Hydroponic flowers are easy to grow and low-maintenance, so even lazy gardeners can grow them with ease

Traditionally, when people grew flowers, apart from typical aquatic plants such as lotus, water lilies, and water bamboo, most flowers and trees were planted in soil. Now, through improvement, some soil-grown flowers have become hydroponic flowers———cultivated in clear water.

Hydroponic flowers are convenient to cultivate and simple to care for, with few pests and diseases, and they are hygienic and eco-friendly, reducing a great deal of trouble compared with growing flowers in soil. If hydroponic flowers are placed in transparent glass containers, you can see the clean white roots, the glossy green leaves, and the sturdy, graceful form, and some varieties can even produce brilliant flowers, presenting a fresh and bright scene. Therefore, some traditional Chinese medicine practitioners also believe they have the effects of soothing the eyes, calming the mind, and settling the spirit, making them especially suitable for people busy with official duties, teaching, or medical work, which is why some jokingly call them lazy man's flowers.

Today, more than 130 species have been successfully grown hydroponically on a trial basis, including anthurium, bromeliads, calla lily, cyclamen, clivia, amaryllis, and begonia. Among them, the easiest to grow are those in the Araceae family, such as pothos, monstera, split-leaf philodendron, silver queen, arrowhead vine, and green emperor.

Hydroponic flowers fall within the scope of new soilless cultivation technology. Some people think that no matter what kind of flower or tree it is, as long as the mud is washed off and it is grown in water, it becomes a hydroponic flower. In fact, this is not the case. Because all kinds of flowers have their different characteristics, not all of them can be grown in water. To turn soil-grown plants into water-grown ones without root rot, they must go through the process of induction, domestication, adaptation, and eventually stabilization, and they must also be supplied with the necessary chemical solutions of the three major elements nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, as well as various trace elements, as nutrients to meet their needs for growth and development. The current rise of hydroponic flowers all depends on the foundation laid by biological theory and practice.