So as you may know I have a lovely watermelon peperomia plant named Steve. But what if I told you that Steve has been helping with my depression? Strange huh? While there is plenty of scientific evidence for this, I want to talk about my experience raising Steve like the plant mom I am.
HISTORY
When I got Steve he was wilting and small, he was getting too much sunlight and not enough water he needed a little love so I paid for him, took him home from the Walmart garden center, and placed him in my home environment. Steve needed his first plant bath to soak his roots. He perked back up within the first hour.
At the beginning of our plant-human relationship, he was barely growing, I thought, incorrectly that this was due to lack of water, however when I consulted plant-tube I was surprised to find out that he didn’t need that much watering, mostly just sunlight.
From there it was a learning process about his water schedule and his light schedule. I looked to grow lights as an option as well as natural light. I opted for the cheaper option of natural light to help him get growing. I even gave him a trim last month so now he looks fabulous!
WAYS HAVING A PLANT HAS IMPROVED MY LIFE
- Gives me a new routine. When you are on a schedule it’s easier to forget about your problems.
- I create change. By watching Steve grow I affect change on a small part of my environment and it makes me happy. I did something good and something good happened.
- Steve distracts me from a few of my problems. Having something else to care about and care for makes my a lot problems temporarily go away.
- keeping a plant alive makes me feel like a real adult. There’s something about having to care for something other than just yourself, I cant really explain it.
TIPS FOR FELLOW PLANT PARENTS
- Read up about your plant before buying. Does it have a name? How often does it need water? Fertilizer? What about sunlight? Consider all of these before buying a new plant.
- Set reminders on your phone for watering and fertilizing your plants.
- If your house or apartment is too dark set plants out on your patio or windowsill
- Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. Stick your fingers in the soil to see if it’s dry all the way through or just at the top layer. If there’s water below no need for your plant friend to drown.
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*P.S.: no plants we harmed in the making of this blog
Late-Start 
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