How to grow Aptenia cordifolia in water? A detailed guide to soilless hydroponic cultivation

  Aptenia cordifolia is a common household potted plant, with flat, round leaves in a rich, lush green that is very beautiful. Can Aptenia cordifolia be grown in water? How do you grow it in water? Facts have shown that Aptenia cordifolia can indeed be grown in water. We need to prepare a mature Aptenia cordifolia stem cutting and a clean glass bottle.

  Propagating Aptenia cordifolia is very simple, generally using the cutting method: cut a mature stem, let it dry for a moment, then insert it into prepared potting soil, place it in a cool, ventilated spot, and keep the soil slightly moist. After a few days you will see the stem stand upright, which shows the new stem has begun to root. Of course, Aptenia cordifolia can also be grown by the hydroponic method.

  I. Hydroponic method for Aptenia cordifolia

  1. Prepare water and disinfect

  Clean the glass bottle thoroughly and pour in half a small bottle of clean water, preferably cooled boiled water (if using tap water, it must first be left outdoors for a few days to remove the chlorine). At the same time, disinfect the blade of the scissors that will be used to cut the stem.

  2. Dry the stem

  Use the already disinfected scissors to cut the longer Aptenia cordifolia stems into several short sections, with a length about 10 cm above the glass bottle being suitable. Then leave the upper part of the shorter sections untouched, and remove the leaves and side branches from the lower part. After doing this, take something clean and lay it flat in a dry, ventilated, cool place, place the cut sections on it to dry the wounds, and be sure not to let the stems touch anything unclean, as this can easily cause bacterial infection and lead to the stems rotting.

  3. Insert the stem into water

  Insert the stem with dried wounds into the glass bottle, with the lower part submerged about 5 cm in the water, then place the glass bottle in a cool, ventilated place, preferably keeping the temperature between 15°C and 20°C; in this way it will root in about a week. The lower the temperature, the slower the rooting, and in winter it may even take more than a month. After it has rooted, it can continue to be grown hydroponically, or it can be moved into a flower pot for soil cultivation.

  II. The method is operated as follows

  Tools/materials: one mature Aptenia cordifolia stem, one glass bottle, one small knife, a small amount of alcohol for disinfection.

  Method/steps:

  1. Clean the glass bottle thoroughly and pour in half a small bottle of clean water (if using tap water, it must first be left outdoors for 2-3 days to remove the chlorine); use alcohol to disinfect the blade of the small knife.