HOW TO BUILD A WATER PROPAGATION SHELF

Rooting plants in water and pretty glass vessels makes a great display on a shelf or side table. You can spruce up your home decor by making a temporary display while propagating cuttings to plant later. You also have the option to leave them as they are to create a permanent water garden. This method is very simple, but not suited for all plants, so choose your cuttings carefully.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

PLANTS

Use cuttings from mature, healthy plants, such as: tradescantia (spiderwort), philodendron (heart leaf), crassula (succulents), pilea (Chinese money plant), epiphyllum (queen of the night), begonia (painted leaf), and chlorophytum (spider plant).

OTHER MATERIALS

Gather glass bottles or vases of different heights and shapes. Flask-like vessels with narrow necks with large bodies work best. We suggest looking for these items at your local thrift store.
Unsoftened water, such as mineral water or rainwater.

TOOLS

Small pair of pruning shears or scissors.

STEPS

1. Select a cutting and measure it against the bottle in which you wish to display it in. Then remove any leaves from the portion of the stem that will be submerged in water. Submerging any leaves will cause rotting.
2. If taking a cutting of a plant’s offset, such as a “baby spider” from a spider plant (, make the cut at the base of the offset’s individual stem. This is where the rooting hormone is most concentrated in the plant.
3. Half-fill your bottle with softened water – do not use tap water. make sure to use a glass bottle with plenty of room, so that the roots receive plenty of light and have space to grow.
4. Place the cutting in the vase and leave it undisturbed on your chosen propagation shelf or area. Repeat this process with your remaining cuttings, each matched to a proportionally size glass bottle or vase until your display is complete.

HOW TO MAINTAIN

WATERING

Fill the bottles and vases with more water as and when needed.

MAINTENANCE AND CARE

After just a few weeks, your cuttings will begin to sprout roots! At this stage, if you want to plant your propagated cuttings, do the following:
When a good root system has developed in water, transplant each cutting into a small pot of multipurpose potting soil. Grow in a bright area, but out of direct sunlight.
Keep in mind that it is helpful to plant these newly rooted plants individually rather than all in one pot.

You can also keep the cuttings permanently in water. If you choose to do so, remember to change the water or trim back the roots after a year or so.