Whether it's temporary because you a cutting want to root or that you choose to plant your plant for ever in the water: they both look great!
Once you realize how much fun it is to take care of plants, chances are that your house will slowly but surely turn into a real one. urban jungle. Because let's be honest, what can you do with one plant? Right. The more the better, the greener the better. And that is why we follow the latest trends in the field of plants with love. What is that? Simple: you don't put your (small) plants in the soil, but in a glass/vase with water. Looks cute, but it's also functional. We'll catch up with you.
This 'trend' has only become more popular in recent years and you have probably spotted it on Instagram by now: small plants in a mini vase with water. It doesn't necessarily 'should' be like that, but it has a function: it is the ideal way for some plants to take cuttings.
Never from cuttings heard? This is what you call it when you use a piece of a plant or flower to grow a new plant from it. It differs per plant which piece is best to use for this, but often a piece of the stem of a plant is sufficient.
Do you have a cutting got hold of? Then place it in a small vase or glass with fresh water. In this way you give your cutting the chance to root (to create carrots), so that you can put it in the soil later. Not only is this the way to go if you want to grow a plant from a cutting, but it also looks very nice. And that is precisely the reason that people sometimes choose not to put a plant in a pot, but in a vase.
Growing plants on water is called hydroponics. Before you get started, it is useful to check which plants do well here and which ones really need a little soil.
Some plants that grow well in water are:
- spoon plant
- Rosemary
- lavender
- Basil
- Anthurium
- Ivy
- Monstera
- Philodendron
- An avocado kernel
- Sage
- Geranium
- grass lily
That's not to say that there aren't many more varieties that you can easily grow in a vase with water. Do your research and check whether this is a good idea for the plant of your dreams. you never know!
Cutting on water
You can choose a cutting from this plant. You can pick this up from someone with a fully grown variant of this plant or even buy online† This is an environmentally friendly way of keeping plants because you are growing them yourself from an early age. There are no growers or kilometers of travel involved here, because you do all the work. Note: it takes a while until you have a large, full-fledged plant in this case. But believe me: it is completely worth it if you have grown a mini (piece of) plant into a beautiful, full plant.
HOW-TO:
Fill a small vase or glass with fresh water and place your cutting in it. Note: whatever cutting you use, make sure that any leaves are never submerged. If this is the case, it is better to remove those leaves.
Then it's just a matter of waiting! In most cases, a cutting without roots really takes a while to actually root, so patience is a virtue. Once your cutting has roots of a few centimeters, you can choose to plant your cutting in the soil, but letting it stand in water is – let's face it – just as much fun!
CARE
It is usually sufficient to change the water once a week. However, it is smart to see what this does to your cutting, because some species like to stand in the same water for a longer period of time. This has to do with nutrients that end up in the water (and disappear as soon as you put down a fresh vase with water).
Also good to keep an eye on is the color of your cutting. It's a bad sign if your cutting turns brown or even black. That means it's rotting and that problem won't go away on its own. The best thing to do in this case is to change the water of your cutting and clean the glass well. Cut off the brown part of your cutting with a clean (!) knife until it is completely green again. Make sure you don't touch the rotten part with your clean knife, because then your cutting could just rot again.
Plant on water
You can also choose to put a full-fledged plant in water. Buy these, for example, at the garden center or check whether there is something in a plant shelter that suits your taste.
HOW-TO:
Remove the plant from the pot you bought it in and gently wipe the soil from the roots with your hands. Carefully tap off the coarse remnants of soil and rinse the roots well.
When the roots are clean, place your plant in a transparent vase filled with water. Tip: spring water is best for this, because it contains little calcium. If you put your plant in tap water, it is best to add a little bit of plant food to it. Also in this case, make sure that there are no leaves touching the water.
CARE
In terms of care, a plant on water is very easy. You just have to keep an eye on whether there is still enough water in the vase. If there is not enough water left in your vase, top it up a bit. It is also important to change the water regularly. Do this every 3/4 weeks.
Written by: Bente Brown en Anne Berends
Source: Cosmopolitan.NL
