DO I have to pot the 'newly rooted houseplant cuttings' with dirt

12 years ago

Please Help me with this ......

DO I have to pot the 'newly rooted house plant cuttings' with dirt when its doing so well with new roots growing on the 'cuttings' in a jar of water ?

or CAN I continue to leave 'any rooted plant cuttings' in a jar of water (with rocks/pebbles/marbles) ... etc ? what would happen if I leave the rooted plant in water indefinitely ?

so far - most readings from the net were always advice to pot it with dirt after the cuttings have roots.....

I don't mind if the only negative impact is 'slow growth' - I rather have a small, slow growth plant than a dead one ....

Some background info - I know the main reason of being a 'black thumb' myself is watering problem.....

I always either 'over' or 'under' water the plant .... I'm on my 5th 'snake plant' or 'mother-in-law's tongue' .... hope this one survives !

However - I will not give up or give in and I will continue to learn how to turn my black thumbs green....

and when I did some research on the net to improve my gardening skill at a low cost. I think 'cuttings' like spider plant from my friends could be the lowest cost option.

Then it dawn on me - why do I pot and kill the perfectly rooted baby plant with dirt... how about just move the rooted plant to a better jar with ornaments like rocks/pebbles...etc instead.

This way - I will never have to worry about 'watering' frequency, as the plant will always at the same waterline in the jar or glass - right ?

(eg: I saved a last bit of my last (4th!) 'snake plant' by removing the dirt off the mostly dead plant and left the last bit of green snake plant 'shoot' in a jar of water... its now a month and I see some tiny roots showing at the bottom of the plant, I really don't want to pot it back with dirt and kill it again ..... may be I should continue to leave it in the water and see .... )

Thanks for any comments /suggestions to help turn my black thumbs green ..... soon I hope !!

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Comments (17)

kayjones
12 years ago
It depends on the plant. Many plants can grow forever in water, as long as you change the water if it gets cruddy. I also think a very slight amount of fertilizer would help. I once grew a Philodendron in water for 20+ years. I changed its water when the level got low, put in a couple of drops of fertilizer when I remembered, and it spanned a 40' wall. I remember changing the container once every year or so - the root system will get very large, but they can be trimmed a bit.

Airplane plants can be done this was, as can members of the arrowhead family. Do a google.com search of plants that grow in water indefinitely - the list will give you ideas.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
12 years ago
do you think you will have any better luck learning hydroponics as compared to waterings????

if so.. google it ... and learn ...

water has no nutrients.. so you better figure out how whatever it is going to flourish ....

or go zen .. i basically gave up on houseplants.. due to the watering issue... why do you keep doing it.. if it doesnt hold your interest enough to succeed ... in other words.. if its just not your thing.. then why keep setting yourself up for failure .... ooohhhmmmmm

