#i've been getting into houseplants and my sister got me an orchid

[2hoothoots]

WAIT IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY????? OMG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY FAVORITE PSYCHONAUTS ENJOYER YOU ARE SO COOL I HOPE YOU GET SOME NICE PRESENTS AND CAKE

(it was yesterday but) thank you!! i got a milk frother

[hhappylliving]

When we moved my grandma from her house into a senior living apartment complex we were basically asked if there were things we wanted. I only wanted something like a plant. My grandma always had little house plants sitting in every single windowsill.

I have had this houseplant since 2017. She had this houseplant before then.

When it got scales I spent HOURS cleaning the plant, finding good places to cut from to form new healthy plants spent hours working on those keeping them clean. The OG granny plant was too far gone with scales, and I had little versions.

Then I was traveling early 2020? and spent like 3 weeks away from my plants? My roommate had decided they were going to go live with her boyfriends mom- I don't know. Sometime in that apartment my plants ended up not doing great.

When I moved into my last apartment, they continued to not do hot. The sun wasn't strong enough on our side of the building.

When I moved into my sister's house for a few months they THRIVED in a water glass. I should've planted them in a pot then as they had LONG healthy roots. But I didn't. I wasnt getting sleep, keeping myself sane and taking care of my pets were my priority. They suffered. I didn't take them to my parents with me because I thought they had enough water for how long I was going- but I ended up staying here longer than expected and they were over watered [my sweet baby niece was the water-er of the plants, I'm thankful she saw my plants were low and gave them water].

As I've been at my parents house, they've not done great. I should've planted them in dirt in Aug/Sept. It's too dark in Michigan, like even when the sun is out, it's not bright enough here.

Now, April, I have even fewer plants and I think they're all at the brink of dying.

This is just one of those things where I feel like - genuinely - adhd is at play. Because I have soil. I have the pot they would go into. Why haven't I planted them this whole time? I'm down to 2 long very thin scraggly looking strands, 1 small strand that is half dead that I'm trying to keep the little roots poking up near the leaves wet so hopefully they can grow? And a tiny stem of leaves.

I love my granny plant. Obviously. I've spent so much time and care into keeping her alive. And yet here we are now. 🙃

Im afraid to put her into soil right now because I feel like it would be too dry? I don't know. But I also feel like me not doing anything is killing her.

I just needed to get my plants thoughts out of my brain. I don't kill plants. I had an orchid for years that ended up dying when I was going my travel stuff [idk how that thing stayed alive for years- orchids are funny].

I feel like I was filling my cup with plants when I lived alone. And then I got pets and the world shut down. And then I lived with people in spaces that are much, much bigger than what I've been used to in my apartment living, and caring for my plants got harder.