Houseplants are widely enjoyed for the tropical touch they add to interiors, with a growing trend towards larger and showier leaves.
Although tropical species grow to impressive heights when they receive the right care, it’s not always clear what they need.
Light and water are essential, but sometimes all foliage needs is a prop to latch onto, according to Sheffield Made Plants expert Richard.
The YouTuber shared the hack in response to the ever-growing demand for oversized houseplants.
Giving your plant a stake to grow on will help it reach new heights
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“I’m going to share with you the secret to getting those giant leaves on houseplants,” shared Richard. “Plants develop those big leaves when they’re encouraged to grow up something, it’s as simple as that.
“This is generally the case with Vine type plants such as philodendron and photos, monsteras and Syngonium.”
One thing all these plants have in common is their tropical origins, as they are typically found growing on the ground of foliage-dense jungles.
“They are overshadowed by the much larger trees around them,” explained Richard. “So they latch onto and creep up those trees using aero-roots to access the natural light that is higher up.
“This is essentially why their leaves get bigger as they grow taller, they are maximising their leaf tissue area so they can capture as much of the sun’s light as possible and use it for photosynthesis.”
One of the best aspects of the hack is that plant owners can use just about anything for their plants to climb up.
Sarah K Benning, a big fan of the monstera plant, claims it does best when placed near a window covered by a sheer curtain.
“Monsteras thrive in bright indirect light,” she wrote on her blog.
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The hack works well on vine plants like monstera
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“This plant has lived between south- and west-facing windows covered by thin curtains for the past four years.
“These lighting conditions have allowed the plant to grow enormous leaves with lots of fenestrations (the holes in the leaves).”
Aside from lighting, plants also need the right nutrients to reach their full potential. They can get these compounds from store-bought fertilisers or common household ingredients like coffee.
