Just sharing my plants in glass jars..either using just water gel beads or combined with hydroton rocks, watching the roots grow about, and simple plants thriving in it happily with very low maintenance!

The Golden Pothos:
*With gel beads and hydroton rocks




*Just with gel beads:




Dracaena Sanderiana (Lucky Bamboo) flanking the faux fireplace



And my newest addition this week, and waiting for this one to hopefully bloom nicely: Amaryllis

Wow! very creative and they look so nice too!

Thanks Lee Anne!

These are very pretty. Do you add anything to your water to keep the water beads from getting scummy? Do you have to change to water frequently? I have some beeds and want to buy an amaryliss to grow like yours. Thanks, Lou

Such big beads!!! Do they get large with water too?? they are all beautiful. Love them....

When I notice the water beads getting smaller, I just add some water so it will enlarge again. But otherwise, no daily watering, there is enough moisture there already, especially immersed with hydroton rocks. I added to rocks to help in root aeration. When I first get the water gel beads, they are really small, and I add some water, wait 6 to 8 hours so that it will grow bigger, then that is when I put in the plants. So far it works well..I am also trying now some water gel beads with paperwhites.

I love the looks of those! How do you keep them from getting stanky? Is this the first time you've experimented with growing them like this? And where do you get the large gel beads?

Sorry for the 20 questions, but I love it!

I got the water gel beads at Daiso - a japanese store in the Bay area, and recently I found some beads as well at Michael's craft store. So far the water gel beads does not go afoul after being there for awhile apart from shrinking when it starts to dry up,or if it starts looking dusty, I just pour it out and re-soak, or just add some water, to make the beads plump again. I have had the Golden pothos in the water gel bead set up since early spring this year 2011, while one of the Dracaenas, I have had her like that going on 5 years. The other Dracaena, for about a year. The Amaryllis, am just starting a week ago, so still observing how it goes, same with the paperwhites which I just started yesterday.

Thank you for the info! I think a hyacinth growing in a pot with the beads would be beautiful. I've seen the beads before, but never those pretty ones.

I like the idea!
I've been trying to save my Dracaena jenny Craig which I found a piece of in the trash at a bizarre. It is still getting brown leaves, the stem near the top sort-of collapsed and dried up, and so I had to chop off the green top, and I also chopped off a 3 to 4 inch stock bot of which have been re-potted. The original planted piece is still in the original pot. Now I'm hoping to haAVE THEE PLANTS EVENTUALLY WHICH ARE HEALTHY AND THRIVING.

i DON'T KNOW IF THE SOIL, WATERING, OR WHAT IS CREATING THE PROBLEM. tHIS PLANT SEEMES TO WANT TO LIVE AND NOW i AM AT A LOSS ABOUT HOW TO MAKE THE ENVIRONMENT SO IT WILL SUCCESSFULLY SURVIVE.

i WONDER IOF THE BEADS WOULD HELP OR NOT, BECAUSE FROM WHAT i'VE READ THEY DON'T LIKE REALLY WET CONDITIONS. aNY HELP IS APPRECIATED, THANKS. Oops, sorry, I accidentally hit the caps lock.

Hi dogpack, I am not sure if the gel beads will work with your Dracaena Janet Craig, but you can certainly try, as long as you will not feel too bad if it will not take it..maybe try to mix it with hydroton rocks so the roots have more oxygen around it? I am just a little wary to use this method if the plant is already in obvious distress.

I am also nursing a Dracaena Janet Craig right now, using semi-hydroponics, the container has two holes about an inch from the bottom to serve as drip line, so when I water the plant excess water will flush out and there would be some water remaining below the drip line. So far my plant has created her roots, there are no leaves yet, but the cane stem has some green so I am thinking there is still hope. It maybe just taking its sweet time since it is still winter. I am hoping it will be much improved as real warmer weather sets in. And since I got lots of water gel beads, I thought of adding just a little inside the container, hoping it will help in hydrating the roots even more. It is just in a bright room, no direct sunlight. So keeping my fingers crossed my experiment will come out good with this one.

Good luck on your plant!

Right now the plant, plant top, and a cane is in potting siol with some pearlite. I just read that pearlite and these plants do not do well but don't know or remember why. Now I have the delema of what to do or not to do after finding this information.

