You usually think of placing cut flowers in water and plants in a pot. But certain plants can also be grown in water, completely without soil! This is currently very on-trend and reveals completely different side of them. Would you like to know which plants will grow in water and how this works? This article tells you all about it.

What is hydroponics?

Hydroponics is a form of hydroculture where plants are grown in water instead of hydro grains. One kind of hydroponics involves rinsing off all the soil from the roots and placing the plant in water. Anthuriums are perfectly suited for this. Hold the roots of an Anthurium plant under running lukewarm water until all the soil is rinsed away. This is done to prevent the roots from starting to rot in the water. Then fill a beautiful glass vase with water and place the Anthurium plant in it. This lets you enjoy watching the root of the plant grow, and you won’t have to water nearly so often. Pretty and practical, too!

Also read: 4 DIY ideas that use anthurium flowers and plants

Which plants will grow in water?

Unfortunately, not all plants are suitable for hydroponics, but many are. This is a selection of them:

  • Anthurium
  • Ivy
  • Monstera
  • Philodendron
  • Avocado seed
  • Basil
  • Rosemary
  • Lavender
  • Sage

How to grow your Anthurium in water

To give your Anthurium the hydroponic treatment, start by removing the plant from its pot and gently shake as much of the soil from the root ball as you can. Then wiggle your fingers through the roots to remove more soil. Finally, rinse the remaining soil away under the tap and into a bucket. The plant can then be placed in a vase filled with water (preferably rainwater) until the roots are completely immersed. Plants prefer rainwater to tap water because rainwater is softer (it contains less calcium and salts) and is thus better for them. The result is quite a trendy version of the plant. And not only trendy, either, because you can also watch the roots grow. You can order an Anthurium in water here.

Photo: Bakker.com

Care tips

While a plant grown hydroponically requires watering less often, that doesn’t mean you can entirely eliminate the need to care for it. When topping up its water, it’s best to use mineral water since the plant needs these minerals to grow properly. This also prevents limescale from forming in the vase.

Replace the water once every four weeks; during this time, make sure that the vase always contains enough water. You could add a few drops of houseplant fertiliser to the water to enhance the colour of the leaves. The best place for the plant would be where it receives light but not direct sunlight.

Also read: How should I care for my Anthurium?