3D Printed Voronoi Moss Pole

Intro: 3D Printed Voronoi Moss Pole

Some plants need a little extra support, and a moss pole can be a great way to provide that. Moss poles can be expensive, but 3D printing and making your own can significantly reduce the cost and allow you to customize it to your decor and your plant's height. This moss pole features a voronoi pattern to make it look more natural and imitate forms found in nature.

Files found in this instructable may be used for personal use and are not to be used commercially. Links to products in this instructable may be affiliate links. Using affiliate links helps to support creating DIY projects like this one.

STEP 1: Download Files

To get started, download the STL files for this project. They are provided here and can also be found on Printables.

STEP 2: 3D Print

This model is broken into individual components to allow you to customize the height of your moss pole and expand it as needed while fitting within the bed size limitations of most popular printers. 

Import the STL files into your slicer. Plate your files and choose your print settings. For this print I chose to print at .2mm layer height on fast settings. Since this model does not contain a lot of fine details, you can print at a higher layer height without sacrificing quality. I chose to print each component separately. Print one base and as many component pole tubes as needed to support your plant.

Depending on your print settings and filament you may need to enable supports. In prusasilcer, I enabled supports “everywhere” with “snug” supports. I chose the default support settings for the filament material profile.

With supports at .2mm layer height, each pole tube took about 8 hours to print, and the stake base took 1 hour and 45 minutes.

STEP 3: Surface Finish Your 3D Print

Remove any support material with your pliers or wire clippers. 

To make the my final product look more polished I chose to sand each of the pole tubes before assembly, moving from 80 grit sandpaper to 220. I then applied wood wax to polish the surface. This step is optional. Use necessary PPE and ventilation when sanding or using wood polishes.

STEP 4: Assemble

Each component will fit snugly together. To provide the moss pole with more long-term durability, apply glue to each joint. Follow the directions provided with your adhesive. I used Gorilla superglue. After applying the glue to each joint I held them in place for 20 seconds following package directions. 

Super glue and epoxy-based glues work well to assemble 3D prints. Use necessary ventilation when using adhesives. 

Once all components are glued together insert moss into the interior of the tube. Using a chopstick or a dowel will help you evenly distribute the material. 

If assembling more than 2 component poles you may want to switch the order of these steps and insert the moss into the tubes before connecting them together.

STEP 5: Attach Plant

Place your moss pole into your plant's pot.

Using wire or cord, attach your plant's vine or stem to the pole. Make sure root nodes are near the mossy areas to encourage root attachment. Mist these areas with a sprayer to further encourage rooting.

STEP 6: Admire Your Handiwork

The finally step of any project is to admire your work. Place your newly supported plant in an (appropriately) sunny spot and enjoy!

Comments

[ozzb]

i love the idea of being able to add on a new layer like this as it grows, i think it might be a good way to maximize potato yields? or maybe hang it to be able take the bottom layer off and collect to potato with out killing the plant.

[Handy_Bear]

Very clever idea, I never thought moss could be grown on display like that.
May I ask, what software did you use to generate the Voronoi pattern?

[peteralexasmith1]

"Mind-blowing innovation! 🌿🌟 The 3D Printed Voronoi Moss Pole is an incredible blend of technology and nature. It's a unique and visually stunning way to support plant growth while adding an artistic touch to any space

[Winkly]

Can't wait to try this one!

Does the wood PLA wick water itself?

[colleenjordan]

The wood-fill PLA absorbs some water, the moss is going to do most of the work here with absorbing and holding the water for the roots though.

[randofo]

Cool idea. I have been meaning to try growing a vanilla plant indoors and I think this may be good for that.

[TanyaD4]

Be aware that this will only work for a small amount of time.
Vanilla vines grow HUUUGE!
This pole will take neither the length nor the weight.
I'd perhaps have your (large) pot up near a wall,and have some lattice installed on the wall behind it, and maybe also across the ceiling.
The plant will use ALL of it! :P

This pole would be great for smaller houseplant vines though
A varigated ivy plant mightr have fun with it!

[randofo]

Hmmm. I see what you mean. I clearly didn't read the fine print carefully enough. 😂

I think I still have the space for it, but I will need another solution.

[colleenjordan]

Thanks! If you do it please share pics!

[jessyratfink]

Ohhhh these are beautiful! I have chicken wire and moss to build poles but I need to try this too :D

[colleenjordan]

Thanks! That can be a great way to build a moss pole, too, but it's always fun to have some variety, especially when you have a lot of plants.