DOSSIER

As winter took its toll on New York City, I dreamt of green trees and afternoons in the park and decided we needed more greenery inside our apartment. Due to the recent death of our snake plant (over loved = over watered), I needed something simple to grow. I’ve always loved the beauty of plants in clear glass vases, but I didn’t realize this is a method of indoor growing called hydroponics. After reading this article from Domaine Home, I decided to try it out for myself. It’s been about a month, and so far, so good. Just follow this easy hydroponics how to…

Step one  // Gather your tools: Large clear glass vessels (I used a vintage tequila bottle, a wine decanter and a vintage vase) + scissors + pure spring water or well water (don’t use tap water, well water is best because it has nutrients that help the plants grow) + sun filled spot + clippings from existing plants (for a list of plants that respond well to indoor hydroponics, refer to the Domaine Home article)

Step two // Clip just below a leaf, this is where roots grow from and it will help execrate the rooting process.

Step three // Add water to your vessels and insert the plant clippings.

 Step four // Place your plants in a sunny window spot and wait for the roots to sprout. This could take a few weeks, but don’t worry if it takes up to a month. The plants get all of their nutrients from the water, so you don’t need to change the water for about a year! How low maintenance is that?

Notes: I tried using bottled spring water, but it wasn’t until I got my hands on some upstate well water that my plants started to root. The plant I used (photo of entire plant here) is an English Ivy plant we have hanging in our living room. We have to trim it back every few months, so the extra clippings were perfect for this project.