Growing plants in water is a practical switch from the usual soil routine. This method eliminates common problems like overwatering, root rot, and soil-borne pests while requiring minimal maintenance. Plus, showing off the roots in glass containers? That’s a quirky decorative touch you don’t get with pots of dirt.
Plenty of popular houseplants handle water cultivation surprisingly well. Whether you like trailing vines or something more upright and bold, there’s a bunch to pick from. If you’re someone who travels a lot or just wants a tidier way to keep plants, hydroponics might be your thing.
1) Pothos
Pothos, or devil’s ivy, is probably one of the easiest plants to grow in water. Just snip off a stem and pop it in some clean water and the roots show up fast.
Your pothos can hang out in water for years if you keep up with the basics: clean water, a little nutrition, and enough light. Lots of people never bother moving them to soil at all.
2) Philodendron
Philodendrons are super forgiving in water. Take a healthy cutting, stick it in a jar of fresh water, and that’s pretty much it.
Roots appear quickly with indirect light. Swap out the water every week, and a splash of liquid fertilizer now and then helps a lot.
Heart Leaf Philodendron varieties especially love this method. You can keep them in water or shift them to soil if you feel like it.
3) Lucky Bamboo
Lucky bamboo isn’t actually bamboo – it’s Dracaena sanderiana, part of the asparagus family, and it does just fine in water long-term.
Keep its roots underwater using distilled or filtered water. Give the container a good clean and water change every couple of months to dodge any weird smells or gunk.
This low maintenance plant fits right in indoors and always looks a bit out of the ordinary.
4) Spider Plant
Spider plants are shockingly good in water, so they’re great for hydroponics. The little offshoots they make can just be snipped and set in water to root.
Change the water regularly to keep things fresh and avoid root rot. A bit of diluted liquid fertilizer once a month during the growing season keeps them happy and healthy.
5) Peace Lily
Peace lilies don’t mind growing in water at all. You can move one from soil by gently washing off the roots and setting it in a vase of water.
Just keep the roots under water but the rest of the plant above it. This way you pretty much skip the usual overwatering headaches and soil bugs that peace lilies sometimes get.
Your peace lily should keep on producing those glossy leaves and white blooms when you grow it this way.
6) English Ivy
English ivy is another plant that takes to water surprisingly well. Grab a 4 to 6 inch cutting with a few leaves, pull off the lower leaves, and dunk the stem in water so the nodes are submerged.
Keep the leaves above water, put the container somewhere with bright, indirect light, and aim for temps between 70 and 90°F if you can. Roots usually pop up in a few weeks. Changing the water every few days helps keep things clean.
7) Chinese Evergreen
Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema) is another one that’s easy to grow in water. Cut a healthy stem at the base, put it in water, and you’ll see roots within weeks.
This plant isn’t picky about light; anything from low to bright indirect works. Add some liquid fertilizer now and then for healthy roots. It’s low maintenance and the foliage is always a nice touch.
8) Watermelon Peperomia
Watermelon Peperomia (Peperomia argyreia) does just fine in water and looks pretty cool with its striped, silver-green leaves that look like watermelon rind.
To get started, root some stem cuttings in fresh water. It adapts well and, with a bit of care, will root and grow over time.
Just be sure to change the water often and give it indirect light. This compact plant stays pretty small, usually topping out around a foot tall.
9) Monstera Deliciosa
Monstera deliciosa is perfectly happy in water for the long haul, which makes it a solid pick for hydroponic setups. It’s kind of natural for this plant since it grows as an epiphyte in the wild, getting most of what it needs from water and air.
Filtered or distilled water is better than hard tap water, since minerals can build up and mess with the roots. Set your water-grown monstera in bright, indirect light and refresh the water every week or so.
10) Arrowhead Plant
Arrowhead plants (Syngonium podophyllum) are totally fine living in water. Just stick some cuttings in a jar and give them bright, indirect light.
Roots show up in a few weeks in their water home. Once they’re established, you can leave them in water for good, using a nice vase or jar. In general, water-grown arrowheads are less fussy than their soil-based cousins.
11) Prayer Plant
Prayer plants can be started in water. Place cuttings in a jar, making sure the nodes are under water.
They’ll root in water, but honestly, they do better long-term in soil. Once the roots are about an inch long, it’s probably best to pot them up. Prayer plants are just more at home in soil, especially if you want them to thrive.
12) Coleus
Coleus brings vivid color to your indoor jungle, with leaves in red, purple, yellow, and green. It’s ridiculously easy to grow in water, so it’s a fun one to try if you’re tired of dirt everywhere.
Take a cutting, set it in water, and roots will show up within a couple of weeks if it’s in a bright spot. You can keep it going in water as long as you remember to change the water regularly.
13) Swedish Ivy
Swedish Ivy is super easy to root in water, making it a great pick for hydroponic setups. It grows quickly in bright, indirect light and roots easily in a water-filled jar.
Just take some cuttings and drop them in a glass of water. It’s low maintenance and grows fast. Changing the water often keeps it healthy and stops any funk from building up.
14) Begonia
Begonias can live in water with no problem, so they’re a smart choice for hydroponics. Pop some stem cuttings in a glass of water, making sure the leaves stay above the water line.
Switch out the water once a week and set your begonia in bright, indirect light to keep those colors and leaf patterns looking sharp. No more worrying about overwatering or root rot, either.
15) Fittonia
Fittonia, or nerve plant, has those wild, veined leaves that really stand out in a water setup. Take a healthy cutting and put it in water and roots will follow.
It soaks up nutrients straight from the water. Keep it humid and change the water regularly to keep things from getting gross.
16) Tradescantia
Tradescantia is another plant that’s just made for water. Take some cuttings, toss them in a jar, and you’ll see roots in no time.
This plant is easy-going. Use a clear container so you can watch the roots do their thing, and swap out the water often.
Tradescantia’s colorful leaves always add a little something extra to your space, and it doesn’t miss soil at all.
17) Aluminum Plant
The aluminum plant is hard to miss, with its shiny silver splashes on dark green leaves. It’s a tropical houseplant that’s happy in water and doesn’t need soil at all.
To switch it over, pull the plant from its pot and gently rinse off all the dirt. Put the clean roots in a glass of tap water. With just a bit of care, it can stick around for years.
18) Spathiphyllum
Spathiphyllum (peace lily) does well in hydroponic setups. Move it out of soil, clean off the roots, and set them in fresh water.
Keep the roots under water and the leaves above. Change the water every week or two and add some fertilizer now and then for nutrients.
These peace lilies need bright, indirect light to keep those dark green leaves and classic white blooms coming.
19) Anthurium
Anthurium can be grown in water once you rinse the roots and put them in a clear glass container. It’s a nice way to show off the roots and skip soil altogether.
Give it bright, indirect light and change the water regularly. It can bloom in water, though honestly, it might not last quite as long as it would in soil. Add a bit of liquid fertilizer here and there since it won’t be getting nutrients from dirt.
20) New Guinea Impatiens
New Guinea Impatiens are pretty easy to propagate in water using stem cuttings. Just snip a healthy stem with a few leaf nodes and drop it in a jar of clean water.
You’ll want to swap out the water every few days, since stagnant water gets funky fast. With enough bright, indirect light, roots usually start popping up in about a week or two.
