My Thumb is Apparently Not So Green
Let’s be honest, I’m not exactly known for my nurturing nature. I’m more of a “forget to water myself” kind of guy. So, when my well-meaning friend gifted me a houseplant—a supposedly “easy to care for” ZZ plant, no less—I accepted it with a healthy dose of skepticism.
“Don’t worry,” my friend chirped, “Even you can’t kill this one!”
Challenge accepted, plant friend. Challenge accepted.
My first mistake? Expecting instant gratification. I’m used to the instant results of the digital world—send a text, get a response; order takeout, food arrives in 30 minutes; post a selfie, receive immediate validation (or at least, likes). Plants, I quickly learned, don’t operate on my schedule.
I’d stare at my ZZ plant, willing it to sprout new growth, convinced I was doing something wrong. Where were the lush, vibrant leaves? The Instagram-worthy foliage? I even downloaded a plant-identifying app, convinced they’d given me the wrong species at the store (“Sir, this is clearly a plastic fern.”).
But then, something magical happened. After weeks of what felt like zero progress, a single, tiny, green shoot emerged. It was a slow, almost imperceptible change, but it was there—a testament to patience and consistency (and maybe a little bit of luck).
Lesson #2: Sometimes Less is More (Especially When Watering Your ZZ Plant)
Confession: I am a chronic over-waterer. I see a dry patch of soil and my instinct is to drown it in a deluge of H2O. This, I discovered (the hard way), is not what plants want.
My poor ZZ plant endured weeks of my well-intentioned but misguided watering habits. Its leaves started to yellow, then brown, and I’m pretty sure it let out an audible sigh of despair. Just when I was about to add it to the plant graveyard in the sky (aka, my compost bin), I stumbled upon a life-saving article about overwatering.
Turns out, my plant wasn’t thirsty, it was drowning! I learned to check the soil moisture before reaching for the watering can, and to my surprise, my ZZ plant perked right up. Who knew that sometimes, the best thing you can do is just back off and let things be?