A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The House Plant Forum Climbing House Plant

I would like to have a climbing house plant in my preschool classroom. There is a structure pole in the classroom that I thought would be great to put some sort of trellis around it and have a vine climb it. Is this possible? What kind of plant should I get? Thank you!

How about some type of ivy.

...or a Heart Leaf Philodendron? (Philodendron scandens)

Whatever this darn plant is on my refrigerator would be a good one...it has grown around my entire kitchen, had grown through my curtains, has grown into the next room...I am keeping it pretty much at ceiling level to keep the cats out of it. I will figure out the name of it tomorrow and would be happy to send you some of it if you want it...I cut about 15' feet off of it a few days ago and need to cut it back some more...it keeps trying to get in my freezer.


I think this is it..... pothos

Whoops
I just noticed , we have a calendar here ...LOL Did we always??

I never noticed it
dodge

Been here as long as I can remember...

Hover your mouse over the dates and it will show you the birthdays....

I must of been reading these pages with my Eyes Shut???????????
I didnt know about the birdhday either. I"ll be darn..

I think a good preschool plant would be a sweet potato. It would be kid safe and show a lot of growth in a season.

I totally agree...I remember when I was in 1st grade we grew sweet potatoes...they grow fast...so the kids won't get bored waiting for them...and they can see the start (just a potato) and the beautiful greenery that has grown from one day to the next.

if you put some violet food in the water the plant will grow lush and faster as well..

Agreed.

Thanks for the suggestions. Here is a link to the pole I would like the plant to climb up. Do you have any suggestions of what I can wrap around the pole for the plant to climb up that's cheap yet still looks nice? Thanks so much!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37594706@N03/7753023092/in/photostream

Hi, lilg. The picture did not come through. But I am assuming that the pole is a standard support used in a lot of buildings, about four inch diameter round or square. I would start at the ceiling if it is isn't too high and just wrap wire loosely around in a spiral until it reaches the container level. I would be more concerned about keeping a container from being easily tipped or tripped over. Maybe on a table?

I have never planted a sweet potato. Will it climb around the pole?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37594706@N03/7753023092/

It will climb that pole and more! You already have a lovely hook to string something up for it to begin to climb.
Here is a link about how to begin one easily.

A sweet potato is a good idea. Kids love seeing something growing from the food they eat, and it helps them grasp the idea that food comes from growing things. However, I have had several sweet potatoes growing, and they're not always reliable. Probably the most reliable plant you can grow is pothos. If you live somewhere near an interior landscaper(look under plants in the yellow pages), call them and explain what you need, maybe they will have one that's already got a lot of trailers on it. And, is there any reason you can't use both a pothos and a sweet potato? Then if the potato doesn't make it, you'll still have greenery. Or you could start a project of growing a number of different foodstuffs,e.g. celery, lettuce, onions, there's a ton of stuff on the internet.