Last updated on September 26th, 2022 at 09:20 am
If you’re interested in growing catnip, maybe for your cat or your consumption, you can choose to plant it indoors or outdoors. You may also choose to plant it in raised beds or normal level soil; it makes little difference.
So, can you grow catnip in water? Yes, You can grow catnip in water. However, in growing catnip in water, you may not plant the seeds of the plant. As those are not likely to grow, at most, if you soak seeds for too long, they’ll rot in the water.
Can Catnip Be Rooted In Water?
You can’t plant catnip seeds in water. However, catnip can be propagated in water. To do that, you simply need to take some cuttings from the tips of new growth and soak them in water. And just like that, your catnip will take root in water.
Growing plants in water help to preserve space. The plants yield more and require less water than regular gardening. It is also a good solution for urban and city peeps who live in apartment buildings and do not have backyards to convert to gardens.
Also, you can grow catnip in water all year round—no worries about changes in weather and the like.
Tips To Grow Catnip In Water?
Usually, we grow plants in soil and not just water. So, growing plants in only water, also known as hydroponic planting, may be a little strange. Worry not.
In this guide, I’ll be giving you some tips on how you can successfully grow your catnip without soil.
You should also know that catnip grown in just water is not unhealthy or bad for cats or even your use. That said, let’s jump in.
1. First of all, you cannot use seeds to grow catnip in water and not just catnip. Seeds will generally not germinate in plain water because it doesn’t contain the nutrients required to take off seeds.
Also, the roots have nothing to latch onto as they develop. So, trying to grow catnip in water using seeds will be a fruitless venture.
2. That being the case, you have to propagate the plant instead. And to do that, you will need to get a cutting from another mature catnip plant.
You simply have to gently and carefully remove the cutting from the plant without causing injury to the plant, then remove the lower leaves from the cutting without pinching it also.
An injured cutting will not propagate properly, or it will die. Choose a side shoot that has not flowered, and use a strong, sharp knife or sharp garden shears.
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Also, you should always take more cuttings than you think you need because not everyone will take root.
3. Make sure that your cutting is about 5-10cm long, about 2-4 inches. Pinch off the plant’s growing tip and make sure you dip the bottom end of the cutting in hormone rooting powder for best results.
4. Once your cutting is all set and ready, you need to get your glass, container, or pot. Whichever one you’ll be growing your catnip in.
I recommended a clean glass jar, which is not too small, just large enough for the catnip to propagate properly. But whichever you choose to use is perfectly okay, as long as it’s clean and large enough.
It should also be one that will allow the catnip plant to stand upright and not just collapse to the side.
5. Fill your container with clean water. Not too full, just enough. Make sure that the water is not too much to drown the plant, but it should be enough for the cutting to take root.
Also, use only well water, spring water, or rainwater. Do not use tap water or filtered water because the chemicals in chlorinated water can kill your catnip cuttings.
6. Take your cuttings and stand them up in the water, do not soak the entire cutting in water. Also, do not drown the cutting; simply put a good part of the lower half of the cutting in water, also make sure that the leaves aren’t immersed in water.
Otherwise, the leaves will rot. It is likely to float a little, but if you notice that it is floating too high above the water, you should reduce the quantity of water in the container.
7. Make sure that your container or glass can stand upright with the plant in it. If the container can’t stand upright, you can add a few pebbles into the container to give it more weight so it can stand properly.
Make sure that the pebbles or marbles you stick into it are clean, though. You can also try looking for a container with feet or a pedestal. Thrift shops are pretty helpful in that regard, and if you can find it, how cool will that be?
8. Moving forward, you need to change the water regularly. Change it daily if you can. When you want to do that, do not remove the catnip cutting from the container. Simply drain out the water in the container carefully and replace it with fresh, clean water.
9. Additionally, you can use liquid fertilizers to boost the growth of your catnip. Simply add a good quality water-soluble fertilizer or a liquid fertilizer to the water and make sure you do the same each time you change the water.
Note, however, that you shouldn’t use the same kind of fertilizers you use in your outdoor garden. The reason is simple; those fertilizers are meant to interact with the soil for best results. If there’s no soil interaction, they most likely won’t work.
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10. Every so often, add some more water and fertilizer to the pot to keep the water at a good enough level. And every once in a while, put in a few drops of the liquid fertilizer.
And as the plant grows, it will need more nutrients. So, you may need to increase the quantity a little bit, but not too much.
11. Your catnip will most likely begin to form roots within a few weeks of being propagated. At that point, you may want to transplant in soil.
But, you can simply leave it in the water. Especially if its growth has been steady and it’s not showing any signs of deficiency.
Conclusion
Catnip grows in water just as well as it does in soil. So growing catnip indoors using just water is a pretty easy undertaking.
All you need is tender young stem cuttings, a jar or container, some water, some fertilizer, and plenty of patience.
Once you’ve placed your stem cuttings in the container, you need to find a bright window where there is no direct sunlight because too much sunlight can wilt the tender leaves.
Place your catnip there and take a deep breath. With a bit of luck and care, you will have a fully propagated catnip plant in no time.
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