DIY Plant Trellis for Pots, Perfect for Indoor Plants

Looking for a DIY plant trellis for pots that’s actually pretty enough to leave out in your living room? We made a hanging disc trellis for one of our indoor plants, and it’s a simple way to bring more green into a small space. In this blog post, I’ll walk you through exactly how we built it, plus some other trellis ideas if this style isn’t quite your thing.

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En Nuestra Casa

I came across this photo on Pinterest one day, and I just could not get it out of my head! I mean, look at it:

I did some digging and found that it came from this beautiful artisan workshop in Mexico, aka there’s no [easy] way I’d ever be able to get this thing in my home. But the concept was simple enough, so I figured–what if we made our own DIY version? And that’s exactly what we did. Keep reading to see how we made this unique DIY plant trellis for an indoor plant.

Why Try a DIY Plant Trellis for Pots?

First of all, a trellis gives climbing plants something to hold onto. Without one, many vining plants just flop over the side of the pot and sprawl. With one, they grow up instead of out, which is a big deal when floor space is limited.

In addition, a good indoor plant trellis can double as decor. Instead of hiding the support, you can make it part of the look. That’s exactly what we wanted here–something that works well for the plant and looks intentional in the room.

Meet the Plant: Scindapsus Pictus

The plant we’re using is a scindapsus pictus, also called a “silver pothos.” (Fun fact: it’s not technically a pothos variety, but it kinda looks like one, so I guess that’s how it got its nickname.) I actually had this plant trailing at first in the corner of our living room. But between replacing the plant for lights over our couch and wanting to try something new, I decided to see if I could get it climbing instead.

Trailing plants and climber plants are sometimes the very same plant, just growing in different directions. Because of that, a lot of great plants for indoor spaces can be trained either way. Give them something to climb, and they’ll usually take the hint.

Store-Bought vs. DIY Options

Before we built anything, we looked at what was already out there. You can find a small trellis at nearly any hardware store, and a basic garden trellis is usually inexpensive. Still, most of them are designed for outdoor beds, not for a single potted plant sitting in a New York City apartment.

Here’s what I mean–the options generally fall into a few categories:

• A ladder style trellis has horizontal rungs, which climbers love.

• A frame trellis is a flat panel that sits behind or inside the pot.

• Bamboo poles or wooden dowels can be pushed into the soil for extra support.

Each of these is a perfectly good choice depending on the size of your plant and what you’re going for. That said, none of them gave us the floor to ceiling look we had in mind. So we decided to create our own DIY plant trellis for pots, inspired by that beautiful one I told you about earlier.

Choosing the Hanging Mechanism

We thought through a lot of different options for how to hang it. Rope was one idea, but I didn’t want the thing to be too flexible. A wooden rod was another option, but most were either too big (ugly) or too small (weak). Peterson brought up the idea of a metal rod, and though I didn’t love the look, we realized we could customize it to our preferences. Ultimately, I wanted an easy way to keep the distance between the discs consistent, and that made the decision pretty simple.

We opted for a threaded metal rod, with a superglued washer holding each disc in place. Since we spray painted the rod black, we didn’t want to screw nuts onto the rod. We were worried that turning them would strip the paint, so we superglued two types of washers on instead.

Supplies for Our DIY Plant Trellis for Pots

Here’s what we used for this project:

• Lumber
• Hole saw
• Sander
• Small portable router
• Wood stain
• Threaded metal rod
• Black spray paint
• Regular washers and split-lock washers
• Superglue
• Ceiling hook and chain

If you’d rather not build from scratch, you could also grab natural materials like a piece of twine and some bamboo poles for a simpler setup. Twist ties, zip ties, or heavy gauge wire could hold everything together in a pinch. However, for us and for this particular look, wood and metal were the way to go.

How to Build a DIY Plant Trellis for Pots

Now for the fun part! Below is the actual process of how we built ours. If you’re planning to take on this project, read through all of the instructions first, because a little planning up front makes the rest much smoother.

