The Surprising Plants You Can Grow in a Glass of Water

You don’t always need compost, plant pots or even a garden to grow something new.

Some plants will happily produce roots in nothing more than a glass of water. Others can regrow from kitchen scraps, giving you fresh shoots while letting you watch the entire rooting process happen before your eyes.

It’s one of the cheapest and easiest ways to experiment with plants—and you probably already have everything you need.

Here are 10 surprisingly easy plants you can grow or propagate in a glass of water.

1. Pothos

Pothos is one of the easiest houseplants to propagate in water.

Cut a healthy section of stem just below a node, remove any leaves that would sit below the waterline, and place the cutting in a glass.

Keep it somewhere with bright, indirect light and roots should gradually develop.

Once the root system is established, you can either transfer the cutting into compost or continue growing it hydroponically with appropriate nutrients.

2. Basil

Instead of buying another pot of basil, turn one healthy plant into several.

Take a non-flowering shoot approximately 10cm long and remove the lower leaves. Place the bare section of stem in water while keeping the remaining foliage above the surface.

Basil can root quickly in warm conditions.

Once several strong roots have developed, pot the cutting into compost and pinch the growing tip occasionally to encourage bushier growth.

3. Mint

Mint’s vigorous nature makes it ideal for water propagation.

Snip off a healthy stem, remove the bottom leaves and place several nodes beneath the water.

Fresh roots can soon emerge.

Once rooted, transfer the cutting to its own pot rather than planting it directly into a border unless you’re happy for mint to spread.

4. Spring Onions

Don’t automatically throw away the rooted ends of spring onions.

Leave a few centimetres of the white stem attached to the roots and stand them upright in a shallow glass of water.

New green shoots can begin appearing remarkably quickly.

Change the water frequently and harvest the fresh growth as required.

For continued growth, moving them into compost will generally give better results than keeping them indefinitely in plain water.

5. Spider Plants

If your spider plant is producing baby plantlets, you’ve already got the beginnings of new plants.

Place the base of a plantlet in a small container of water while keeping its leaves above the surface.

Roots will develop from the base.

Once they’re several centimetres long, transfer the plantlet into compost and keep it lightly moist while it establishes.

6. Tradescantia

Tradescantia is almost ridiculously easy to propagate.

Take a healthy stem containing several nodes, remove the lower leaves and place those nodes beneath the water.

The colourful foliage looks particularly attractive in a clear glass, making this both a propagation project and a temporary indoor display.

Once well rooted, several cuttings can be planted together to create a fuller plant.

7. Coleus

Coleus gives you colourful results before the roots have even appeared.

Take a healthy stem cutting, making sure there’s at least one node below the waterline.

Keep the glass somewhere bright but protected from harsh midday sunshine.

Roots usually develop readily, after which the cutting can be planted into compost.

It’s an inexpensive way to create lots of new plants from a favourite variety.

8. Rosemary

Rosemary takes more patience, but young stems can sometimes be rooted in water.

Choose flexible, non-flowering shoots rather than old woody growth.

Remove the foliage from the lower section and place several cuttings into water.

Keep them in bright, indirect light and refresh the water regularly.

Once substantial roots develop, carefully pot the cuttings into a free-draining growing medium.

9. Monstera

Even your large Monstera can produce a new plant in a glass or vase of water—but there’s an important catch.

The cutting must contain a node.

A cut leaf without a viable node won’t develop into a complete new Monstera plant.

Place the node beneath the water while keeping the leaf and most of the stem above it. Larger cuttings may need a sturdy vase rather than a drinking glass.

With patience, impressive white roots can develop.

10. Sweet Potato

A sweet potato makes one of the most fascinating windowsill growing projects.

Place the lower portion of the tuber in water while keeping the rest above the surface. Toothpicks can be used to suspend it across the rim of a glass if necessary.

Given warmth and light, the sweet potato can begin producing leafy shoots known as slips.

Those shoots can eventually be removed, rooted and planted to grow sweet potato plants.

The One Trick That Makes Water Propagation Work

For most stem cuttings, success depends on one tiny part of the plant:

The node.

Nodes are points along the stem where leaves and buds emerge. They’re also where many plants readily produce adventitious roots.

When preparing a cutting:

• Find a healthy node.
• Cut below it.
• Remove leaves from the submerged section.
• Place at least one suitable node underwater.
• Keep leaves above the waterline.

Simply putting a random piece of stem—or a leaf without the necessary growth tissue—into water won’t always produce a new plant.

Keep the Water Fresh

Don’t fill the glass once and forget about it.

Check your cuttings regularly.

If the water becomes cloudy or develops an unpleasant smell, replace it and clean the container. Remove any decaying leaves or stems immediately.

You should also top up the glass as water evaporates.

Clean water significantly reduces the chances of your cuttings rotting before roots develop.

Where Should You Put the Glass?

Most water-propagated plants appreciate plenty of light, but that doesn’t necessarily mean baking them on the hottest windowsill.

Bright, indirect light is a good starting point for many houseplant cuttings.

Strong direct sunshine can heat a small glass of water surprisingly quickly and may stress tender cuttings.

Warmth is useful; overheating isn’t.

Can You Leave Them in Water Permanently?

Some plants—particularly pothos, Tradescantia and certain other houseplants—can survive in water for extended periods.

But there’s an important difference between rooting in water and growing permanently in water.

Plain water doesn’t contain a complete supply of plant nutrients.

If you’re planning to grow plants hydroponically long-term, they’ll eventually require suitable nutrients and ongoing care.

Otherwise, transfer rooted cuttings into compost once they’ve developed a healthy root system.

A Clear Glass Has One Unexpected Advantage

Apart from looking attractive, a transparent container lets you see exactly what’s happening beneath the surface.

You’ll be able to spot:

• The first tiny roots.
• Falling water levels.
• Rotting stem tissue.
• Cloudy water.
• Healthy root development.

For children or beginner gardeners, it’s also a brilliant demonstration of how plants develop below the soil—something we normally never get to see.

Final Thoughts

Growing plants in a glass of water proves that gardening doesn’t have to be complicated.

A cutting of pothos, mint, basil, Tradescantia or coleus can become an entirely new plant with little more than clean water and patience. Even spring onion scraps and sweet potatoes can produce surprising amounts of fresh growth.

The secret is choosing healthy plant material, including a node where necessary, and keeping the water clean.

So before you buy another houseplant—or throw those kitchen scraps away—reach for an empty glass.

You might already have your next plant waiting to grow.