I have a friend asked me if she could plant her basil and mint in these colorful crystal soil beads. Although crystal soil is suitable for many indoor houseplants, especially foliage plants, I wouldn’t recommend my friend to plant her herbs in crystal soil. This is because while most herb plants love sunlight, crystal soil is not suitable to leave under direct sunlight for a long period of time.
But if you want to grow a plant that needs lots of sunlight with crystal soil, you can cover the crystal beads with a dark cloth to avoid them from drying out too quickly. However, this may have defeated the decoration purpose in the first place.
Many plants that thrive in crystal soil are hydroculture plants. For example, many foliage plants that like shade and humidity are the most suitable to grow in crystal soil or to root in water. And here are some examples.
Sometimes, hydroculture is called the passive hydroponics. It is like the little brother of hydroponics – with smaller containers, simpler solution, and a cheaper and less complicated system. While hydroculture likes hydroponics, can be used for growing vegetables that we can buy in supermarkets, hydroculture is more for houseplants and for the fun of indoor gardening.
How long a plant lives in a water culture greatly depends on the water source. Water should keep fresh and nutritious, for plants need mineral nutrients to grow healthy.
It was quite difficult when I first did my research online on this subject, for I couldn’t find what exactly it is called. It seems like that there is no one specific terminology for this type of plants.
Even though I have seen bamboo stick in a pot of pebbles filled with water, but it is only until recently, when I started to get my interest in indoor gardening and tabletop gardens, did I realize that plants actually don’t need soil to grow. Essentially the soil is just a medium for holding up the plant and allowing the roots to pull nutrients through the water.
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