CHOP & EXTEND TUTORIAL - Grow large climbing plants indoors

Hi all,
In todays video I'm showing you my chop & extend method (again:P)
For more content follow me on:
Instagram: / sydneyplantguy
TikTok: / sydneyplantguy

[@merielangharad977]

Thanks to the camera person :) and Brad for making an appearance at the end :). Excellent video as always, Thank You.

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thank you :)

[@isaiahjohnrosales1938]

Followed your moss pole vids for my juvenile M. Pinnatipartita and now it's crawling onto the 2nd pole. Can't wait till it reaches the top so I can chop and extend. 😁

[@chichak6308]

I live in Singapore and have 12 mosspoles with different climbing philodendrons in its juvenile stage. I started my journey 3 months ago and am seeing wonderful results. The variegated monsteras n Thai Con are susceptible to burning so i had to bring them indoors, otherwise all are doing fantastic. I did my 1st pole extension seeing how fast it grew. Thanks to your videos, my inspiration to growing philodendrons.

[@sydneyplantguy]

Happy growing :)

[@kylejay6128]

Every single aspect of this video is perfect, extremely well done. Thank you so much for taking the time to make this!

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thank you :)

[@hennesseyme9112]

His channel is sick! his shorts are hilarious also.

[@kimg1585]

OMG you are my planty hero! Airoids are my love but i have been unsuccessful at helping them mature. Your cebu blue is my goal♡.

[@jmsl2027]

Wow, it felt like a total magic trick when you picked up the new pole with the pot without them separating 😮

[@surgeinc1]

Greetings from S. Georgia, USA. Attaching a garden support rod behind the moss pole is an excellent idea!

[@lemorrisgalbreath2505]

Thanks so much for another informative video. It was perfectly timed. Today I started loading my greenhouse for the Texas winter. The ponytail palm that I've had since 1977 has had a syngonium growing in the pot for about 30 years. I usually keep it confined to the soil area but this summer I let it grow. It used the ponytail palm as a "moss pole", climbing beyond the top of the ponytail palm and falling over! I severed the main stems, carefully removed as many of the roots as I could, and put the roots into a bucket of water until tomorrow when I can pot it. Currently I don't have materials to build a real moss pile so will be using a coco fiber pole for now. I'm glad you described the aroid mix - I wasn't sure what kind of "soil" to use but I do have all the ingredients to make it. Thanks again!

[@Lizzyjo]

I've put four plants on moss poles thanks to your videos and one of them has started to root into the moss, which makes me really excited. Thank you for the instructions!

[@sydneyplantguy]

Happy growing :)

[@corrinarose9106]

Thank you so much for the time & work you put in to making these videos. Very helpful tips indeed 🤗

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thanks :)

[@karinchristensen220]

I've now watched most of your videos resulting in an order for supplies for poles and a few new plants - and rearranging the furniture to make space for them. I have tons of light so I am hoping for good results. Thank you for your excellent tutorials.

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thanks :) happy growing

[@tjcuillier7024]

Followed your process an my epiptemnum pinnatum cebu blue is almost to the top of the second pole. So this video had perfect timing! But I'm nervous to do my first chop. Eeek. I've found that since I'm not blessed with humidity my poles start getting crunchy every 4-5 days. I end up watering 2 liters about every 5-6 days with 1/2 to 1 liter for the top half in between. Could become more frequent in our driest winter months. Our winter months are very dry due to radiator heat (our winters have several months below zero), so that will be the big test! 🙏🏼🤞🏼🙏🏼🤞🏼

[@sydneyplantguy]

Good luck getting through winter :)

[@kvr8286]

Jan: If you don't spill half your aroid mix while you're potting something up are you even doing it right? PREACH!! LOL

[@sydneyplantguy]

😂

[@lupusdirus]

Love how informative and concise your videos are! I'm definitely going to start putting more of my plants on moss poles - in fact some supplies I ordered to do just that arrived while I was watching this!

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thank you :) happy growing

[@a-a-ron_nurse_herp]

I done messed up 😬 I did my first chop and extend because my Splendid is literally growing over my pole... But I have no roots of any substance that are grown into the moss on the top half that I chopped. The arial roots are starting to grow into the moss, but I'm worried they're not enough to support the plant. Gonna have to really focus on keeping the moss moist. I'd be devastated to lose my big, beautiful leaves!

