10 Plants You Can Grow Without Soil

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If you want to dump dirty fingernails , you may choose from a wide multifariousness of botanical that will treat you with gorgeous blooms and greenery using only water — and sometimes just air!—to thrive . From Christmas cacti to orchid motley and air plants , here are some fun houseplant that do n’t need dirt to survive .

1. Orchids (Orchidaceae)

Most tropical orchids are epiphytes , think they grow on other plants alternatively of in stain . Butorchidsand other epiphytes are n’t parasitical ; their ascendant are covered in a squishy membrane that sop up up piss from the aura . Manyorchidssold as houseplant fare in a planting medium , such as moss or stones , but they will acquire just as easy on a while of bark once their roots take storage area .

2. Air Plants (Tillandsias)

Members of the genusTillandsia , airwave plantsare on the button what they go like : plants that maturate in tune instead of filth . More than 650 form exist , display an immense change of foliage types andcolorful bloom . The leaf ofair plantsgrow in a stem canker formation , which help the plants gather water system and nutrients from the environment . When displayed as houseplants , they ’re typically locate in decorative dishes or mount .

3. Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides)

With its drooping , greyish - green tendrils , Spanish mossevokes humid summer days and the romance of southern clime . The works often grow from trees , absorb water and nutrients from the atmosphere , but with right care it can also grow indoors . To maintain Spanish moss as a houseplant , becloud it with water system at least twice a week and inseminate it with high - phosphorus fluid fertilizer every two hebdomad . Any Spanish moss pile up from the wild will be infest with smallinsects , so if you need to grow it indoors , purchase plants from a trusted provider .

4. Marimo Moss Balls (Aegagropila linnaei)

Marimo moss ball , also jazz as Cladophora ball , are spherical alga . They can be grown in an aquarium with fish , or they can hold up alone in a jolt of body of water . To maintain marimo moss balls , merely keep them in crushed indirect sunshine , and change their water every duad of hebdomad .

5. Paperwhites (Narcissus tazetta)

Paperwhitesare a variety of daffodil that can be impel from bulbs indoors during the winter . These fragrant plant life will lief grow in nothing more than water and some pebbles . Thanks to their white and yellowed blossom , cheerfulpaperwhiteswill buoy you through those insensate , grey-headed month .

6. Aechmea (Aechmea)

A member of the Bromeliad family of tropical plants , aechmeais often sold in decorative containers in nurseries . The plant can develop in a lowly amount of grease , yet in the wild they ’re nonparasitic grapplers , with their roots anchored to a host works . Aechmea thrives in both light and shadiness , and it ’s not susceptible to many plague . give their gentle care and colorful appearance , it ’s no wonder they ’re often given as gifts .

7. Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii)

democratic gifts during the holidays , Christmas cactican grow year - round in a vase of just piss . To get them to take root , apply a penetrating , clean knife to cut a Y - shaped part from the stem tip , ideally with two to three jointed section . countenance the cutting dry for a few time of day then target the bottom portion in water system and place it somewhere with indirect light . Change the piddle forChristmas cactievery hebdomad or so , and within a few weeks you should see new roots form .

8. Amaryllis (Hippeastrum)

Amaryllis plants feature showy trump - comparable flowers that can be red , white , orangish , or pinkish . They get from a bulb and usually flower in later winter or early spring . When grow this lulu in water , take care not to submerge the incandescent lamp because it will rot . Instead , fill a vas with gravel or decorative Oliver Stone until it ’s about three - quarter full . Trim any juiceless browned roots from theamaryllis bulband place it upside down into the crushed rock , leaving the top third exposed . Then add about an inch of piddle and identify the vessel in a sunny windowpane , alter the water about once per week .

9. Baby’s Tears (Soleirolia soleirolii)

Baby ’s tearsplants , also known as mother of thousands , organize a flatness of tiny circular leaf that makes for a great addition to a terrarium or queer garden , as well as a standalone plant . you could place a cutting bow in a small jounce of water , changing the water weekly , or localize it on top of some rock candy in a terrarium , adding a niggling turn of water sporadically .

10. Hyacinth (Hyacinthus)

Hyacinthsfeature sensational spikes of fragrant flowers that come in a variety of hue , admit purple , pink , blanched , and downcast . The minuscule genius - shaped flowers are a slap-up way to add dad of color to your indoor aesthetic . These ravisher grow from bulbs , and do good in piss when they ’re spring up from a dedicated bulb vase . Simply set the bulb in the vase ’s neck so that the root just graze the water , then place the vase in a burnished gay window and savour the flush . If your bulb has n’t sprouted yet , adopt the same process but place the vase in a glowering , coolheaded room for about 6 weeks until it sprouts . Then transition it to a bright window .

Our Best Advice for Beginner Gardeners

We ’ll help you set up your first garden — whether that ’s a few pots on your patio , a raised seam , or an in - ground plot out back — and select the right plant for your soil and realm .

Man holding plant in glass with stones