It’s great when you keep your houseplants so healthy they get enormous, isn’t it? But wait… How to keep indoor plants from falling over, when they get huge?
We have some great hints and tips for you, to stop your houseplants from toppling down and damaging themselves! Read on.
What You'll Learn Today
How To Keep Indoor Plants From Falling Over
You wouldn’t expect indoor plants to fall over too much – after all, there is likely to be not too much wind inside your house!
However, they can sometimes topple down, usually because they grow very tall and top-heavy.
You can sort this problem out in a variety of ways, to keep your plant upright and happy (and stop potting mix spilling all over your floor!)
- Use a larger pot. If your plant has got too heavy at the top with nothing to weigh down the base, it may start to fall over.
- Stake it. Some plants’ stems will fall down because they can’t support their own weight – holding them up with poles is a great way to support them.
- Build a trellis. Even indoors, you can make a little trellis for your plants to cling to. This is especially good for climbing and creeping plants.
- A hanging pot. If all else fails, you can plant your plant in a pot that is suspended from the ceiling. It can trail and grow, but it won’t fall down!
- Go for a terracotta pot. A heavier pot, like using a bigger one, will help your plant to stay upright.
- Anchor the pot. Placing heavy weights or stones in the pot will give the plant some more weight to hold it in one place.
Why Is My Houseplant Falling Over?
It is incredibly frustrating when your houseplants fall over, not least because you know that every time they fall, they can get damaged and stressed.
There can be a few reasons as to why your houseplants keep falling over – and luckily, these things can be fixed to make it more stable.
Top heavy growth can cause a plant to topple – if the weight is greater at one end than the other then it will overbalance.
You could try giving your plant a haircut, to make it grow out more to the sides than putting more weight on the top.
A pot that is too small may also cause problems – again, this means that there is more weight at the top than the bottom which could support the plant.
Repot the plant into a bigger, or even a heavier, pot, and you may find that this fixes the problem.
The plant may be leaning to the light – if there is not enough sunlight on your plant, it will automatically lean towards where it can get some, and this may cause it to overbalance.
Place your plant a little closer to the source of the light – just take care for the leaves and make sure they don’t end up getting scorched.
The roots may be loose in the soil – if your plant does not have enough soil to support it , it can fall.
Ensure that there is adequate soil in the pot so that the roots are fully covered and the plant is supported.
How Do You Support Top Heavy Plants?
Some plants are naturally top heavy – think of your avocados, orange trees, and some types of Dracaena.
Obviously you love these plants and want to keep them, but how to support the plants that put all their growth at the top end?
First of all, make suer that you have the right type of pot. It’s no good using a tiny, flimsy plastic pot if you have a heavy plant that needs weighing down!
You can use a support system such as stakes, poles or a trellis, to give your top heavy plants a bit of support and help them hold themselves up.
Secure the pot. If your plant is heavier than the pot and its contents, you might run into problems! Use weights or stones to keep the pot secure.
Why not give it a pruning? If your plant is getting heavier and heavier at the top, trimming a little can help to balance the weight.
A grow-through cage is a great option – these add a lot of stability for your plants, which will eventually grow around it and hide the structure.
Here’s a little video, showing you (on a small plant, but the concept is the same for a larger one) the best way to stake them:
What Household Items Can Be Used As Plant Stakes?
If you know you need to stake your plant quickly but you don’t have time to get to the garden store, you can improvise!
Basically, anything that is long and strong can be used as a plant support. It will need to be able to be secured into the soil, too.
If it is a small plant, a pencil or paintbrush could be all you need to give them enough stability.
A long ruler could also make a great plant stake in a pinch; just ensure that you dig it into the soil enough so that it is supportive.
Do you have a wooden spoon? This can be used as an emergency plant stake (do remember to wash it before you use it for cooking again though!)
Wire can be twisted together to make a plant support, if you have any lying around. Do be careful of the ends of the wire in the soil, as they can be quite sharp and you don’t want to damage the roots.
What Two Things Help A Plant Stand Vertically?
A healthy plant should be able to stand straight and tall, due to the structure of the cell’s walls.
Turgidity and rigidity are the buzzwords here – plants don’t have skeletons and muscles to hold them up, as we do, so it is this that they rely on.
They also contain cellulose and lignin, which are the things that determine how fibrous or woody a particular plant is.
Water is one of the essential things that helps a plant stay upright – without enough to drink, you will see them starting to droop.
Supports are also important, especially for large indoor plants – they may just need a helping hand to keep them upright!
To learn more about the fascinating cell structure of plants, check out this informative article.
Final Thoughts
Once you have got the hang of growing huge plants without them falling over, you can concentrate on making your indoor jungle as large as possible!
Plants falling down is not the ideal situation – hopefully now you can manage this, and keep your plants health and flourishing.