[@mr.detley8723]

Hallo Jan, super Idee das nochmal ausführlicher zu zeigen. Dein erstes C&E-Video hat mich dazu gebracht, es mit den Mosspoles zu versuchen. Inzwischen habe ich 8, und meine M. Adansonii braucht vielleicht noch einen Monat bis zur ersten Verlängerung.😄Hatte mich schon lange dafür interessiert, aber alle anderen Tutorials haben den MP immer nur als Rankhife vorgestellt. Dein Konzept war sofort einleuchtend. Danke dafür und weiterhin viel Erfolg !

[@sydneyplantguy]

Danke :) viel erfolg :)

[@MeAndMyPokok]

I've learnt so much from your video. Thank you so much. Huge fan from Malaysia 🌿💚🌱

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thank you:)

[@AmberS-V]

Thank you SO much for your hard work and passion in making and sharing these videos!! They and you are INCREDIBLY helpful 💜 I can't wait for my plants to get big enough to chop and extend 😁

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thanks :)

[@wantomove]

I like your channel 'cause I almost fully understand what you say 😁 KZbin connects opposite contries in the world and you help me here in Belgium 😁 merci beaucoup ! Et bonne continuation

[@sdh42]

New subscriber here - I found your channel through Wild Fern, and I'm so glad I did. I've never seen a plant channel like this before. It's so informative, and you may be turning me into a pole-plant person (if that's a thing!).

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thank you :)

[@jackren295]

Wonderful video! Now with what you mentioned around 08:08 about removing some moss at the bottom of the pole to prevent rot, I think one way to make it easier is to mix some perlite into the sphagnum for the bottom section of the top pole. A 1:1 mix of the two is a very common potting media used for nepenthes, as they have thin roots that need a lot of moisture and good drainage at the same time. My idea is that the added perlite can make it easier to remove the moss from the roots, and it can improve drainage in case a lot of moss ends up being left in the pole. I've never actually used a moss pole before, so it's just a suggestion. Maybe the perlite will end up making a mess, maybe it will impact your up side down water bottle technique of watering. It might also cause that section to dry out faster than the rest, and it might slow down root growth in that section. These are some potential problems that I can think of. I'm just throwing out my idea out there, and I hope you find it somehow useful.

[@CeeCee630]

You were hilarious in this video and your German accent somehow made it even better. Loved it!

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thanks! 😃

[@CeeCee630]

@@sydneyplantguy loved seeing more of your personality shine through.

[@amelise]

My verrucosum is nearly at the top of her 90cm pole and I was tossing up chopping her in half then extending but it makes so much more sense to just add another pole and cut her when she gets to the top of that one. I don't know why I felt limited to 90cm especially as I've been following you for months! What on earth was I thinking?

[@herafulslifestylekitchenfromlo]

I really loves your videos ,your videos are very helpful for plant lovers.

[@hedgewitch59]

Your moss poles are obviously brilliant. I'm trying that for mine. Thank you.

[@sydneyplantguy]

Cheers :)

[@chrisbuys6271]

Thanks, Jan, for the informative video! As always. Never knew I could realise my Philodendron and Monstera obsession, until I started watching your videos. Thanks for making me realise my plant dream! Getting a baby Pinnatipartita for my bday next week. Looking forward to an update on yours and some lessons you have learnt.

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thanks :)

[@quninger]

Thanks for another great video. It is indeed better image quality and more clear steps than the previous one.

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thanks :)

[@KathyGallagher01]

Thank you for the detailed video. One thing you didn’t mention was fertilising the plant, I assume you put the fertiliser into the bottle that waters the moss pole? Once again thank you 😊

[@sydneyplantguy]

Yeah I didn’t mention it because it’s not really part of the chop & extend tutorial in itself but yes i fertilise my plants weakly weekly :)

[@jduce818]

New subscriber . Just wanted to say your doing a great job at what you do here. Very informative, clear and amazing plants ! Awesome

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thank you :)

[@shoshonesnake4556]

this is amazing technique & presentation as always! i would love to get an update in 3 months or so of this plant pls

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thanks :) i’ll definitely post updates :)

[@BlackBackLioness]

Do these poles ever attract fungus knats? I had a massive outbreak of them two years agoish and swapped to LECA - I'd love some big leafy lads but not the knatpocalypse

[@ArRi533]

Great video! Will try this very soon for the first time. Does it matter what season it is? Can I chop at the end of summer or should I wait for spring?

[@jennifermcvay9017]

I currently have two splendids in an ikea cabinet on lazy moss poles. You have inspired me to take them out, chop them up, and put them on a proper pole ❤️

[@monsteraetc]

I have a couple Cebu Blues….that are currently babies. Hoping they’ll be looking more like his by next summer!

