Repurpose An Old Tomato Cage In Order To Train Your Viney Houseplants

When tomato season is over, it might be time give your tomato cage a new life. You could always transform an old tomato cage into a bird bath, which is certainly very cute, or you could bring it indoors and use it as the secret weapon for taming and training your viney climbing houseplants. Whether it's a leggy pothos or an out of control philodendron, a tomato cage could be all you need to add some structure to their growth. Don't even worry if it's a bit old and rusty, the plants will soon be climbing all over it, and you won't see much of the cage at all.

Simply place your tomato cage inside or on top of your planter (depending on the size of both) and wrap the stems of your houseplant around the metal, letting them swirl and twirl upwards. You can secure them with soft ties or twine to keep them going in the right direction. This will keep them off the floor but also make the whole thing look like a kind of magical vertical sculpture. Now, like anything, there are downsides to using tomato cages to support your plants, including the fact that they aren't exactly the most delicate and subtle addition for indoors. And, they can get a bit wobbly too. But if they're already in your home not being put to good use, they are certainly worth trying to keep your more free-growing vining houseplants in check.

It's very important to note that not every houseplant is going to benefit from some tomato cage treatment. For example, your snake plants or your ZZ plants won't even notice it's there. They aren't climbers. We're looking for the climbers and the trailers, so think pothos, philodendrons, hoyas, and even string of pearls if you have them. These are the plants that are going to drape and climb and wind their way up and around a frame, even more so if you give them a little helping hand and guidance in the right direction.

To really make this set up work for you, place your tomato caged plants in a spot with bright and indirect light to encourage growth, although many of these vines will grow in low light conditions, too. And, one of many tips to make your climbing potted plants look fuller is to train any young and low shoots around the base as soon as they pop out. Even if they can't reach the top yet, the sooner you encourage them to grip onto the lower rungs of the cage, the less time it will take for them to start filling out and growing upwards. Every little bit helps in the quest for big and bushy vining plants.