good luck

ken
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There's an important clue in James' post that shouldn't be overlooked. It's impossible to have a healthy plant w/o healthy roots. James' plants have healthy roots because of the soils he uses are well-aerated and drain freely. Your soil choice is also what determines what is appropriate insofar as what size container you choose. For instance, it may be entirely inappropriate to pot a freshly rooted cutting in a 1 gallon container of Miracle-Gro or any number of other highly water-retentive soils marketed as container soils; while it may be entirely appropriate to plant a fresh cutting in a 3 gallon pot or larger, filled with a soil that supports no (or very little) perched water. Something I wrote about what determines appropriate pot size. Most of it should be on the mark, but forgive me if it doesn't address the question directly in all its parts: How large a container can or should be, depends on the relationship between the mass of the plant material you are working with and your choice of soil. We often concern ourselves with "over-potting" (using a container that is too large), but "over-potting" is a term that arises from a lack of a basic understanding about the relationship we will look at, which logically determines appropriate container size. It's often parroted that you should only move up one container size when "potting-up". The reasoning is, that when potting up to a container more than one size larger, the soil will remain wet too long and cause root rot issues, but it is the size/mass of the plant material you are working with, and the physical properties of the soil you choose that determines both the upper & lower limits of appropriate container size - not a formulaic upward progression of container sizes. In many cases, after root pruning a plant, it may even be appropriate to step down a container size or two, but as you will see, that also depends on the physical properties of the soil you choose. Plants grown in slow (slow-draining/water-retentive) soils need to be grown in containers with smaller soil volumes so that the plant can use water quickly, allowing air to return to the soil before root issues beyond impaired root function/metabolism become a limiting factor. We know that the anaerobic (airless) conditions that accompany soggy soils quickly kill fine roots and impair root function/metabolism. We also know smaller soil volumes and the root constriction that accompany them cause plants to both extend branches and gain o/a mass much more slowly - a bane if rapid growth is the goal - a boon if growth restriction and a compact plant are what you have your sights set on. Conversely, rampant growth can be had by growing in very large containers and in very fast soils where frequent watering and fertilizing is required - so it's not that plants rebel at being potted into very large containers per se, but rather, they rebel at being potted into very large containers with a soil that is too slow and water-retentive. This is a key point. We know that there is an inverse relationship between soil particle size and the height of the perched water table (PWT) in containers. As particle size increases, the height of the PWT decreases, until at about a particle size of just under 1/8 inch, soils will no longer hold perched water. If there is no perched water, the soil is ALWAYS well aerated, even when the soil is at container capacity (fully saturated). So, if you aim for a soil (like the gritty mix) composed primarily of particles larger than 1/16", there is no upper limit to container size, other than what you can practically manage. The lower size limit will be determined by the soil volume's ability to allow room for roots to 'run' and to furnish water enough to sustain the plant between irrigations. Bearing heavily on this ability is the ratio of fine roots to coarse roots. It takes a minimum amount of fine rootage to support the canopy under high water demand. If the container is full of large roots, there may not be room for a sufficient volume of the fine roots that do all the water/nutrient delivery work and the coarse roots, too. You can grow a very large plant in a very small container if the roots have been well managed and the lion's share of the rootage is fine. You can also grow very small plants, even seedlings, in very large containers if the soil is fast (free-draining and well-aerated) enough that the soil holds no, or very little perched water. I have just offered clear illustration that the oft repeated advice to 'only pot up one size at a time', only applies when using heavy, water-retentive soils. Those using well-aerated soils are not bound by the same restrictions. Al
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enquiringmind
Original Author
12 years ago
Kayjones - thanks for your comments, and its great to know that your Philodendron lasted 20+ years in the water .... that is encouraging..... I will try with few drops of fertilizer once a while...
my current thinking is to experiment with spider plant and ivy plant cuttings ....
Ken_Adrian - LOL .... yes, as you mentioned - sometime I almost gave up on house plant myself.... BUT - when one plant does survived and show growth, don't know about you.... but the joy and satisfaction I experienced was just immense.... with the side benefit of 'healthier air for the home' .....
Also thanks for the suggestion, I will google 'hydroponics' vs 'watering' and will experiment with it .......
Yes - I sort of 'understand' water has no nutritional value, however - if what Kayjones suggested with what she did (few drops of fertilizer once a while) is also hold true for me, then its worth while to try and see it for myself ..... 20+ years is not bad !
Thanks !
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
12 years ago
the other thing.. is to get away from the rainforest type plants.. those that want water/moisture .. humidity.. etc..

and move toward the cactus type plants.. which you can near forget about for the whole winter...

look into jade plants.. especially the variegated.. and xmas cactus.. as well as any other cacti ... spider plants also take a lot of abuse

at least its something green in house ....

my biggest problem is the forced air furnace.. and how low the humidity gets in the house.. with a lot of what i call the rainforest plants ... its just too dry ... then of course.. we forget to water them ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: check this out
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
12 years ago
i meant to explain ...

soil is mother earth ... and should NEVER be used in the house ...

pots are filled with media .... which is engineered for various purposed.. to hold or shed water.. according to the needs of the plant in the pot.. and where the plant will be held... e.g. greenhouse.. outdoors.. or in your house ...

DIRT.. is what is all over you.. when you are done... playing in the soil.. or the media ...

if you are using soil in the house.. you will fail ...

if not.. then there are a myriad of media available.. which could make your houseplant care much easier ....

that and getting plants that are adaptable to your concentration level ...

ken
enquiringmind
Original Author
12 years ago
hi ken_adrian - excellent points listed ..... and thanks ..... I also read some hits from the google search on 'hydroponic vs watering' on plants per your suggestion ....
my guess is - I won't be doing any of the hydroponic techniques as listed there...
yes - I tried cactus and failed....
yes - I should of ask you a few years ago when I tried to use up some leftover 'top soil' from the front yard... I figured if its good for grass and flower bed, so why not house plants ....... ie: now that you pointed out ....
however - I am trying/experimenting something different myself and see if I can visually 'see' if I need to water the plant rather than to guess if the 'potted plant' needs water......
(yes - I know, I don't need to guess is I get an 'meter' or test the top 2 inches with my fingers and all that .... - and that's not my preference ...)
Anyway - I'm experimenting a few house plants since boxing day and so far so good.... guess I will have more result to report in a few weeks !!
Wish me luck - am sure I will need it ! thanks again for sharing .....
calinromania
12 years ago
LOL enq.
Is there a darker color than black... for your thumbs?
:)
enquiringmind
Original Author
12 years ago
LOL cali.... yes there is ....
it is the 'color of death'.... much darker than black ... once its on your thumbs... it takes years to wash it off...
Thanks for asking ....... :-)
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
12 years ago
do dementors swirl around your black thumb???