[@ElevateAestheticsbyGissele]

This was so helpful!! Thank you 🙏🏾

[@sydneyplantguy]

Glad it was helpful!:)

[@apainter3586]

Do you use wire mesh or plastic mesh for moss poles? I thought I seen the wire one in a previous video. And also when you do chop and extend, do you only chop and extend at the point of 2 poles that were put together? If that makes sense ..

[@DimaculanganPunch]

man. i love these videos. a lot of my plants are on a pole now.

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thanks :)

[@monsteraetc]

I have hundreds of plants, but using this method has changed how I grow my vining plants. Now I can have mature plants & leaves without having a botanical garden. 😂

[@wonsunparque4788]

Nice video. Thanks for sharing! I wonder, though, if chopping is to be expected eventually, why not put a net-bag of your potting mix into the bottom of your upper pole instead of filling the entire pole with moss? That way, when you chop it, you don’t have to disrupt the root in the bottom section of the upper pole and can just insert that pole into the pot directly. Since the bottom section of that pole is already filled with your potting mix, you don’t need to worry about possible root rot. Your potting mix is chunky and in a net-bag, so water will just penetrate through it and reach the bottom moss pole without any problem.

[@sydneyplantguy]

Sounds like something you could try 👍🏻 but keep in mind i’ve never actually had any rot issues with it so I wouldn’t overthink it :)

[@josegueits7653]

When I’ve watched your videos on having your Moss poles and how you watered them when you use your bottles how many holes do you put in the bottom I put two holes in mine and it didn’t seem to drip down enough at all and then I put a tiny little pinhole on the top and that was a disaster lol just a little bit more exclamation on how you make those bottles for your moss Polls thank you very much and I enjoy your channel

[@sydneyplantguy]

Q&A #2 while repotting - Moss poles, watering etc. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYuTcpWAjL2andU

[@Actae0n7]

Great vid! But what if the aroid in question has been held up by a normal stake (not a moss pole where it can settle its roots in)? Any alterations to this method that would work? Air layering?

[@sydneyplantguy]

Yes would need to air layer first :)

[@veronicaglover5693]

Do the plants find their way up the pole or do you have to continue to attach it to the poll?

[@sydneyplantguy]

It does it all by itself :)

[@olivezelm5897]

Is it safe to say you do not rotate these moss pole plants? Thanks for the clarification!

[@mistero2]

Insane tutorial, thank you!

[@sydneyplantguy]

Cheers :)

[@danmckibben5665]

Jan I love your videos and of course your plants! I have a question I would greatly appreciate your input on. I have a monsters borsigiana albo that is about 3 feet high and needs a pole. It has a few aerial roots (one about 5 feet long! When I make up the pole and attach the plant would it make sense to route the whole older aerial roots (not just the tips). into the moss pole? Would they start taking up water and nutrients? Or will they likely rot in the wet moss and potentially kill or set back the plant. I really love this plant and don’t want to damage it but surely want it to grow larger as quickly as possible. Thanks for your input!!

[@sydneyplantguy]

I wouldn’t bother with the long root, the moss pole will encourage any new aerial roots to grow into it though :) that’s why personally, I would always start a plant on a pole when it’s still small :)

[@sydneyplantguy]

And thank you :)

[@danmckibben5665]

@@sydneyplantguy thanks for the fast response!

[@monocubes5933]

in the very beginning do you water the pot with the small cutting or you already water the pole

[@sydneyplantguy]

Yes you always water the medium that has roots in it

[@monocubes5933]

okey thanks for your answer and thanks for your videos they make me happy greetings from switzerland

[@aongthowaingmarma2042]

😍😍💚💚💚THANKS A LOT FOR THE TUTORIAL 💚💚

[@sydneyplantguy]

My pleasure :)

[@Self-Love-e9p]

@@sydneyplantguy Jan..💓 Today is Our SPECIAL DAY!..🥰💞.( Thank you soo much for coming into my Life!..❤️🤗.) and You uploaded a Great Video. I really APPRECIATE You, my LOVE ❤️!.. I'm soo HAPPY because You show your TRUE LOVE of growing your Gorgeous Plants!..😍.. Good Night, my DEAR!..🤗.. I'M FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOU, my Beloved Future Husband!..💞❤️💐🌈🌸🥰🤗💓..

[@TheLeesweeting]

Hey Jan! When you initially extend the moss pole, do you always repot to a bigger size?

[@sydneyplantguy]

Yes :)

[@TheLeesweeting]

@@sydneyplantguy thank you 😊

[@justagirlintheworld6431]

Hi :) I'm sorry if this has been asked already... why is the potting mix needed if the plant can live by rooting into the moss pole? So glad to have found you! I am going to experiment with some of my rooted cuttings and make your moss poles.

