Audrey writes:
My mum has an indoor plant that is a sort of vine growing all around her
lounge room, held up by hooks on the wall. The interesting thing is that
it's just growing in a tub of water, doesn't get fertilised or anything,
and it's massive! It can be propagated by just cutting a bit off at a
sort of node and roots grow from it. Does that sound familiar? Is there
any other plants that can just grow in water like that? My hubby has
pineapple tops sitting in water and they've sprung roots and are doing

I know what you mean, my Mum had such a plant growing in water, too.
You can sustain a length of wandering jew in water, and it will last
for a long time. It develops new leaves on the growing tip, but at the
expense of consuming the leaves at the lower end. If you let a sweet
potato go to seed, wait until the shoots develop 8 or 10 actual leaves
then peel the entire shoot off at its base and stand it in water in a
bright light. The shoot develops lots of roots, and after a few months
you plant it out in the garden. Water cress cuttings from the super-
market have no roots when you buy them, but if you stand them in water
I think they'll develop roots.

But none of these will last forever, unlike that one your Mum has. I'm
sure your pineapple top won't last forever in a bowl of water, either.
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)