the cup in the top to water it. I extended it without increasing the pot size for stability. I'm thinking I've gone just a bit too bananas with matching Sydney Plant Guy now. My house is high rise plant city. 😔
Oh no!
Dead moss seems fruitless.
Is it possible to use live moss? Will live moss and the plant grow happily together?
Which wood plank or pole type do you recommend that decomposes slowly? Thank you.
Live moss only grows on top of a medium. So for example, you'd have to have your live moss on top of a coco coir base.
Hate moss poles. I find the way they look unsightly. Since I do not want my vining plants to be any taller than about 6 ft. and I live in India where we have lots of beautiful bamboo, I use these and my plants look so much neater.
I did use moss poles to begin with. That was a huge mistake because now I can't get the plants off those poles. Thankfully the plants are now tall and hide them.
I like plants, but since I am not a 'collector' by any stretch of imagination, I get away with not having to use moss poles.
Do you enjoy making your life difficult?
You made the moss pole out of pvc pipe so use pipe fittings to blank off one end add another small section to the top with a pinhole in the blanking section and it will drips slowly through.
Its also worth pointing out the self watering will not distribute evening when you have different adapters on, you showed it both open and with the dripping units you'd need all of them to have the drip fittings on to evenly drip as it needs to build pressure. And if you want to split the water evenly through a T piece you need to have the ends the same lenght and on the bottom of the T section not the Side. You could also use your bottle idea and thread the self wicking through the bottom of the bottle cap tightly to slow down the dripping of the water.
Some good ideas though. I just use a bottle with two pin holes in and it works fine for me.
Coconut fibre and sphagnum moss maybe ?
Maybe raise the pot for drainage and 😊
Seems like something you could easily achieve with a small aquarium pump
I’m a big fan of regular sticks for plants, but I’m always looking for the least amount of work
Same here!
Moss poles seem to be more hassle than they're worth. I have a bunch of tree branches ive collected for macrame, and i think i prefer how they look anyway :P
How come you don't raise the pots sobthey aren't sitting in water? With blocks or a rack.
Using the wick or string from a vessel of water on the running down the moss pole is not such an issue. You see, if the moss pole becomes too moist, just remove the string from the water container. When it’s almost dry, put the wick back in the water.
It is time to just bring a try from nature in our plants and create the moss in it. Easy affordable solution 😅 Hasnt anyway tried yet to put soil inside the mosspole? Maybe it would help to suck better the water
What type of pipe is that moss pole? Ive been looking everywhere for one and can only find PVC pipe and its too thick!
Specifically they were vacuum tube pipes.
How about freezing the water at the top so it has to melt? To slow it down?
I have silicone ice cube trays that make like, long skinny tubes of ice for water bottles… sticking that into the top of a moss pole can help it stay wet longer as it slowly melts.. 🤷🏼♀️
I mean I guess that's possible
Chunky mix dirt poles. D-shaped pole. It's working better for me than moss.
Something I'd like to try, although I think the soil would need to be retained by a net and I'm a bit opposed to that idea. I should do some testing this summer.
@@KillThisPlant I don't mess with a net. Some soil will fall out during watering but moss does as well. I have coco husk and perlite in there to hold it together. Looking forward to seeing what you figure out of you film it!
I think that’s the system that Growing Grounds uses.
this is why i never use moss poles... way too much of a hassle. bamboo stakes do the job just fine lol
#teamstick
🙌🙌
This is gonn be hard without a drawing but here goes; Why not go straight to hydro and use a return pump to periodically send water from a sump to a reservoir where it can trickle down, through the poles and back to the sump. Use a smart plug so the pump only turns on when the reservoir needs topping or moss is dry. Alot of smart plugs allow you to program different routines, and the ability to have those routines run auto or manualy, so in theory you could set the system to run extra water up on hot days. Would take a while to get it diled in but with some creativety you should be able to have a few poles run of one reservoir/pump/sump arrangment. There is huge potential for fungus, so you may need to run a funguside through the system occasionally. But I'm not sure how that would all pan out, so it'd all need experimentation.
As a side note I like Emma live in the uk where it rains most of the year, so mold is a constant problem during winter. Kinda topical atm haha. Anyway you may get a different result in your climate.
I do have a ZigBee hub and I would probably use a water leak detector along with that but unfortunately we are getting into the territory of it being too far from my actual viewership 🤣.
Maybe a 'just for me project'.
@@KillThisPlant fair enough. I'm relatively disorganised so I'm always looking for ways to eliminate the "human element" from my setups. Thanks for getting through my comment. Only realised how long it was after I posted.
I don’t even use moss poles, just planks, trellises. My monstera is in a tomato cage
Can we get some moss pole plant updates?
I try to post that kind of content on instagram.
What if.. just want if .. the moss pole made with a mixture of Moss + Coco Peat + Coco Bark..
Try it!
Cap the bottom of the moss pole. Measure the amount it needs
Hi, HELP!! How does one get a plant off a moss pole?
czcams.com/video/CZqh869Sti8/video.html
That's the other thing they don't tell you. I think, depending on your design, people are destroying their moss pole in order to cut the plant out.
🪴I have seen people doing very well with the d-shape “pole.” It limits the evaporation rate. It satisfies all the criteria mentioned.
I’m willing to sell my used or expired gravity tubing and empty saline bags 😂 {{The ‘plant iv bags’ hurt my soul}}
(I actually have refilled my 1 L bags and used them to water my plants..)
Dude get a clay stick for slow watering plants in soil. The ones that you put a bottle on top. Just put it on top the pole and refill the water bottle every few days. It’s done.
I only have two moss poles but I honestly can't stand them. haha My silver sword and dragons tail have roots growing all theough the moss so thats the only reason I keep them around.
And here I am about to put a dragons tail on a moss pole 😬
4:58 I think you used the splitter wrong here. It should split left and right, not straight and right. Hope that's clear.
Terracotta wattering spike and a wine bottle.
Moss poles!!!
💚🪴💚
Plastic wrap around the outside of my moss pole is the only way I can bare using one
Is that at a huge cost to its appearance?
The T is on wrong for the pump mane
WuTang Clan!! right on. ha.