Are you looking for plants to fill your garden and flowerbeds this summer? Growing a few cuttings in water is surprisingly easy with the right varieties.
However, growing plants in water aren’t only for outdoors; you can grow them indoors in various containers, from test tubes to mason jars. Having the roots on display gives the plant an extra visual dynamic.
All you need to do is keep the water topped up as it evaporates and change it when it starts to look cloudy. Fertilizing the plants is easy, adding a few drops of liquid fertilizer directly to the water. Growing in water is a great choice for starting cuttings or growing mature plants.
This guide gives you the best plants to grow in water. We’ll also give you some handy tips for starting your first water garden.
Rubber Plant
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The rubber plant is a fast-growing tree hailing from southeast Asia and Africa. The tree grows with long branches with big green, waxy leaves, and it takes over growing spaces in the yard quickly. Its rapid growth makes it to heights of eight to ten feet in a pot and twenty or more when planted directly in the ground.
Fortunately, vigorous plant growth means that it’s easy to take cuttings from the tree. However, when taking your cutting, make sure you’re wearing medical or kitchen gloves. The stems emit latex when cut, and the waxy substance will get all over your hands. In most cases, the raw latex from the plant causes irritation and inflammation on unprotected skin.
Rubber plants grow slower in water than they do in soil, but they still grow. Take a stem cutting around six to eight inches in length, at a 45-degree angle to the branch. Remove the leaves from the bottom half of the cutting.
Place the cutting in a glass jar in an area inside the home that gets indirect sunlight. You’ll see small roots emerge from the cutting in around three to four months. After the roots appear, you can transfer them to a soil-based container or continue growing in water.
Chinese Evergreen
The Chinese Evergreen is a great choice for growing in water. This plant is tolerant of low-light growing conditions, requiring little maintenance for the plant to thrive. If you’re looking for carefree water gardening, then the Chinese Evergreen is a great choice.
The Chinese Evergreen makes for an excellent indoor plant for dorm rooms, kitchens, or the office. It comes in several varieties, with the foliage displaying different patterns between species. The leaves also come in a range of spectacular colors, from yellows and reds to pink and white.
For growing in water, clip 6-inch cuttings from the stems and place them in test tubes, vases, or glass containers. Keep the plant and container out of direct sunlight. The plant should establish roots in three to four months.
Devil’s Ivy
The Devil’s Ivy also goes by the moniker of the “golden pothos.” This vine grows vigorously, produced heart-shaped leaves with variegated patterns in yellow and green colors. As a vining variety, it grows readily in soil but slower in water.
You can take cuttings from the vine and place them in a glass jar or vase with some water, out of the direct sunlight.
The plant’s vines trail down the sides of the container as it grows, making it the ideal choice for a wall mount or placement on a shelf where the vines can hang. The Devil’s Ivy also grows vertically, providing it has some form of trellis for support.
Dumb Cane
The dumb cane, or “Dieffenbachia,” is a popular plant for growing indoors. The plant also grows in water, producing beautiful variegated leaves in a range of colors, from cream and green to purple and red.
This plant is happy growing in soil or water, and it’s easy to start your plant using a 6-inch cutting taken from the plant’s main stem. The low-maintenance requirement of the dumb cane means that you can just leave it alone to do its thing and benefit from the results.
However, like the rubber tree, the dumb cane can cause issues with irritation when handling the plant. Make sure you use some kitchen or medical gloves to protect yourself from the plant’s natural defenses.
Spider Plant
The Spider Plant is another great choice for indoor water-based growing. The spider plant is a popular choice due to its “air-scrubbing” effects in cleaning out the air in the room. These plants produce arched foliage, with variegated and non-variegated leaves that cascade to the sides of the plants.
You get yellow, cream, and green colors in the leaves, with low maintenance requirements during the growing season. As the spider plant grows, it creates “pups” on the sides of the bae of the plant. Gardeners can clip off these pups and grow them in water.
The Spider Plant grows well in water long-term, and you can plant it out whenever you like. It takes a few years for the plants to reach maturity in water, but they’ll start producing more pups when they do. If you’re growing in water long-term, make sure you change the water when it starts looking cloudy.
Lucky Bamboo
Lucky Bamboo has a bamboo-like appearance, but it’s actually a variety of Dracaena. Lucky Bamboo features long, thick stalks arranged in a bundle of two canes, with others braided or woven into intricate designs and shapes.
The Lucky Bamboo is gaining popularity in interior design, and you’ll often see it used as a table dressing in high-end restaurants, with the canes presented in a glass jar.
The Lucky Bamboo also requires minimal maintenance, and it grows without any hassle. They thrive in water, and you can plant them in glass vases with pebbles to support the stems before filling the container with water. Feed the plants some liquid fertilizer once a month to keep them growing.
