In the fall I wrote about my journey to liven up my room with some plants while determined not to kill them. I started with three plants and now have five (one of which is sort of dead). I was given African Violets in late October that did not survive winter break. While the Maine winter is beautiful and snowy, it is also brutally cold. Over JanPlan, I got an inch plant which seems to be doing pretty well. I accidentally scorched a few of its leaves because I didn’t know plants could get sunburned, even in the winter. The leaves were burnt when I was trying to take advantage of a sunny day and moved the plant into direct sunlight on the windowsill. I forgot about it, and when the sun set the plant got a little chilly. A few days later, a couple of leaves started to brown. So, if you are looking to learn from my mistakes, keep your plants away from the windows where it gets chilly but still close enough to get sunlight.
My three original plants are doing okay. The pothos is by far growing the most and is the healthiest because my roommate took care of it over winter break, so I have not had a chance to kill it. The mini aloe vera plant has had some ups and downs because it ideally should be in a warmer climate. Some of the leaves have browned a little, but others have grown. Little thorns are growing off all the leaves, which I am yet to determine if this is a good sign or a bad sign. Last but not least, my succulent has grown a lot but also lost many leaves. The stem looks like a crooked spine because it has been trying to grow towards the sun. As a result, I rotate every week to try and avoid creating the leaning tower of Pisa. Overall, my plants are doing okay.
Plant motherhood has been hard, and I still have a lot to learn. We will see how my plants hold up throughout the spring semester. Fingers crossed I don’t kill anything else.