Re: Indoor house plants in water

Ken
 
Thank you for your time consuming study, wondering & questions about Water Culture with exciting new slants.  It will enable me to try new things with my Spaths.
 
It occurs to me that it might be worthwhile trying the following:
 
Put a small amount of water of suitable quality in a bottle.  Anchor a plant with foam or whatever at the petiole bases at the bottle neck with existing roots dangling towards & maybe trailing slightly in the water.  Shake bottle periodically to ensure roots stay moist.  To me this seems a very simple "hydroponic" experiment & as you say, unlike with compost plantings one can see what is happening to root growth (or rot).  
 
Ken, thank you for that idea!
 
Incidentally some Spaths grow luxuriantly when entire pots are plunged into water, other forms, mostly common more matt leaved cultivars in exactly the same composts rot, rot, rot.  Why?   Every Syngonium stem cutting with or without adventitious roots develops "water roots" presumably with aerenchyma & often the adventitious roots grow lateral root systems.  It would be interesting to know the histology of the various stages of their root growth & adaptation.
 
I wonder just how many aroids & other plants could be grown in such "water culture bottles".   Maybe suitably designed plastic soft drink bottles recycled for commercial water culture could revolutionise the house plant scene?   No composts, fewer root problems, minimum watering & need for environmentally costly pots?  Wuhoooo!  Thank you Ken!
 
It is my hope that soon I may be able to grow all the plants here, not only Spaths, bare root in ponds in a "soup" of healthily fed ornamental fish.  These are early days but already, some of my Spaths grow even better in water culture than in composts & some are astonishingly successful.  If it proves possible, for me the days of cumbersome & seemingly more potentially troublesome composts can be over & plants grown more efficiently & better in more controllable & observable water culture? 
 
Wonderingly
 
Ron
 
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