The following plants, when grown hydroponically, can be used for botanical decor or to propagate your existing houseplant collection. Just make sure to change the water every two to four weeks and use a water-soluble fertilizer when necessary.
How to Grow Plants in Water
Many indoor plants can be grown by propagating a cutting in a water-only medium in almost any vessel that will hold water. Glass vases are atheistically pleasing, as they allow you to see the plant’s roots. However, glass is prone to algae blooms, so opt for an opaque vase if you’re the low-maintenance type. Make sure to check your plant’s light requirements before you give it a home on a windowsill, as different types of plants will need different amounts of exposure to sunlight. Once propagated, change the water every two to four weeks (make sure that it’s chlorine-free) and fertilize your plant with a water-soluble fertilizer at 1/4 strength. Choose young, healthy African violet leaves to start new plants. Cut the leaf with about two inches of stem, and place the leaf in a narrow-necked bottle that keeps the leaf suspended and dry. Roots take about a month to form. Over time a tiny plantlet will form, complete with its own crown. Pinch off a cluster of stems, with or without roots, and watch how easily this plant adapts to growing in water. Because baby’s tears plants grow so many leaves along their stems, leaves that are constantly submerged may begin to rot. Change the water weekly to remove any leaves floating in the water, and allow the water level to drop once roots are well-formed and deliver moisture to the plant. Practice with hardy wax begonias, which have very knobby leaf nodes that form roots easily. Even the fancy rex begonias and tuberous begonias will grow in water, and only a single leaf is necessary to start a whole new plant. Roots may take a couple of months to form, and it’s wise to perform weekly water changes to prevent bacteria that can lead to rot. As coleus plants have grown in popularity, their prices have increased accordingly. Still, coleus plants are easy to propagate and grow in water, allowing you to create a colony of handsome coleus houseplants. Take a six-inch cutting, and remove the leaves from the bottom four inches. Place the cutting in a glass or vase of water, and you will see roots begin to form in several weeks. Adding a bit of compost tea to the water during monthly changes will help your coleus plants thrive. Snip off a few stems at the end of the growing season, and overwinter them in a vase, where they will root and grow as clones of the parent plant. You’ll have a free supply of impatiens in the spring to start your shade garden. Growers often train the stalks of lucky bamboo into spirals or woven shapes, and while these extensions don’t affect the plant’s ability to grow in water, plants may become very top-heavy and require more than just water to stay in place. Surround your lucky bamboo stand with colorful gravel or rocks, adding to the ornamental value and providing some support. An established philodendron won’t mind donating several of its stems to water cultivation, and they look charming scattered about in vases of different sizes and colors. Philodendron plants grow in all light situations, but if it seems like there is more stem than leaf growth on your plants, brighter lighting will produce more leaves. Look closely at the leaf nodes along a spiderwort stem, and you’ll see root nubs waiting to grow. Add some stems to a mason jar or vase of water, and you will soon have spiderwort babies to add to your collection. Spiderwort is an aggressive grower and needs to be pruned regularly, especially when gown in a water-only medium. If left untended, the plant may grow top-heavy and topple out of its vase. This trailing vine with pointed, heart-shaped green leaves hails from the South Pacific. Its leaves are sometimes variegated with white, yellow, or pale green striations. Pothos grows quickly; it can grow over a foot in a month. To grow it in water, cut a healthy 6-inch stem from a healthy Chinese evergreen plant using a sterilized pruner or snips. The bottom half of the stem should go in the water. Remove the bottom leaves under the water line. Roots should appear in three to four weeks. Put the plant in indirect sunlight and change the water every three days or so when the water becomes dirty or cloudy. Give the plant a few drops of water-soluble, liquid fertilizer monthly to encourage growth. Ivy plant cuttings are easy to root in water, usually taking about two to three weeks for roots to appear. Trim off any bottom leaves and place your cutting in a jar on a well-lit window sill. Cuttings root quickly. Change out the water every three to five days. Add fertilizer to the water once a month. Keep the plant in bright, indirect light. Never let the leaves fall into the water. Roots should be the only submerged part of the plant. Add rocks to the bottom of the glass for roots to grab onto. Remove all leaves below the water line. Change the water every week, especially If you have a clear glass container; the light will encourage algae to grow. By 60 days, the plant will have developed a complete root system. It prefers bright, indirect light and temperatures between 60 and 80 F. During the growing season in spring and summer, give dracaena liquid fertilizer every two weeks, at 1/4 the recommended strength on the package instructions. Many people use small, narrow vases for peace lilies grown in water, but you can also use a simple tall glass. If necessary, create a mouth stopper to hold the stem in place at the mouth of the container. Unroot the plant from its pot, and clean off the roots with running water. Submerge the plant in water up to the roots only. Replace the water as the water line goes down. Completely change the water once every two weeks. Place the plant in a spot that gets bright, indirect light. Fertilize the plant with hydroponic fertilizer, a few drops during water changes. Ideal temperatures for the plant are 65 to 85 F. You can transfer an established plant with roots into a container with water or take a stem cutting and submerge the newly cut stem into the water. The stem will form roots after several weeks. To