lol

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: they tried to such the life out of harry potter....
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
12 years ago
enquiring mind, what kind of plant is growing in the water?
enquiringmind
Original Author
12 years ago
hi rhizo - am not sure of the name of the plant, here is a link to the pictures of my houseplants, where some are just in a glass jar with pebbles and river rocks at the bottom. (the one in a round glass was the last 2 pieces of surviving snake plants dying in the pot, I washed and left them in the water, so far - there are few roots showing and it's been in that glass jar for the last few months and surviving.... )

Here is a link that might be useful: Dave's Houseplants
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
12 years ago
Regarding the watering of plants... The next time you have a potted plant, make sure the bottom of the pot has at least 1 hole, take it to the sink and give it a thorough watering, so that water runs out of the hole(s). When it stops dripping, pick it up and note how heavy it feels. Note the turgidity and stance of the leaves. Then look at the plant and feel the leaves at least every other day for signs of wilting. When you determine that wilt has begun, pick up the plant again. Now you have a gauge. When the plant is slightly heavier than what you are holding now, it is ready for a drink. And now you also have a basic time frame for how long this takes but you will still water by the heft of the pot, not by the calendar since factors like humidity, temperature, and eventually the growth of the plant will alter the time frame. So, as you see, the best answer to "when should I water my plant?" is "right before it wilts." For a plant like snake plant, the wilting is not a factor you can use, but most plants will wilt, which is akin to a person first laying down on a death bed. Ideally, when the plant is thirsty, it will get a chance for thorough watering at the sink, and allowed to drip out. If you have the space and forethought, water that has had a chance to sit overnight will have the chlorine evaporated out of it, and is much more appreciated by your plants.

Lots of cuttings can grow for years in water, or in ordinary yard dirt in a pot in the house. I've done both. Although some will grow noticeably bigger, I wouldn't say that most water-bound cuttings actually grow much, most are in more of a state of suspended animation. The worst thing that can happen really is you get lime scale on the jar or glass, so just don't use one of granny's antique wine glasses. If you want to try more like that, look at just about any non-woody plant trailing out of a hanging basket. Most of those will root and grow in water, and most of their owners would gladly break off a piece for you.
enquiringmind
Original Author
12 years ago
hey Purpleinopp - thanks for all the hints and tips ...
yes - I am doing the water sit overnight thing...
yes - I am trying the cuttings from non-woody plants like golden pothos and spidy plants. so far - one of my pothos doing well, spidy is not too good...
Also - my 2 surviving pieces of snake plants is still sitting in a jar of water and small baby roots are still growing slowing. Therefore I plan to let them grow in just a jar of water a bit longer and see what happens !
mmmm - weighting the plant after its totally 'soaked' vs 'almost dry to the bone' sure sounds like an interesting exercise ....
carino2010
12 years ago
enquiringmind, I really don't believe anyone has a "black thumb" rather. you could suffer from what I call eyeclorosis. This is when one looks at a plant, the eye cannot see what the plant is telling them. Or, perhaps one can call it earclorosis. this is when one cannot hear what the plant is trying to tell them.

One cure is to place the plant in front of you, turn it around slowly and look at each individual leaf, stem, or bud. after awhile, you will know how the plant is feeling. You must also listen because the plant will convey subtle hints as to what you need to do to help it.

My wife tells me that I pay more attention to my plants than her. This could be true LOL.
enquiringmind
Original Author
12 years ago
hey carino - you are absolutely correct ....
I am both eyeclorosis and earclorosis...
btw - I can sit and stared / listened patiently in front of a plant for hours and still came out 'clueless' ... hey - what do you expect from a " PLANT-deaf, dumb and blind " person .....
However - one thing I did learn after so many failed attempts is .... I will buy/get a different plant each time when one passed away... at the end of day... I have a few that 'grow well in my home under my unique personal care ' ......
yes - my wife felt the same way.....
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
12 years ago
Good attitude, keep trying, learning & having fun!
enquiringmind
Original Author
12 years ago
yes - purpleinopp - I'm sure are learning a lot and having fun......
guess my most satisfying experience was....
About 2 months ago I bought a 'dying corn plant' for 2 dollars from a local Walmart,
and the shop keeper ensured me that IF I can not revive that corn plant and die on me,
they will 100% fully refund that 2 dollars, - needless to say, I bought it on the spot .......
After I got home, I trimmed, re-potted and watered the plant immediately .....
I am happy to report that after 2 months and it is still alive !
Guess things like that is what keeps me continue .....

DO I have to pot the 'newly rooted houseplant cuttings' with dirt

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