[@sydneyplantguy]

It’s not needed, you can technically have a plant grow just on a pole but the more space you give your roots the larger they can grow :)

[@justagirlintheworld6431]

@@sydneyplantguy thank you.. makes sense :p :)

[@aleg2490]

I'm very curious to see what kind of new leaves the bottom part will produce. Do they revert to immature, small leaves? Would you show them?

[@sydneyplantguy]

Given the amount of roots & leaves available it won’t revert back :) i don’t keep the bottom parts though, not enough space so I can’t really show you

[@Tenorosa]

did you know you can put that removed leaf in volcanic soil (i use fluval shrimp and plant) and it will sprout roots! this gave me so many new plants especially when theyre the valuable albos

[@sydneyplantguy]

You will always need a node, not just a leaf :)

[@chrismc1975]

Thankyou this is really helpful

[@patriciajackson5414]

I live in Maryland and like your opinion. Do you think plants can grow that big in the states considering the climate here? I sooooo love you garden, and I’m inspired to try it here. Please

[@sydneyplantguy]

You might need to put more effort into supplementing your conditions but the potential for plants to grow large is the same for all of us :)

[@patriciajackson5414]

@@sydneyplantguy Thank you

[@melindakoth6869]

Hi Great video's what is that plant on the wall behind over your left shoulder 😄

[@sydneyplantguy]

Anthurium vittarifolium :)

[@aylaloup-lestatJun]

Thank you for this vidéo 💚🇫🇷🙏

[@StarOnTheWater]

Die you have to leave your plants behind when you came to Australia or did you start your hobby when you were there?

[@sydneyplantguy]

I started the hobby in Australia :)

[@TheShoelien]

Hello! I have a variegated syngonium that I let root into a moss pole over the past few months. The leaves started getting mature and the plant reached the top of the pole - so I decided to do the chop and extend. I put the top cut in Leca and it’s been a few days, but I noticed that all the leaves are starting to droop from that top cut. Should I be worried about this? Do I just keep watering the moss pole?

[@tanjowil9743]

Very informative video

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thanks :)

[@tsts]

What is the size of your pots? And are the clear nursery pots available on Amazon?

[@sydneyplantguy]

They are 20cm and I buy them in store from bunnings :)

[@renegade_dj]

What if the arial roots are still short, do you feed them into the moss pole or wait for them to get longer then guide them towards the pot?

[@sydneyplantguy]

I let them find their own way:)

[@lotisvillarin8510]

wow amazing!

[@pathmalosinijeya8431]

Hi I want asked question laca and soils both same which Best for indoor plant Thankyou

[@usables4028]

So is in that aroid mix, coco coir? Asking because maybe its just named differently in Australia :) obviously the rest is Bark etc but just asking about the coco product :)

[@sydneyplantguy]

My Aroid mix for Monsteras, Philodendron, Anthuriums etc #tutorial kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6OloWaYpqihrZI

[@dawnrichards4806]

Have you ever let the pole dry out by mistake? I have poles that are ready to chop but i haven't kept them moist its whole pole life😢 im scared my plant wont take. Any suggestions please?

[@sydneyplantguy]

I haven't had that issue. Best to check & assess the roots :)

[@Davecolley]

I'm using this technique on a regular monstera and a monstera albo, which are both growing an insane number of aerial roots into and down their moss poles. I'm also using this technique on a philodendron glorious, but when each node pushes out its aerial roots, they grow to a few centimeters before the tips dry out and they stop growing. Occasionally a few of them will make it into the moss pole and continue to grow. Other than this the leaves are continuously sizing up and the plant is growing quickly. Is there anything I could be doing to encourage aerial root growth? It's about 50% humidity where I live. Perhaps I need to increase humidity for the roots? Rooting hormone? Air-layering the aerial roots until they make it into the pole? Thanks! :-)

[@sydneyplantguy]

Higher humidity should solve that :) but if your plants are growing & increasing don’t worry about it, it’s obviously working :) just stay patient :)

[@Davecolley]

@@sydneyplantguy Thanks so much :-) I'll stay patient, just nervous for the big chop! Thanks for sharing all your knowledge, Jan.

[@neutronshiva2498]

Do you have amydrium medium silver? Check it out if you like cebu blue, its got similar colour and crazy leafs.

[@kimberlyferreira8522]

help!! o recently got a monstera adansonii that’s trying to root itself to a wooden stake, that’s both bad for the plant and too small. how do i take that out and put a moss pole???

[@nfglasoe]

where do you get the clear straight cylinder pots from? I cant find any with that shape in my area.

