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Publication #ENH120

Plants and Youth: Making a Totem1

Robert J. Black, Kathleen C. Ruppert and Sydney Park Brown2

Vining foliage plants grown on slabs of tree fern or bark are called totems. Climbing types of foliage plants such as grape ivy, English ivy, wax plant, philodendrons and pothos are good choices for totems. Select a container that has drainage holes in the bottom and is large enough for the plant of your choice and the slab it will grow upon. Choose a slab that is 3 to 5 times taller than the container. Hold the slab upright in the container, and then pack 2 to 4 inches of potting mix firmly around it (Figure 1 ). Set the plant in the pot and add more potting mix (Figure 2 ). Never set the plant in the soil deeper than it was growing originally. Fasten the stems to the slab with tape, twist ties or string until roots attach themselves (Figure 3 ).


Figure 1. 


Figure 2. 

Totems require the same amount of care as any other potted foliage plant. They should receive indirect light, enough water to keep the soil moist and occasional applications of diluted, soluble, houseplant fertilizer. In a few months, the entire totem should be covered by the foliage plant.

Definition of Terms

Bark slab - The outside piece of wood with attached bark cut from a log.
Fern slab - A section of the trunk of tree fern.
Foliage plants - Plants grown primarily for the beauty of their leaves and stems. Foliage plants are susceptible to cold injury, so they are usually grown indoors.
Potting mix - A material developed by combining several substances (peat, perlite, pine bark, sand, etc.) for growing plants in pots.

Footnotes

1. This document is ENH120, one of a series of the Environmental Horticulture Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date June 1996. Reviewed September 2007. Visit the EDIS Web Site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2. Robert J. Black, retired professor emeritous; Kathleen C. Ruppert, former assistant professor, Sydney Park Brown, associate professor, Environmental Horticulture Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.