Stakes are essential accessories to support the growth of indoor plants. They provide essential support to climbing plants or those that develop large stems, such as monstera, pothos and many others. Discover the benefits of stakes, the different types available and how to use them to beautify and strengthen your indoor plants.

Why use a tutor?

Indoor plants sometimes need support to grow harmoniously, especially in a domestic environment where they do not benefit from the natural supports available in nature, such as trees or rocks. Stakes allow you to:

• Supporting growth : By guiding the stems, the stake helps the plant to grow in height, without its stems sagging under their own weight.

• Mature form : Some plants change shape as they grow, for example monstera develop fenestrations, or the size of the leaves of a philodendron increases considerably in size.

• Aesthetics and structuring : They bring a decorative touch while organizing the plant for a more harmonious visual rendering.

• Space saving : By training the plant upwards, the stake saves space, which is ideal for small interiors.

The different types of tutors

There are several types of stakes for indoor plants, each with its own characteristics and advantages:

1. Wooden or bamboo stakes
   This is the most discreet type of tutor, the sticks fit easily into any type of interior decoration. They are suitable for medium-sized plants and offer moderately robust support, recommended for supporting large stems that would tend to fall with the weight of the leaves, such as alocasia

2. Coconut fiber stakes
   Often used for tropical plants, these stakes encourage aerial roots to attach themselves to them. They are recommended for plants such as monsteras or philodendrons but require very good ambient humidity for the roots to settle in.

3. Sphagnum tutors
   These are the most technical and effective tutors. The roots easily find their way to the sphagnum and can be fed within the tutor, imitating the conditions of epiphytic plants as best as possible. In addition, by having many roots fed within the tutor, it is necessary to repot less often.

4. The lattices
   Perfect for fast-growing climbing plants that would outgrow a traditional stake too quickly. A trellis structure will be very suitable for example for cissus discolor, falopia, telosma, aristolocia that tend to wind around their supports.

How to install a stake for a houseplant?

1. Choosing the height of the stake : The stake should be slightly taller than the plant to anticipate its future growth.

2. Installing the stake : Preferably remove your plant from its pot, free up space as close to the center of the pot as possible in order to keep the stake straight and well balanced, and pack the soil down well.

3. Attaching the stems : Place your plant with its aerial roots facing the surface of the stake. Use soft ties, such as Velcro, so as not to compress the stems too intensely. Velcro has the advantage of being able to be removed and replaced higher up once the plant has settled in a bit.

Tips for maintaining stakes and plants

• Moisten coco or sphagnum stakes regularly to stimulate aerial root growth. For sphagnum stakes, a closed-back stake will keep the sphagnum moist longer.

• Check the ties : Depending on the growth speed, adjust them to prevent them from compressing the plant.

• Anticipate the extension to preserve the growth rate of your plants, choose a type of stake keeping in mind that it will certainly have to be lengthened or cut

• XXL size leaves : in order to obtain very large leaves you will certainly have to cut the head of the stake and replant, in order to obtain a plant with large leaves from the base of the plant

Conclusion

Stakes are great allies for your indoor plants. By providing structure, support and aesthetics, they allow your plants to flourish fully while decorating your space in a harmonious way.
Explore all our tutors in the “accessories” section of the Studio Plantes store at the link below:

https://studio-plantes.com/boutique/accessories