Plants
on George Hamilton (Jamaica), 02/Jun/2010 14:23, 34 days ago
Plants grow profusely in Jamaica whether it be cactus, bougainvillea or poinsettia....there's always something in bloom so I thought growing plants would be an easy hobby to take up. Not so...I had to repot all my plants a few weeks after I brought them home. The earth they were in was fairly poor clay. I'm actually surprised there is soil this poor in Jamaica with all this lush growth all around and everything blooming brilliantly. However, we watched the vendor pot one plant for us as he scraped up the ground where he stood for potting soil. That soil looked the same as what was in all the other pots I'd brought home so I left them because I figured Jamaican plants were doing quite well in that soil. After a few weeks, they all started dying back to embarrassing levels especially for someone deliberately taking on the task of growing plants to fulfil a need to nurture. Plus I decided they were in pots far too small. I don't actually have a green thumb, I just enjoy plants in my house so plants pretty much have to be self-nurturing to survive.But happily, after repotting and a few more weeks of tender loving care (I watered them once a week), all my plants are sprouting new growth and look healthy again. Some of them aren't quite back to their original splendour but I'm optimistic. It's looking good.The walnut tree brought home on Earth Day started with 7 leaves and it now has 10. That's a good start.This plant didn't have enough sunlight in the bathroom, plus our bathroom counter was needed for other things so the plant became the door stop in our bedroom. It seems pretty happy here and even though it's not as thick as it was in the beginning, it's definitely taller and wider.The two plants on the outside of this threesome are the original pictures taken after I first brought them home. The one on the left seems to be just about the same. It's the only one which was happy in the crappy soil and equally happy in its improved store bought earth. The dieffenbachia, the tall plant on the right, was one of two that motivated me into buying bigger pots and new soil. It died back to two leaves so you can see it's also made the biggest improvement. It now has five leaves and the three new ones are much healthier looking than the two originals.And finally this poor little plant. It came home with pretty little white flowers which died immdiately and then all the leaves died back almost equally immediately. It seems much happier now in it's new location with more light and bigger pot and fresh soil. It's got two new sprouts growing on either side. Now to start googling to find the names for all these plants.With my new found gardening confidence, I'm also starting an herb garden. So far all I have is this little basil sprig which I really should remember to use. Audrey bought it for me but she didn't have time to water it during the week of violence so two of it's friends completely died before I even got it. But thanks to Audrey, I now know where to buy potted herbs so I'll have to make a trip over to John Wong's soon. It's a long walk in this heat and it would be nice to have company so I'll wait til the weekend and wander over with George. Plus the less money I spend the better. $20 Canadian a day is a tight budget for two to live on.