I have no idea if this will work, but figured its worth a try. I have taken some of my Thyme seedlings and stripped off most of the dirt and placed them in cups of water. I already have a bunch in pots and a couple needed to be replaced as they seemed to not make it. But for most the potted Thyme is going well. But I wanted to see if I can soak the roots in water, attempt to keep the leaves out and see how they do.
Normally I would use my root bubbler, but these Thyme seedlings are not large enough for my setup of supply oxygen to the roots using bubbles. So I must just use a little water in a glass and see how they fare.
The remaining Thyme plants that were in the cells needed to go, mold was starting to grow in each cell and it was killing off the weaker seedlings. So I got them all out and put them in the open by the window in water now.
Before I started putting them in water, I replaced a couple of the potted Thyme as a couple seemed to go into severe shock and did not look like they would recover. So I replaced those with new plants that were still strong.
As you can see the transplanted Thyme that was struggling was dropping leaves and changing colors. But most of the pots are doing okay.
Here are how long the roots are getting now. Pretty amazing they did all that growing in the cells. I guess the humidity dome really makes them happy. But of course using it for too long lets other things grow too like fungus and mold.
Its hard to get all the dirt off without damaging the roots, so I just cleared them off the best I could and then placed them in some old glass tupperware.
Another Thyme plant with massive roots. Some were doing really well.
After loading up the glass container, I put them by the window so they will get some sun.
A started a new glass container and repeated the process, first I did my Lemon Thyme and then Common Thyme. I keep them separated so I will know which is which. That is going to be important as I want some for the walking area, and some for the boarders. And growing at different heights its important to know the difference.
I placed one Thyme plant outside in a hanging planter, but it seems the extreme cold this time of year is not good for the seedlings. Though once established they should be able to handle our winters.
We shall see if they grow in water, no all plants like to soak in water. Others love it, and some require special care and prep work before doing so. Sometimes you need to add rooting hormone to the water, other times you need to do more prep work on a cutting. But sometimes they just take without much issue. So we shall see in the next few weeks how they adjust to the water.
