If you have tall plants around, such as the Monstera, Olive trees, or the Chinese Fan Palm, you might be facing a common problem associated with them. That is them falling over.
You wouldn’t want a heavy plant kept at your bedside falling on your face. Also, your waggish pets could get hurt.
The plant in question could also get damaged. You wouldn’t want to lose your eldest plant grown with so much love and care.
Fortunately, we have some methods to keep tall plants from falling over and causing damage.
12 Solid Methods To Keep Tall Plants From Falling Over
There is no one size fits all method to go about this. Instead, you need to use a kitchen sink approach and see what works well for you.
1. Use Heavy Or Large Pots
Potting tall and heavy plants in undersized pots would lead to a shaky and unstable base. Always make sure that the pot you use is two or three times larger than the plant.
This would also provide sufficient room for the plant roots when they expand. If you see the roots circling the pot or popping out of the drainage hole, it is time to move the plant into a bigger pot.
Your pot’s material and build quality also play a huge role in determining stability.
Plastic or PVC pots are quite popular these days. However, they are lightweight and most likely to get toppled over by the wind.
Use wooden or concrete pots if your budget allows.
2. Provide Vertical Or Horizontal Support
First, determine if your plant needs support horizontally or vertically.
Some plants, such as the silver falls, grow close to the ground. They are most likely to dangle out from the pot. Support them using horizontal trellises. You could devise one using mesh wire or chicken wire.
Frame a 4’x6′ trellis using wire mesh and solid wood borders. Add vertical support to your trellis using wooden stakes. You can also place your trellis on top of a long planter box. A work in progress can be seen below.
A good old-fashioned wooden stake should do the job for plants that grow vertically. Press down the stake gently in the pot and tie the stems using twine or wire twists.
3. Avoid Keeping The Plants On Windowsills
If you have large windows, you might be tempted to keep some plants on the windowsills. However, this would expose them to winds, making them likely to tip over. This problem is more prevalent if you live around the coast. Secondly, cold winds can do substantial leaf damage.
Lastly, dirt build-up on window glass can block sunlight from reaching the plant. This can lead to slow and stunted growth.
If you see, there are more reasons not to keep plants around the windows contrary to the popular practice.
4. Fill The Pot With River Pebbles Or Other Heavy Material
You could fill your pot with river pebbles, gravel, or other porous rocks to augment its weight and add stability. There are a ton of colors and textures to choose from.
This also slows down the evaporation of water and improves the water holding capacity of the soil.
5. Use a Moss Pole
Using a moss pole is another interesting way of supporting your tall plants. Not only does it blend well with the foliage, but it also guides the plants to grow upwards in a controlled manner.
Moss pole is also a great source of extra micronutrients for some vines.
The only downside is that it needs frequent misting and is thicker than a regular wooden stake, taking up more space in the pot.
6. Use Bamboo Sticks
You could also use thin bamboo sticks to provide support to plants. Bamboo is fairly strong, has great tensile strength, and can handle stress without breaking. It is also termite-proof and has a certain advantage over a traditional wooden stake.
Like moss poles, bamboo sticks also look pleasing to the eye against lush green foliage.
7. Use Pot Stabilizers
Pot stabilizers extend the pot’s base, making it more stable and less likely to tip over. They are usually made of steel wire but can be custom-made from malleable metals such as copper or brass.
Also, if your pots have uneven bottoms or resting on uneven ground, they might rock back and forth and tip over easily by the wind. Again, you could use plastic wedges that provide stability in this scenario.
8. Place The Plant Against A Wall
If you can ensure plentiful sunlight and an airy ambiance, you could move some of your tall plants indoors, placing them against walls. This ensures they won’t wobble and fall over.
However, do ensure that the wall is sun-facing while doing this.
9. Make Your Plants Inaccessible To Your Pets
There are multiple ways of achieving this. For example, you could hang your plants without drilling holes using our comprehensive guide. You could also protect them using chicken wire or wire cages.
However, tall plants pose a challenge as far as the above methods are concerned. Therefore, innovate and improvise wherever possible.
10. Use Natural Wind Barriers
You could use natural wind barriers such as large trees or bushes to your advantage. Place your pots strategically around them, ensuring proper sunlight and aeration for your plants.
11. Improvise A DIY Windscreen/ Windbreak
You could make a DIY windscreen for your plants using a very fine wire mesh or burlap sheets. They protect the plants from gushes of strong winds, allowing some of the air to pass through.
Ensure to secure the windscreen properly using wooden stakes covering the plants from all sides.
12. Prune The Plants
Regular pruning disburdens top-heavy plants and kickstarts fresh growth. However, some plants can be pruned heavily, while others are sensitive to the practice.
Take care to prune old branches first in case of shrubs.
