4 Houseplants That Can Grow In Water

What is the most hassle-free way of growing plants?

 Growing plants in water.

Yes, Growing plants in water are as simple as immersing a plant cutting in water.  This technique of growing plants without soil is called hydroponics. You can use hydroponics to grow plants indoors. For this you would just need a plant and a container full of water, that’s it. Sounds easy, right?

But not all plants can thrive in water. The key to excel in this art is to identify a hydroponic plant and give it a conducive environment to grow. In this blog, I will share with you 4 house plants that can be grown in water effortlessly.

 Here is my list of 4 house plants that can grow in the water

1.   Neon Pothos

    Popular for its striking shade of green neon pothos becomes a centerpiece wherever it is kept. It is essentially a shade loving plant and is ideal to grow indoors. I picked up this plant during my visit to empress garden flower show in JAN this year. Instead of re-potting the plant I moved it to water, and it is doing exceptionally well.

 2.   Monstera Adansonii

     This plant has its own style statement and therefore adds character to the place it is kept. I started this plant from a cutting that had just two leaves. For months there was no sign of growth, but it stayed green. One day I saw a stem emerging from the middle of the leaves it had a small tangled leaf towards the end. Then one fine day the tangled leaf opened and revealed its surreal geometrical design. Succinctly, this plant grows slowly.  

 3.   Wondering Jew

    This plant is probably the easiest to maintain and hardest to kill. This plant is ideal for hanging basket setup alternately it does well in water as well. The combination of purple, green, and white comes out very well in a well-lit setup. Since I have been growing it indoors the purple color is less still, it looks good. An essential care tip for this plant is to make sure that the leaves do not dip in water else they may rot and give a foul smell eventually killing the plant.

 4.   Spider Plant

    This plant with pups is my favorite I had featured it in my previous blog on 3 low maintenance plants. I recently started growing this plant in water. I simply cut the pups from the main plant and introduced them to water. See the picture of the main plant below. 

   The pups already have small roots that help them to grow in water easily.

I have been growing these plants in water from the past 6 – 8 months and loving it. Now that we have seen the plants lets talk about installing and taking care of hydroponic plants.

How to install a plant in the water?

Once you have selected your plant installing the plant is a two-step process

Step One: Implant

A plant can be implanted in water in two ways 1. start with a plant 2. start with cutting.

The prior is easier, just pull out a plant from the soil, clean (remove the mud) the roots under tap water and dip the plant in water, its done. If you want to start with a cutting choose a healthy cutting. Cut a stem of a plant near the nodes. Make sure the stem is not too thin, thin stem may decay in water killing all hopes of germination. After inducing the stem in water just wait and watch.

Step Two: Sustain

In order to sustain it is imperative to give the plant a conducive environment for growth ,therefore find the correct spot for the plant based on its requirement. The plants I have shared above are all shade-loving plants. I grow them indoors. I have kept some in my living room, some beside my home temple, in the study, on the bedside table, and even in bathrooms.

Here are some care tips

-        Change water regularly: Freshwater comes with fresh mineral contents which are good for the plant’s growth. You can fix a day in a week to change the water and stick to the regime. I prefer changing water every Saturday. Change the water every two days if you fear insect breeding.

 -         Do not dip the leaves in water: if leaves dip in water it can easily rot and eventually kill the plant. You can easily prevent this by choosing a narrow-mouthed water container.

 -         Clean the plant: clean the plant regularly under tap water to keep it free from dust and bugs.

 -         Make sure the roots are totally submerged in water otherwise the plant may die          

 -         Use tap water, do not use water from water purifiers as it may take away some essential minerals required for plant growth. 

Plant growth in the water is slow. If you want to stimulate the growth of the plant you can add any liquid fertilizer to water albeit I do not add fertilizer to my plants. The fact that they are growing well confirms that they are receiving appropriate nutrients from water itself. Having said that the quality of water may defer from place to place so you can decide as per your requirement.

 Don’t bother yourself with the type of container to hold water, glass, terracotta, metal, plastic everything works. I do prefer keeping the plants in glass containers and decorate them with pebbles or beads just because it makes the arrangement look good.

Growing plants in water not only saves space and efforts of plant maintenance but is also the most economical way of pursuing your interest in plants. The above-listed houseplants are ideal for any home or office setup as they can sustain indoors. So, what are you waiting for?  Try this style of growing plants and share your feedback on my blog.

 This brings me to the end of my blog. Did you like my list of hydroponic plants? Which plants are on your list? Do share with me in the comment section below.