Comments on: Involuntary Plantslaughter – You’re Not Alone!

By: Bob

Bob — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:58:05 +0000

Fern,

what kind is it? i think the only reason my phal rebloomed is because my office closes for a week during the holidays. during that time the temperature is lowered considerably and there is no light. shortly after that it would send up a spike. i am actually kinda relieved that it is dead, as i wasn’t really fond of its flowers.

By: Fern

Fern — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:49:12 +0000

Melanie–The great thing about gardening is that there is always another opportunity to try and do something better next time.

Bob–Sorry to hear about your orchid. I have one that puts out plenty of leaves but never flowers. I almost wish it would die I am so frustrated. I give it special fertilizer, I’ve tried moving it (currently it is in my bathroom window), but no flowers. It’s a stingy little plant.

By: Fern

Fern — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:46:50 +0000

Great attitude Jess!

By: jess

jess — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:23:09 +0000

plants die. they have death built into their genes. most of the plants we grow are built to die every year. i grow things i know won’t succeed because of my soil, my water, my conditions, my own habits, you know, just to see how it goes/for the experience. i think dealing with the death of plants is part of having them around. it’s like saying you shouldn’t get a kitten cause someday you’ll have to bury your cat, or you should never fall in love because you might get divorced. growing a seed provides an opportunity to have an experience with something that is going to live (and die eventually, even if you “do it right”). there’s no sadness in that for me.

By: Bob

Bob — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:24:14 +0000

this fall I repotted a phalaenopsis that iv’e had on my desk at work for 3 years. last week it lost 2 leaves, so i brought it home only to find that the entire rootmass rotted and all that was left is 3 leaves. it found its way to the trash barrel 10 minutes ago. it was the only orchive i was able to get blooming every year.

By: melanie watts

melanie watts — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:07:20 +0000

Usually I kill stuff in the spring, anxious to get everything outside I forget to cover, at night, the tender things in pots. Sometimes just the tops of the plants get frosted but occasionally a big frost comes and everything is black the next morning. I’m actually getting better, bringing everything inside has become a ritual now until the weather has stabilized. The time between frosts is so short up here 3-4 months.

By: Fern

Fern — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:12:25 +0000

Don’t feel bad Trina. I killed an air plant recently too. They’re marketed as easy to grow, but I think they’re a little persnickety.

By: Trina

Trina — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 02:35:12 +0000

what timing…I killed a plant today, so I’m still in mourning. It was a beautiful tillandsia (they’re AIRplants! how hard can it be!?) that I bought with some graduation money. I guess I overwatered it or something, because it started growing mold. now it’s in the compost. RIP.

Mary C- this summer I watched as a gopher devoured a coreopsis from below, right in front of my very eyes. might have been the first time I wished i had a shotgun.

By: Mary C

Mary C — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:01:04 +0000

I didn’t know that the diffused light from my skylight wasn’t enough for the seedlings I started…over the entire summer…so half of them never made it to hardening off on the back patio :/

Also the coreopsis I got (which is supposed to do extremely well in our dry summers and with neglect) didn’t make it two weeks in my strawberry pot

By: Kat

Kat — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:47:51 +0000

Let’s just say I push the boundaries of the drought tolerant nature of plants. If it lives in my yard, it can survive on seasonal (when I’m good about it) water.