replace the nutrients the plant is missing from soil or rainwater, give the plant houseplant or hydroponics fertilizer once a month. Change the water every two weeks or sooner if the water appears murky. The plant’s root structure grows below the muddy surface, sending a stem above the water’s surface. You can replicate this growing method using a dwarf lotus plant in a shallow, 6-inch bowl with pea gravel as the substrate to hold down the rhizome (root). Provide hydroponic nutrients during the regular growing season; stop fertilizer during the dormant months (winter). Change the water every few weeks when it looks like it’s about to get murky. The plant can survive in bright, full sun, with temperatures above 32 F. Anything below freezing can kill the plant. For long-term growth in water, rosemary will need hydroponic fertilizer. Place the plant in a bright window. You can maintain mint this way for some time with occasional drops of hydroponic fertilizer. When cultivated in water, they don’t grow as quickly as they do in soil, but with fertilizer every few weeks during the growing season, they will grow beautifully. Grow it in indirect, bright light and maintain it in an environment between 65 and 80 F. You will need to change the water every few weeks and rinse the roots off, removing any algae growth. Arrowhead plants can easily grow in water. Clip a mature, healthy stem below a node, which appears like a bump on the stem. Put the cut end in the water. Roots will start growing within weeks. Change the water once a week, place the plant in bright, indirect light, and keep it in a room between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. You can grow roots from a stem cutting placed in water or half-suspend the tuber (root structure) with its pointy end down, using toothpicks around the rim of the jar to prop up the top half of the tuber above the water. Roots can form within 10 days to two weeks. Keep the water level constant. Refill the water every few weeks to discourage algae, mold, or bacteria from growing. Forcing them to bloom indoors is as easy as putting the bulbs in a water dish with some stones or marbles to anchor them. Paperwhites will bloom for a week or two before fading. The flowers will last longer in a cooler spot with dappled light. If growing them in water, change the water weekly and give the plant water-soluble plant food. As a South American understory plant, it only needs dim, indirect light. Unroot an alocasia from its soil and wash the dirt off the roots. Submerge the roots only. Change the plant’s water every week and provide indirect sunlight. Feed the plant fertilizer every three weeks. Take a 5 to 8-inch cutting from a healthy plant. Remove the bottom leaves, and put the cutting in a clean glass jar or vase with some pebbles. Place the plant near bright, filtered sunlight. The cuttings will form roots in 10-14 days. Give the plant water-soluble fertilizer every three weeks. To cultivate these plants in water, take a 5 to 10-inch cutting from a healthy, established plant with at least two nodes (bumps along the stem) and about five to six leaves on the end. Add a few drops of fertilizer to the water once a month, or use a foliar fertilizer sprayed on the leaves. Keep the plant in indirect sunlight; the bright sun can burn its leaves. Keep the plant warmer than 68 F. Any colder, and the plant can start to fail. Don’t let it get hotter than 75 F for a sustained length of time. Replenish water, keeping it at a constant level. Change all the water once every week or two. Give a very weak dose of fertilizer with every water change, but only for a few hours, then change out the water again. Also, ensure no leaves are below the water line; they will rot. Orchids may need supports or ties to keep the branches upright. This plant is not an aquatic species, so it’s not its natural habitat and will not thrive in water, but it can live there with hydroponic fertilizer every three weeks. Change the plant’s water every two to three weeks. They prefer bright indirect light for several hours a day, but keep them out of direct sunlight because it can burn the leaves and encourage algae growth in the water. Top off any water that evaporates and change the water whenever it looks murky. Clean the roots once a month and clip away any brown or rotting roots. Use hydroponic fertilizer to feed your monstera once or twice a month. You can transfer an established plant with roots into a container with water or take a stem cutting and submerge the newly cut stem into the water. The stem will form roots after several weeks. To replace the nutrients the plant is missing from soil or rainwater, give the plant hydroponic fertilizer once a month. Change the water every two weeks or sooner if the water appears murky. Dieffenbachia likes partial sun exposure and will grow well in the middle of the room on a coffee table, or in any room in your home with filtered sunlight. Change dieffenbachia’s water regularly to refresh its oxygen content and pull out any leaves that fall into the vase. Dieffenbachia can easily be repotted when it grows out of its vessel—simply move the plant to a bigger vase. Croton likes direct sunlight from a nearby window, so make sure to grow it in a south- or west-facing window of your home. Change a croton’s water regularly, and make sure to give it a light fertilization every few weeks. Croton is finicky about temperature and like things warm. Make sure to grow it in a room above 60 F that is free of drafts. Fiddle leaf fig likes bright, filtered sunlight and needs to be turned every few days so that different leaves get consistent sun exposure. If it’s not rotated, it tends to lean towards one side, usually the side that gets more sun. This plant’s large leaves make it top-heavy, so make sure the vase or jar you use is extremely sturdy. Filtered sunlight will allow your string of hearts to grow abundantly and produce magenta flowers. So, place this plant nearby a window, out of direct sunlight. String of hearts grown in soil dislikes overwatering, so make sure that only the roots of the plant are submerged in water to prevent rotting. Change the water every two weeks and provide a diluted liquid fertilizer regularly.
