Rooting Plants Artistically: Thinking Beyond the Jelly Jar

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Posted by @Boopaints on
Why use old jars and glassware for your water rooting when there is a rainbow of colors and unique shapes just waiting to be found!

 

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Sitting on a sunny windowsill, the plant roots quickly and soon will find a new home in potting soil. While the plant does not care what the container looks like, it really is fun to see colorful glassware. Typically, most gardeners tend to use recycled jelly jars or drinking glasses for rooting our favorite plants and the cuttings that find their way home with us. Rooting plants is a money saver and also gives us an opportunity to gift friends with plants we grow ourselves. However, while the old glass jelly jar does the trick, next time think about using unique glass containers to add color and beauty to your window ledges and counters.

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Collecting colored and unusual glass for rooting can be a bit addictive. However, gardeners seem to posses that obsessive gene anyway, so why fight it? The least expensive place to find unique glassware is at yard sales. Prices generally are fifty cents to a dollar for smaller pieces and up to three dollars for larger and unique containers. One thing I have learned from garage sales is that the messier they look, the lower the prices! Recently, I found three brand new candle holders from IKEA for a quarter each, jumbled up in lots of glassware. What a score!

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Thrift stores might offer more selection, but the prices at many are creeping up, so shop on a half price day. Antique and vintage stores offer a lot of unique vases and glassware, but the nicer displays signal that the prices will be higher. Also, dollar stores offer some clear and colored glass vases and candle holders but sometimes the variety is lacking. Additionally, check department store clearance areas for pieces left over from sets that might have been broken. Lastly, clean out your kitchen cabinets and see what might be waiting for new use as a rooter. Some of that never-used glassware might be perfect for your next rooting project.

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Sometimes our brains need to be kick started into thinking beyond the jelly jar so here is a list to do just that. I have rooted plants in all of these types of containers at one time or another. And I must admit, I am addicted to rooting plants in water. I am always on the lookout for interesting glass pieces and plant cuttings from my gardening friends.

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  • Trendy lemonade bottles
  • Wine bottles
  • Light bulbs (remove insides)
  • Candle holders
  • Shot glasses
  • Glass medicine bottles
  • Old milk bottles
  • Cruets
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  • Frogs (great for spider plant babies)
  • Glass perfume bottles
  • Salt and pepper shakers
  • Glass spice bottles
  • Champagne glasses
  • Glass vials
  • Decanter bottles (even better in a carrier)
  • Vintage and antique bottles
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 I usually like to use glass containers with a narrow neck. Especially good for long stems like pothos, the neck keeps the leaves above the water line so they won’t rot. This also allows the roots the room to joyfully swim around. Plastic containers are not a good choice because they end up with water rings and look dirty. Also, glass sparkles and cleans up well in between rooting projects. This red decanter would make a wonderful home for pothos stems.

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 As a glass collection grows, it sometimes threatens to take over every flat surface near a window. Fortunately, there are several solutions for that! A favorite of mine is to use wall sconces that are designed for candles. The plants look wonderful, adding touches of green to the wall. They are one of the first items I now look for at garage sales.

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Use tiered iron plate holders to work as space savers by placing a collection of smaller bottles on each level. A friend of mine placed a bakers rack in front of a north facing window where she roots plants in a continuous cycle of rooting and planting. Another example is to hang plant rooters from the ceiling. I love this method and the ones shown below are from Plant Rooters Plus. Currently, I am on the hunt for clear glass vials that I can wrap wire around, paint artistically, add some beads and hang from the ceiling in front of my windows. Finally, a simple rooter can be made from a clear glass Christmas bulb. Wrap some wire around the neck, add a little hot glue to secure it and you have hanging rooters. However, if creating is not for you, head on over to Google and do some shopping!


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 For those gardeners who have some disposable money, garden sites across the web offer an amazing selection of rooters. I have seen some that have suction cups that grab the window, unique rooters that are attached to the wall with heavy duty hardware and others that are made of twisted metal and glass. If you go to Google Images and search for "glass hanging plant rooters" you'll happily discover an amazing array of styles, colors and creative holders. I like using Google that way because as a visual person, I can select the styles I like.  Once I click on the image, it takes me to the garden site. But sometimes, simply seeing these help me to get ideas, hunt through my cabinets and create my own displays. However, I have added several hanging rooters to my wish list. I look forward to watching the roots form as they dangle in the space in front of my windows.

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 Roots are amazing to watch as they begin growing from the plant cutting. The way they intertwine is mesmerizing, and often, it is difficult to take a plant out of its glass home because of the beauty of the roots. Coleus roots are a favorite of mine and they seem to live happily ever after in a water home as long as I change the water frequently. In fact, so do spider plants, purslane and pothos. My mother used to root pothos in chubby Mateus wine bottles, adding a drop of green food coloring to the water. It didn't seem to hurt the plants because they thrived in her east facing window sills and the color looked so pretty with the sunshine streaming through the bottle. Additionally, water rooting is a great way to overwinter plants for the spring growing season.

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Turning an ordinary windowsill into a collection of pretty containers is a fun, easy and inexpensive way to root plants. My next project is to build glass shelves in my kitchen window so I have a little more room for my growing collection. However, as much as I love rooting, my ultimate goal is to see the plant grow into a large, healthy specimen. There comes a time for most rooting plants to make the transition into a good potting mix, out to my balcony or to a friend's home. Plus, there is now an empty glass holder, just waiting for another plant to display its beautiful graceful roots.

Happy Rooting!

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Photo Credits:

Article main image and above: Lin (plantladylin)

Glass "frog" collection: Sandi (Bubbles)

Candle sconce: Tee (Songofjoy)

Roots intertwined, bottom photo: Lee Anne (Threegardeners)

Murano Glassware: Daniel Ventura (used with permission)

Green bottles: Petr Kratochvil (used with permission)

Glass and copper hanging rooters and wall rooter are from Plant Rooters Plus.  The photo is used with permission.

 
Comments and Discussion
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
Additional images of glass rooters by Boopaints Jan 9, 2012 9:59 AM 44
Murals by gvenezia Dec 1, 2011 11:51 PM 1
beautiful! by vic Nov 19, 2011 8:03 AM 36

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