Planning Your Discs

1. First, figure out what size discs you want to make in relation to the pot you’ll be using. The size of the pot matters here, since the discs should look balanced with it.
2. Next, decide how many discs you want and how far apart they’ll be. We decided on 23 discs, 4″ apart.
3. Then gather your supplies, including a hole saw and lumber.

Making the Discs

1. Cut the discs to size using the hole saw.
2. Sand the discs.
3. Round the edges of the discs. We secured our small portable router to the work table to do this.
4. Sand the edges of the discs.
5. Wipe the discs down to remove dust.
6. Stain the discs.

I mean, pretty straightforward, right?!

Hanging Your DIY Plant Trellis

1. Decide how you want to hang up your trellis. We went with a threaded metal rod, which we spray painted black.
2. Superglue the washers into place. We used regular washers and split-lock washers above and below each disc.
3. Find a stud in your ceiling.
4. Screw a hook into the stud.
5. Finally, hang the chain on the hook, and hang the trellis on the chain.

Again, pretty simple. This isn’t rocket science!

And that’s it! There are quite a few steps, but none of them are particularly difficult. If you’d like to see the whole thing in action, watch the reel that shows our inspiration and our DIY here.

We also have more process videos here:

• Process video 1: Creating the discs
• Process video 2: Staining
• Process video 3: Putting it all together

Tips for Growing Climbing Plants on a Trellis

Once your trellis is up, a little guidance goes a long way. Gently weave new growth through the discs, and you can always use something like a twist tie if a stem needs a nudge. Because natural climbers latch on over time, you don’t need to tie every vine. Whatever trellis supports you choose, make sure they’re sturdy enough to hold a mature plant, since vines get heavier as they grow.

Also, keep an eye on your watering. A potted plant hanging near the ceiling can dry out at a different pace than one on a shelf, so always check the soil before you water. Too much water is a bigger risk than too little for many indoor plants. This is a good rule of thumb for all your plants, not just your climbing one. Personally I use this water meter every time I water to make sure my plants actually need it.

If you’re not sure which plants to try, I think it’s worth it to try this with any trailing plant that has a flexible vine. Some of my personal faves are pothos devil’s ivy, silver pothos like I used here, English ivy, philadendron brasil, or philadendron lemon lime. I love my peperomia hope and my rhipsalis, but those are actually great examples of trailing plants that would not climb well, so I wouldn’t recommend them here.

Going Vertical in Small Spaces

We often recommend going vertical for maximizing small spaces, and this trellis helps us do exactly that! Instead of taking up a shelf or a huge chunk of floor space, the plant grows up into space we weren’t using anyway. As a result, we get all the greenery without giving up any precious square footage.

On the other hand, hanging a plant from the ceiling can be a great option. Hanging a plant from the ceiling frees up the floor or windowsill for something else (or just for beautiful, beautiful empty space!), and it keeps the floor clear for kids, toys, and everything else that lives in a family home. In a home like ours, that’s a win. When every inch counts, growing up is one of the easiest ways to make room.

More Trellis Ideas for Small Gardens

If you have room outdoors, the same thinking applies to small gardens. Honestly, I would love to have a vegetable garden one day. For now, though, I’ll settle for lots of indoor plants (I’m currently at 32!).

For example, tomato cages and a simple tomato trellis do the same job for tomato plants that our discs do for our silver pothos. Likewise, a garden trellis made from bamboo poles and twine can support beans or peas. So whether you’re growing a vegetable garden or a single houseplant, giving climbers something to hold onto makes a real difference.

Final Thoughts on Our DIY Plant Trellis for Pots

To sum up, a DIY plant trellis for pots doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. We took an inspiring photo, a few basic supplies from the hardware store, and a lot of sanding, and we ended up with a piece that supports our plant and looks great doing it. Plus, it’s a simple way to grow up instead of out in a small home.

Whether you go with our disc design or a simple ladder style trellis, the goal is the same: give your climbing plants a place to go. Now I’d love to hear from you!

Comment below to tell us what plant you’d like to train up a trellis. Did you enjoy this blog post? Share it with a friend who loves indoor plants!