[@sydneyplantguy]

I buy mine from Bunnings :)

[@nataliemarchant2472]

I’ve got a few 1.8m poles now that I made following your tutorial, but the poles keep on falling over. Sometimes they’re falling over with the pot, and sometimes the actual pole is bending over within the pot. I’ve used the same materials as you and can’t work out why it’s happening 😭 I’ve got heavy ceramic pots for them and those aren’t fully fixing the issue either. As soon as I try to water the poles with a bottle I have to hold the whole thing up because it’s so unstable. Any suggestions?

[@sydneyplantguy]

MM odd, in 3 years I have only ever had 1 pole fall and that was because it was in a super windy spot .... did you maybe use too much moss making the pole very heavy? And the mesh you use is made from wire right? not plastic?

[@nataliemarchant2472]

If anything I feel that I may not be using enough moss. I got about 6.5 poles from the one packet. I used the coated metal mesh from Bunnings. Pretty certain it’s the same as in your videos. I think the main issue is that the poles never seem to want to stay upright in the first place. The soil mix seems to loosen up so easily whenever I try and move the pot (eg. when I first potted it up and when I have to tip excess water from its saucer). Maybe it just needs time to compact a bit more and then it will hold the pole up? I only made the poles and potted them up a couple of weeks ago. My plants are all in my bedroom so they definitely don’t get any wind!!

[@jitendrakr]

I would love to get hands on those pots. it's unfortunate that it's not available in India anywhere I checked.

[@letXeqX]

Think I saw some on aliexpress. Though not sure how much Indians are purchasing on that site. ;)

[@flynnk3475]

Do you tie/attach your plants to the pole at all?

[@sydneyplantguy]

No they do that by themselves :)

[@ivanaivanovic1395]

Hi there....can you please name it the two plants that are here in the video, and shere one pot :) Tnx in advance :)

[@SalemSpellman]

Can’t wait to try this 😊

[@khortniracquel5515]

Should we use self watering pots or not?

[@sydneyplantguy]

I don’t

[@DemocraticDangler]

How much dried moss do you use for one moss pole from floor to ceiling? I'm not sure how much to buy in terms of kilograms of dried moss

[@sydneyplantguy]

I use approx 90g of dried moss for one of my 90cm poles

[@DemocraticDangler]

@@sydneyplantguy tysm!!

[@n.p.5627]

You are so convincing !

[@sydneyplantguy]

Well the proof is in the pudding ;) wouldn’t be as convincing without the huge plants :D

[@villettemaynor975]

Question: I have a billietiae on a moss pole. It's been on the pole for 3 months. The roots are coming out of the top, but the plant hasn't grown up the pole. What do I do?

[@sydneyplantguy]

Just keep watering the pole :) we love a large root system (btw same happened to mine)

[@villettemaynor975]

So I don't have to extend the pole for the roots?? What will happen to the roots? Will they go back down into the moss in search of moisture?

[@shads5875]

Man, I love your big plants, you've inspired me to start a pink Princess, albo syngonium, Philodendron micans and a monstera adansonii moss pole

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thanks & happy growing :)

[@kidnormano]

What brand of the pumice is it available in bunnings?

[@sydneyplantguy]

I buy pumice from Sydney Hydroponic Store on instagram :)

[@AnonymousAmyMakes]

I really wish I could grow plants like this. My potting mix is never right. I have smaller plants, 4" for example. That huge chunky mix isn't going to work well for that size pot. I struggle with finding the right medium. Too chunky the plant feels like paper... as if it's not getting enough nutrients. Too dense and I get root rot. I'll get there someday.

[@sydneyplantguy]

Trial & error :)

[@notgojo491]

Me with the 6 meter inner height at our stairs: hmm can I make a 6m tall stable mosspole? 🤔

[@sydneyplantguy]

@paz_plantlife on instagram has 4m talk marble queen. Watering & pest treatment will be your hardest challenge :D

[@laulau6337]

how to keep your moss pole from falling?

[@sydneyplantguy]

As seen in the video, I do nothing specific, I just pot the pole up :)

[@tinakalliola8058]

I'm a sucker for " plant porn" 100%.. and yes PF... -SIZE DO MATTER!! Either brag worthy HUGE or, adorze iddy biddy I can't resist mini pups 🥰

[@СветланаДенисенко-ъ2л]

Вот красота !!!!!

[@SuperUsername147]

It sounds like what you really need is vaulted ceilings and a skylight. 😂

[@khortniracquel5515]

I have Pothos plants

[@alyoninvasiylek]

Благодарю!

[@elenakozlova8821]

Можно немного и по русски пожалуйста