I also read/heard that they like moist but not wet and should not go dry but partly dry. I'm still trying to figure out what this translates to and how much or little works.

Hi, I love those beads. The colors make a very pretty contrast to the plant. I have a question. Some time ago I bought two Hyacinths that were living and growing in water. The vase narrows to where the bulb can sit and the roots hang down in the water. The instructions stated to keep the water level at 75% of the bottom part of the vase. This worked out well even though once the plants got to blooming they became top heavy and had to be braced. I know you should leave the foliage for a while even when wilted to feed the bulb but how long should I leave this foliage. It is staying greener in the house than it would have outside but it doesn't look so pretty all wilted down and should I leave the bulb with the roots in the water or store it to let it rest?
Thanks, Amber

Hi Amber, as far as I know once the foliage of the forced bulbs have fully withered it can be removed already. And from what I have read most sources recommend just getting a new set of bulbs come Fall season since forced bulbs may lack enough energy to rebloom again. But you can certainly try planting the bulbs outdoors later, Hyacinths need that particular cooling period too.

I have not forced Hyacinths in water nor in gel beads, I have planted some Hyacinths bulbs in containers outdoors and so far they do return every year but their size is not as it was before. So far what I have been able to force are Paperwhites and Amaryllis bulbs. But still a learning curve for me..the Paperwhites I got only one bloomed out of 4 So the one that has bloomed already, I am just letting it sit in the water gel bead set-up, while I have planted one dud outdoors and the 2 other duds I have left in another water gel bead set-up. So far the last 2 are making roots, no blooms..oh well...

There is a forum for Bulbs here in ATP, I am sure if you post your question there as well, they can give you a lot of insight about Hyacinths.

Hi dogpack...maybe your Dracaena is still in an adjusting stage..sometimes the plant takes awhile to do so. I would be really concerned if the top really starts drying out along with the small embedded like leaves on the sides of the cane. Those embedded leaves are new leaves waiting to come out..for me as long as I see that and the cane looks firm to my touch and not hollow, there is still a chance for recovery.

I had no idea. I know nothing about these plants except what I've been able to find on websites. So far my understanding is they don't like to be wet as in soggie wet. And I think they like to dry out a little. How do you know if they are getting to correct amount of water?

I will take a lose look at the sides of the cane and let you know what I find.

What type of soil conditions do they like. Oh yeah, I have been posting in the dracaena thread also.

What else do I need to know? Also, I read that ... I can't come up with the name. The white stuff that I think starts with the letter P which is added to potting soil occasionally. Anyway, I read that it is a no-no for these plants. I didn't know this and I put some in miracle grow mix which I think is a general potting mix.

I appreciate this information.

I'm not going to give up on this plant. It isn't dead until it's burried and I'm planting not burring.

Oh, Light and food; what do they need and when?

I have had this piece of this plant since about the third week of November which I found in the trash. It stayed green for a few days and then I noticed it starting to go brown on the tips of the lower leaves. It is still trying to do this, however i think it is slowing down the process, but not certain.

Any help is greatly appreciated. I really want to save this plant which is now actually because of necessity in three pieces in pots. The origional is in the same pot by itself and the leafy top and a 4 to 5 inch cane is in another pot. I am hopeful I will have three of these plants.

Oh, do you know who would know about rubber plants?

I just found this information.
http://www.ehow.com/info_12122...

I'm not certain what to think?

That ehow info seems okay, they are guidelines, of what to expect.

I use Perlite, but it does not bother my plants, in good quatities added to the soil it does help prevent compaction.

All the suggestions given to you on the Dracaena are sound and applicable..so my original suggestion stands, wait a little more as Spring continues to set in.

The plants we love do test our patience eh

Oh I think those in the Tropicals forum will have more input regarding rubber plants. I have seen rubber plant trees in the Philippines and they love the high humidity and rainfall a lot. And our rainfalls there are quite heavy moonsoon rains. I remember too, my mother- in- law had one in a container at the patio area, its root system is aggressive, was able to escape from the top of its container and found its way through the drainage. No wonder it was growing happily Growing happily it also grows tall quite fast.

Ok, sounds very good to me. I don't want to do any more harm to this plant thaN HAS already been done. Hopefully it will be much better as the temperatures and day light become more of a spring summer situation for all of our plants.

Thank you very much for helping me through the tangle of information.