Growing vines (some sort of ivy?) in water only

Discussion in 'Houseplants' started by einahpets, Jun 17, 2009.

  1. einahpets

    einahpets New Seed

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    Hi all --

    My grandmother has had these really beautiful, large leafed vines that have been in the same old glass bottles for over 20 years. She changes the water/tops it off every so often. I'm not sure what these are, nor do I have a picture of them, but I would like to know what sort of houseplants would be suitable for water in a bottle thing.

    I just love the look of them. They never got too overgrown and they always look healthy and green.

    I'm open to all suggestions (including ideas about bottles, containers, etc)
     
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  3. Jewell

    Jewell Incorrigible Gardener Plants Contributor

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    I have grown philodendrens in water (with a little dirt to anchor them) in small containers, large containers and they always look great. They stay small leaved if they are grown in small containers and big if you feed them. This is a pic. of one that has been in the bathroom shelf for years in the same planter (no hole in the bottom). Oh yeh they can take no light or lots of light. :D In case you have guessed I'm crazy about them. :D

    [​IMG]
    Philodendron ( photo / image / picture from Jewell2009's Garden )
     
  4. einahpets

    einahpets New Seed

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    Yeah I just love the look of something nice and green in the house :) Especially (BIG emphasis!) if they're low maintenance lol.

    Do you ever have problems with pests? More concerned about mosquitoes. I've heard others say that the pots of water are great breeding grounds -- but grandma never had any problems with them.
     
  5. petunia

    petunia Young Pine

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    I also have a few philodendron sitting in water. I've had no problems with insects of any sort. I also start my spider plants in water. I have alot of house plants and many, many plants that I over winter in the house.
     



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  6. Jewell

    Jewell Incorrigible Gardener Plants Contributor

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    I have never had a problem with mosquito larva either. I have several planters where the plants are pretty much in water only. :p

    If you did you could use the "Mosquito Dunks". They starve the larve and are eco-friendly with Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis. :rolleyes:
     
  7. einahpets

    einahpets New Seed

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    :-D I like the idea of starving the little suckers, if I had a problem with them.

    We live in a semi-rural area and a lot of the "richies" on the hill have been evicted heh.. and left their swimming pools to rot. A good friend of my family got West Nile last year and she only lives down the street from us. That's why I'm concerned about them.
     
  8. Jewell

    Jewell Incorrigible Gardener Plants Contributor

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    If you use dirt in the pot/jar to anchor the plant, philodendrons are so hardy that letting them dry out occasionally doesn't bother them. Mine go from soaking wet (water to the top of the planter) - to dry as a bone and seem to thrive. Just brought mine home from work where they live during the school year with very little light (none on week-ends and holidays)and they are nice trailing, lush plants. You would have to worry less about mosquitos and still have the ease of growing in a wet environment.
     
  9. Joan

    Joan Seedling

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    Last summer, for the first time ever, I did have a problem with mosquito larvae in one rooting jar on my kitchen window sill. Of course that means, a mosquito had gotten into my house in order to have laid the eggs in the water. I just put the jar in the sink and ran the water into the jar until the larvae were washed away. Had to do it 3 or four days in a row as I guess I kept missing some and they would become visible later in the dense, tangled roots of whatever I was rooting (don't remember what it was.)

    But yeah, your philodendron is likely to be healthier if you grow it in a nice potting mix rather than in water.
     
  10. Redbud

    Redbud New Seed

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    Hi, I'm new to this forum. I have a couple of questions about philodendrons . I've never had any luck growing houseplants inside but my mom always had such good luck. Mine are doing alright but I would like them to be a bit thicker as well as long. I got some of those aqua globes and they really are great for keeping them watered and about once a month I add some water soluble fertilizer to the water. Any help on getting them to thicken up? Thanks!
     
  11. Jewell

    Jewell Incorrigible Gardener Plants Contributor

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    My luck with getting philodendrens to get bigger leaves and thicker stems has always seemed to be determined by the amount of sun light they get. :rolleyes:

    I don't know if others have found this to be true or not (of course a little fertilizer seems to go a long way with these plants...but I am always trying to keep mine small and in the place I want them). I bought a nice bigger leaved plant last year and set it in a low light area in the living room and its new leaves are half the size of the originals.

    They are major air cleaners (or so I read somewhere, some time...long, long ago). Hope you get yours to grow the way/size you want. :stew1:
     

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