Plants That Grow in Bottles: A Unique Way to Green Your Home

Growing plants in bottles is an easy, fun way to add some green to your home decor. With just a glass bottle, some water, and a few simple houseplant cuttings, you can create a unique living decoration. Certain houseplants root rapidly in water, making bottle gardens a satisfying project for the novice indoor gardener.

Why Grow Plants in Bottles?

Bottle gardens offer many benefits compared to traditional houseplants potted in soil:

• They allow you to recycle and repurpose used glass bottles and jars into mini indoor gardens This gives old containers new life while reducing waste,

• Roots are visible through the clear glass letting you observe the fascinating process of plants rooting and growing in water. Kids especially enjoy watching the roots take shape.

• Plants often grow faster initially when rooted in water compared to soil Their rapid growth makes bottle gardens rewarding for impatient or busy gardeners.

• Water roots tend to be lush and full, giving the plants a vibrant, healthy appearance. Frequent watering is not necessary either.

• Bottle gardens are portable and compact. They’re easy to move around your home to bring greenery wherever you want it.

Best Plant Choices for Bottles

While many houseplants can be rooted in water, certain varieties propagate particularly well this way. The best plants for bottle gardens include:

Pothos

Pothos, often called Devil’s Ivy, is a classic choice for water rooting. Its vines trail attractively from the bottle’s mouth. Heart-shaped satiny leaves add tropical flair. Golden pothos and its lime-green cultivar ‘Neon’ root rapidly in just days.

Philodendrons

Similar to pothos, philodendrons root readily in water. The vining varieties like heartleaf philodendron and lacy vine philodendron look especially pretty cascading from a bottle. Their deep green, glossy leaves brighten any space.

Spider Plant

Spider plants produce clumps of slender foliage that arch fountain-like from the bottle. Offshoot “spiderettes” often sprout roots while still attached to the parent plant, making propagation in water a breeze. The white-striped leaves also help purify indoor air.

Prayer Plant

The prayer plant or rabbit’s foot fern has wide, dark green leaves striped with splotches of pink, red, or white. It earns its name from the unique way its foliage folds upward at night, like prayer hands. Prayer plants root without fuss when cuttings are placed in water.

Lucky Bamboo

A bottle’s narrow neck perfectly shows off lucky bamboo’s long, slender stems. While technically a type of Dracaena, not a true bamboo, its upright growth works well in vase-style containers of water. Just avoid direct sun, which can scorch the foliage.

Peperomia

With over 1,000 species, peperomia offers many options for bottle gardens. Look for mini cultivars like ‘Peppy’ or ‘Pixie Lime’ that stay under 6 inches tall. Their fleshy, button-shaped leaves add unique texture and form to a bottle’s mouth.

How to Make a Bottle Garden

Making your own bottle garden is simple. Follow these steps:

1. Choose a glass container. Pick a bottle or jar with an opening wide enough to easily insert cuttings. Recycle an empty olive oil bottle, juice jug, or mason jar. Make sure it’s thoroughly clean.

2. Fill with room temperature water. Leave 2-3 inches of space at the top. Tap water is fine as long as you let it sit out overnight first to dissipate any chlorine.

3. Select healthy plant cuttings. Take 3-6 inch tip cuttings from a vigorously growing parent plant. Snip just below a leaf node using clean shears.

4. Remove lower leaves. Strip off the bottom set of leaves so no leaves will be submerged. This prevents rotting.

5. Place cuttings in bottle. Insert the naked stem ends into the water so the remaining upper leaves sit above the bottle’s mouth.

6. Give bright, indirect light. Set in a spot near a window but avoid direct hot sun. South or west light is ideal for most indoor plants.

7. Change water monthly. Dump old water and refresh monthly or when cloudy. Add liquid fertilizer every 4-6 weeks to feed plants.

8. Watch roots grow! Most cuttings will root within 2-3 weeks. When filled with roots, transplant to a pot or enjoy as a long-term water garden.

Unique Bottle Garden Design Ideas

Once you get the basics down, let your creativity run wild! Here are some fun ways to design your own unique bottle gardens:

• Mini terrarium bottles: Choose short, wide jars and bottles. Fill partway with pebbles for drainage then pot an assortment of mini houseplants or succulents inside.

• Hanging bottles: Use fishing line or twine to hang and display trailing pothos or philodendrons. Hang in windows or from ceilings.

• Clever containers: Repurpose all kinds of bottles – wine, beer, soda, maple syrup, olive oil. Match plant choices to the bottle’s shape and openings.

• Themed gardens: Make a zen garden with lucky bamboo, a tropical garden with prayer plants, or a succulent garden with small rosette-shaped plants.

• Mix colors and textures: Combine plants with purple and green foliage, ruffled and smooth leaves, trailing vines and upright stems.

• Personalize: Add pebbles, shells or sand at the bottom. Affix nametags or decorate the outside of bottles with paint or ribbon.

Enjoy Your Bottle Garden Creations!

Bottle gardening lets anyone cultivate their indoor green thumb. Get the whole family involved and make it an ongoing project by rooting new plants whenever inspiration strikes. In just minutes, you can craft a living work of art using recycled materials. Bottle gardens add an eco-friendly pop of nature to shelves, desks, and other living spaces. With a little creativity and the right plant choices, these mini gardens offer maximum rewards for minimal effort.