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Easily Grow These Herbs Indoors Mess-Free Without Soil
By KIM W.S.
If you want to grow herbs but don’t have a garden or soil, you can grow these plants using an effective technique known as hydroponic gardening — growing them in water.
With proper care, they can grow faster than those in soil due to the easy access to moisture and nutrients. You can also grow the herbs in your kitchen all year long.
However, some herbs do better than others using this technique. Those with soft stems, such as mint, can thrive, while hard-stemmed herbs, like rosemary, take longer to root.
To begin, sanitize your scissors by washing them with soapy water or wiping them with rubbing alcohol. Then, take cuttings from a mature plant or store-bought herb packets.
Cut a 3- to 4-inch segment just below a leaf node. For hard-stemmed herbs, use the newer green growth; for grocery-store herbs, make a new, clean cut at the bottom of the sprig.
Remove the lower leaves and trim the plant so that two to three leaves remain at the top. Clip any flowers or buds to help encourage the plant to direct its energy to rooting.
Place each cutting in a clean jar with room-temperature, non-chlorinated water, and put them by a sunny window. As your herbs grow, change the water at least once a week.
Ensure there’s enough water in the container to submerge about half of the roots. You should also use hydroponic fertilizer or plant food formulated for herbs for their nutrients.