Moss Pole DIY: 7 EASY Steps to Make a Perfect One!

Instructions

STEP 1: SOAK YOUR SPHAGNUM MOSS IN WATER

1. Obviously the amount of sphagnum moss that you need depends on how big your moss pole is, so go conservative so that you don't have a bunch of wet sphagnum moss left over! You only need to soak it for a minute or two, but you can leave it soaking until you are ready to use it.
2. If you run out of moistened moss as you're working, you can easily and quickly soak more.
3. I just used a plastic tray and added warm water. Swish the moss around to make sure that everything gets wet and set this aside while you work on the next steps. You can also use a bucket or a sink to soak the moss.

STEP 2: BEND THE HARDWARE MESH INTO A CYLINDER

1. I used a 1/2" x 2ft x 5ft 19 gauge PVC coated hardware mesh. So the moss post will be 2 feet tall. Since the roll is 5 feet long, it will give you enough to make 6 or 7 posts!
2. If you find other sizes of hardware mesh, that's fine! Just make sure the wire mesh is coated with PVC so that it is more durable and wont rust. I found one that is 1/2" x 4ft x 25 ft so this will give you 4 foot tall moss poles. The roll is 25 feet long so if you anticipate making a lot, you can get this one!
3. Carefully bend the hardware mesh into a cylinder as shown in the photo below. You can make the diameter as big or small as you want, but it becomes harder to make really small diameter ones. The one I made in this how-to is about 8 ½ inches in circumference and it was very comfortable to form with my hands.

STEP 3: CUT THE HARDWARE MESH

1. Use a pair of wire cutters, scissors or pruners to cut your piece of mesh for the pole.

STEP 4: FORM THE HARDWARE MESH INTO AN OPEN CYLINDER

1. Next, form it into an open cylinder, allowing enough room for the next step where you add your sphagnum moss.

STEP 5: FILL THE CYLINDER WITH PRE-MOISTENED SPHAGNUM MOSS

1. Squeeze any excess water out of your sphagnum moss and start filling your your entire cylinder with the moss!
2. You'll want to add a good amount so that when you close your cylinder, the moss is snug. Over time, the moss will start to degrade and get looser, so make sure it is completely filling the cylinder and that you gently pack it down.

STEP 6: STITCH UP THE CYLINDER WITH PLASTIC COATED WIRE TWIST

1. Now it's time to "sew" up your cylinder and finish your project! Grab your roll of plastic coated wire twist, and start at one end of the cylinder.
2. Don't cut the wire twist until after you tie a couple knots together to close the cylinder. In the photo below, my hand is holding the long end of the wire roll. This will help with tightening.
3. After you have added a couple knots and closed the cylinder, you can cut the wire, but you want both pieces of wire on either ends of the knot to be about 3 inches long or so.
4. Continue adding these stitches about every 6 inches or so until your cylinder is complete!

The reason you are leaving longer twists attached to the pole is for the future when you may need to reinforce your moss pole for a heavier plant. I'll talk about this a bit later.

STEP 7: REPOT YOUR PLANT OF CHOICE AND ADD THE MOSS POLE

1. Lastly, place the moss pole at the bottom of an empty pot. Place the plant in next and tie the plant against the moss pole. And finally, fill in with your potting mix!
2. Next, cut more plastic coated wire twists to secure your plant's stems to the moss pole. In the photo below, there was an aerial root growing on my Monstera (circled) and I secured it right below so that the root can grow into the moss.
3. Simply slip a piece of the wire twist under one square of the mesh grid and twist it around the stem to secure it.

That's it! You're done for now!

REINFORCING THE MOSS POLE FOR HEAVY PLANTS

1. It is not necessary though, but if you have a heavier plant, you can reinforce your moss pole for more strength. Simply use a plastic coated stake to reinforce the moss pole, and then you can use the ties that you had left attached to the moss pole when you first stitched it up, to tie the stake as in the photo below.
2. You can get a plastic coated 4 ft stake, or a 6 ft stake. There may be other sizes out there, but just choose one that is the same length as the moss pole you are trying to reinforce.
3. You can add the plastic coated stake in the beginning, or insert it later and then simply twist the plastic coated twists that you already have on the moss pole.
4. Reinforcing the moss pole with a stake is also helpful if you are extending your moss pole. At some point, your plant will reach the top of your moss pole. Once this happens, you can either cut the plant if it extends beyond the height of the pole, or you can extend your moss pole. Here are the steps, and I will add pictures soon once I do this again. It is basically the same as what you already did when you made your original moss pole, except this time you will be working vertically this time on top of the original moss pole.

EXTENDING YOUR MOSS POLE

1. Measure the circumference of your existing moss pole that you want to extend.
2. Measure this exact amount on your roll of hardware mesh and cut it.
3. Form it into a loose cylinder shape just like you did before.
4. Wrap the cylinder around the top of the existing moss pole. You will want to overlap about 3 square or so. Use your plastic coated wire twist to secure the new cylinder all around the perimeter.
5. Start packing moist sphagnum moss down into the new cylinder. Make sure that it is packed down pretty good at the bottom where the old moss pole meets the new cylinder.
6. As you fill the cylinder, use your plastic coated wire twist to stitch the cylinder together every 6 inches or so until you reach the top.
7. When you're done, go back to where the old moss pole and and the new pole that you just attached meet. Add more plastic coated wire twists to reinforce this area if needed.
8. If needed, add one of the plastic coated support stakes and secure it tightly against the moss pole with the plastic coated twists.