English Ivy
The ivy is a climbing vine variety, and we’ve already discussed the benefits of growing Devil’s Ivy in water. English Ivy is another creeping variety that a good choice for growing in water. The vine is so hardy that some gardeners view it as more problematic than beneficial.
Outdoor ivy plants can get invasive, and they need space to roam. It’s common for the plants to cover walls or trees, creating a thick ground cover for the yard.
To grow your English Ivy in water, take a cutting around four to six inches from the stem. Remove the bottom leaves from the stem and place the cutting in a glass vase with water. You should see new roots appear on the cutting in two to three months.
We recommend avoiding taking your cutting from the woody parts of the plants. Woody stems don’t root as fast as other softer parts of the ivy. The plant suits growing in temperatures above 70 F, so keep the plant away from draughts and cold areas.
Coleus
The Coleus plant comes in a variety of intricate patterns, spectacular colors, and different sizes. The plants do well in shady areas, making them ideal for growing indoors in indirect sunlight. They also make a great plant for growing in water.
Take a six to eight-inch cutting from the mother plant, and place it in a jar or vase of water. It takes around three months for the cuttings to root, at which you can keep growing them in water or plant them out into the garden.
These cool-weather plants are a great choice for colder climates, and they flower in the late fall. Make sure you keep your cuttings out of direct sunlight.
Begonia
The begonia is another plant that does well in container growing indoors. It’s also a variety that’s easy to grow in water. The plant thrives in shady spots in the garden, making it an excellent candidate for water growing.
The plants have succulent stems with fleshy, waxy foliage. The leaves come in colors of deep green, white, silver, red, and pink. Home gardeners will have the best success with growing the Angelwing, Wax, and Tubular plant varieties.
Sweet Potato Vine
The sweet potato vine is another excellent choice for indoor growing in water. This trailing plant produces vines growing up to five feet in length. The Sweet Potato Vine grows vigorously, featuring lime-green foliage with a heart-shaped design.
There are several cultivars of the Sweet Potato Vine, and all of them produce leaves with spectacular designs and colors. The leaf color found on cultivars can range from purple to burgundy and even bronze.
Take a cutting around six to eight inches from the main node on the stem and place it in a vase of water. It takes the plant three to four months to root, and you have the option of keeping it in water or planting it in the garden.
Geranium
The Geranium is one of the classic annuals found in flowerbeds across the United States. These plants are great to start indoors in water before planting them out into the garden in the early spring after the frost passes.
Clip the stems of your favorite varieties, taking around a five to seven-inch length off the plant. Cut it just below the main leaf node, where the roots form. Place the cutting in a vase of water and change the water every other week for the best results with your Geraniums.
Choosing a Container for Your Water Garden
When growing in water indoors, we recommend selecting a clear glass or plastic container for your cuttings. The clear design makes it easy to check on the health of the cutting, new root growth, and water condition.
There are several glass containers suitable for growing your cutting indoors.
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Glass Vase
The glass vase is the classic option. It makes for an attractive display piece, and you can pick them up in a wide variety of designs. Some glassblowers also produce vases in different color glass, allowing you to match it with your interior décor. We suggest choosing a vase with a narrow neck to help you position the cutting upright.
Mason Jar
A classic mason jar is all you really need for your cuttings. Chances are you probably have more than a few of them in your kitchen. Put the jars to work and fill them with your favorite cuttings this growing season.
Glassware
Using old glassware for your container is fine. If you have old chipped tumblers, zombies, or highballs, they work well as temporary vases to let your cuttings root before panting them out into the garden.
Test tube
Some gardening brands produce test tube kits designed specifically for growing cuttings in water. They have the ideal length and diameter for keeping the plant upright. Often, these test tube kits come with a wooden or plastic stand for easy display of your plants.
Wall Vessels and Vases
Since your cuttings don’t need sunlight to grow, you can place some varieties in-wall vessels and vases. Cascading varieties like the spider plant, ivy, and others look fantastic when they start hanging down from the container.
How to Grow Plants in Water – A Quick Guide
Growing some plants in water is easy. All you need is a pair of cutting shears or scissors and a glass container. It’s an easy method for propagating various plants, providing consistent results. Here are a few tips to help you start with taking your cuttings and growing them in water.
- Take fresh cuttings from the mother plant.
- Take a four to eight-inch cutting length, depending on the plant and recommendations.
- You can use cuttings from outdoor plants or a friend’s garden.
- The cutting should have several leaves, which you’ll cut back before placing them in water. Only the top half of the cutting should have any leaves.
- Take your cutting just below the leaf node; it’s the best place to enhance root growth.
- Place the cutting in a glass vase or container, and fill it with fresh water.
- Change the water every week for the best growing conditions for your cutting.
