Most people think that plants only use water to grow. But just like all other organisms water alone is not enough for plants to survive.
So plants need minerals as well. These minerals can be absorbed directly from the soil as diluted salts, in culture given to them as fertiliser.
But there are also plants that discovered alternative ways to get some food. This made it possible to grow on places where other plants have a hard time to survive.
Carnivorous plants for exaple capture and digest little animals, and parasites suck the juices from other plants beeing in that way vegetarians.
The really dificult ones are the so called myco-heterotrophs(better known as Saphrophytes) these plants live as parasites on fungi.
Carnivorous plants are common in cultivation. hence almost everyone has heard of them or even tried to grow one at home. Parasitic plants are much rarer in culture although not really dificult.
The myco-heterotrophs are sadly practically impossible to grow in culture. You have to look for them in nature.