My Descent into Plant Parenthood
I’ve never been particularly gifted in the art of keeping things alive. Sure, I’ve managed to keep myself relatively fed and watered (most days), but anything beyond that was always a gamble. So naturally, when my well-intentioned friend gifted me a houseplant for my birthday, I accepted it with the same trepidation one might feel holding a ticking time bomb.
“It’s a ZZ plant,” she’d chirped. “Practically indestructible!”
Lesson #1: Patience Is a Virtue (and Essential for Plant Care)
My first blunder as a plant parent? Overwatering. In my defense, all the plant care blogs made it sound like a life-or-death scenario. “Don’t let the soil dry out!” they screamed. So, I watered Oswald. And then I watered him some more. Just to be safe, you know?
Spoiler alert: it wasn’t safe. Oswald started to droop, his once-perky leaves turning an alarming shade of yellow. Cue the frantic Googling and the realization that, much like humans, plants need space to breathe (or, in their case, photosynthesize). I learned that sometimes, the best thing you can do is…nothing. Just observe, wait, and let nature do its thing.
Lesson #2: Embracing the Unexpected Nature of Growth
After the Great Overwatering Incident of 2023, I decided to adopt a more hands-off approach with Oswald. I watered him sparingly, only when the soil was bone dry, and mostly just tried to stay out of his way. Imagine my surprise when, a few weeks later, I noticed a new shoot unfurling from the soil.
Leave a Reply