All About My Plants
Hey everyone,
Without realizing it, and unintentionally so, I have been talking for so long about my plants and have yet to make a post about them! Considering the time I waited to start this hobby, you would think that I would have been writing about them for much longer than I have.
My love for small house plants begins far earlier than the recent trend that you'll see all across social media today. For years I had wanted to try raising a bonsai, and it wasn't until my 16th birthday I had finally been given a card with the promise, "Good for one free tree" written on the inside. That was five years ago, and since then I have grown a fond love for the art of bonsai.
My first is a jade bonsai tree, an adorable little tree that I, quite literally, raised from the dead. My other three are tiny succulents that I purchased for more of the aesthetic than the actual process. Personally, these plants are harder to take care of than my jade tree, how strange is that?
When it comes to plants I've seen that there is no in-between-- you either have dozens scattered across your home or one to two sitting in a windowsill. I believe there is a misconception about these plants and the difficulties that come raising them, and I wanted to shed some light on what raising plants have taught me.
Above all, my bonsai tree has taught me how to be patient. Trees, even little bonsai ones, don't grow overnight, and tending to my bonsai required I be patient with the tree. When I first bought my tree and potted it, the shock from repotting caused the tree to begin to die. Out of nowhere my plant was weak and losing a handful of leaves in a day. This was something that really worried me, and I had to be patient in that the tree would make a turnaround. After reviving the plant, another mishap struck: a pest infestation. I had never seen that trees could be infested with bugs, but it seemed that one day my tree, just as she had began to get better, started having little white bugs on the leaves and a weaker foliage. This time I had to be patient in treating the tree for the bugs, and I found myself at one point sitting in my bathtub scrubbing each leaf with a pest blend I had purchased. Can you begin to see the amount of time that goes into taking care of plants?
As cute as plants are, something I didn't realize was who the caretaker would be when I went away to school. Without realizing it, I was leaving for school with no one around me knowing how to care for plants. For those who are lucky enough to bring their plants to school with them; congrats! Freshmen year me is envious of you. But for those of us who can't, make sure to explain to those around you the watering process and how often you should add supplements to your plants. My biggest fear would be that I would return home and no longer have these adorable little plants, but I made very clear instructions on how to care for them and was pleasantly surprised to come home and see that my plants had thrived while I was away.
My advice for those wanting to raise plants is simple: do your research. Some plants are harder to care for than others, and if you aren't knowledgable of how to raise (or revive) a plant than chances are the process will be more tedious and less enjoyable for you. A jade tree is a fantastic starter tree for those interested in bonsai trees, and I would recommend going bonsai before going succulent, but that is my preference.
Also, while I don't shame those who choose to buy their plants at home stores such as Lowes or Home Depot, try finding a garden store near you and taking a look at their plants. In my case, there is a garden center about 20 minutes from me and they often have classes on succulents; having this as a resource makes me all the more comfortable when buying my plants!
Do you have any plants? Leave a comment telling me what you like, or don't, about your plants and the process behind raising them!
0 comments