Tagged humor so I don’t kinda cry still. I had a beautiful plant shelf full of variegated micans and scindapsus and even a huge variegated mini monstera, but… then I got horrifically depressed and was hospitalized for 7 weeks and my (now ex partner) didn’t do jack shit for them while I was gone.
I’m doing much better now, and I went to go clean out the withered remains of my plants, only to find that they were kinda clinging to life. So chop and prop time. This looks so silly, but I’m gonna give them a shot. They’re all in fluval which I’ve had a lot of luck with in the past for very tiny unhappy cuttings before.
What’s the worst that can happen? Plants I thought were dead actually die? Lmao
by iroshizukuajisai
30 Comments
First of all, while we don’t know each other, I am very glad to hear you are doing better. Depression is a beast.
Second, the good news is lots of those can for sure be propogated like you planned. It is devastating to lose things we’ve poured so much time and effort into, but now you just get another opportunity to rebuild and watch things grow again. Take your time, be patient with yourself, and your collection will thrive again, just like you.
Sending love ❤️ sometimes you need to tend to the mind garden for a little while.
Friend, I’m in your boat and find solace alone isolating and then I see them and know I’m having a better today than yesterday!!
I’ll sing for you as I sing for all of us with MI and hope you know I struggle with you!!! Be well, good human!! Your babies look great
The message of resiliency that our plants give us, makes me feel better. I am glad to hear you are doing better and I look forward to seeing these guys in a little while. 🤍
You survived. Some of your plants will too 😊. Good luck! 🍀
Hah, I have the exact same Ikea cabinets. What are you using for lights? I just have a couple magnet puck lights stuck to the top. Wishing you a good recovery!
This happens to me all the time. It’s really hard not to go down a shame spiral. Just know that you’re doing your best every single day. As hard as it is, try to be nice to yourself as you care for them. 💖
My ex gave me a Cape Sundew as a gift once. I love plants, but I’ve never really cared for them properly. It was very special to me, and I did take some care this time.
A few months later. She moved, and we did long distances. She slept with a friend and broke up with me. It destroyed me. And in that time, I neglected to take care of my sundew and myself, and it was a dry bdead twig jsut like me when I recalled I forgot it in the sun.
I don’t know how, but I managed to revive it! After many months of recovery, it grew back fully and even bloomed! I didn’t know carnivorous plants could flower and bloom! That dried up sad plant almost represented me and the state I was in. And I took great care to bring it back and nurture it. The same way I had learned to do for myself. That plant taught me that. And to help me process my breakup and my recovery.
It’s propogated a lot and I know have like 21 sundews. It makes me so happy.
I am sorry about your struggles, OP. I hope you can find solace and joy in your plants like I have. Take good care of them as I’m sure you will and remember to be kind and care for yourself as well. I am excited for you.
Please share your plants with us after you both have had time to recover. And show us the progress.
Sending support!
Best of luck!
I lost about 75% of my orchids and about 50% of my aroids, plus a handful of succulents this summer while dealing with a massive health crisis on top of mental health. It absolutely sucks.
❤️ 🪴 🌿
Its a fresh start. And those plants may just come back better than before. Possibly much like yourself. Stay strong.
Been there, got the shirt. It sucks so bad. Sending love your way!
If there is green, there is life… in the case of an aloe I thought I killed, even if it is brown there is life! You can do it. Bring them along with you on your health journey. 💚
Hey, I’m glad to hear you are at least doing better now. Depression is definitely a shitty thing to go through.
If it’s any consolation, over last winter I went through a vicious cycle of being depressed –> neglecting my plants –> becoming even more depressed because my plants were sad and dying.
I managed to pull myself out of it eventually, but I didn’t think there was any hope for any of my plants. Still, I trimmed back all of the dead and gave them a shot. Mine looked much like yours do.
Now as we approach another winter, I have many of those plants who bounced back and are now thriving, and I’ve even regrown/expanded my collection again.
Just do the best you can do, and see who rewards you! It’ll definitely pay off in the long run.
https://preview.redd.it/6kiuwgbbcqyf1.jpeg?width=636&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d2ddc66cb5ce1af667d7a70ae0923848c9c4d958
Plants and people. We are far more resilient than we ever give credit for. Sending you so much goodness, growth, and kindness ❤️
Proud of you ❤️ Keep going.
I have been there. Hoping you can save your babies!
My plants and I are 8 months post depression. I’ve had to chop some, learned how to use a propagation box and set my little greenhouse back up. Slowly but surely, they are growing back!
You’ve got this 🧡
I am in depression too and I get it. Also I think you can get a good success with propagation. And I think your plants just like you now – they had a really rough time, but now they can grow again and being taken care of as you do for yourself. Keep going, you doing amazing!
Oh sweetheart…take care of your plants and yourself with equal love and care….and you’ll all flourish! ❤️
I have been through something similar. I went through severe depression for over a year and thought I lost a lot of my plants but thankfully they were hanging on by a thread. Thankfully I’ve gotten to a better place and while I’m healing myself I’m attempting to revive my plants, too. ❤️ you’re not alone
i’m doing alright now but oh boy… i’ve lost my entire collection and lost multiple plants that i couldve saved because i was too far gone to do anything about it.
it’s going to be okay. like other people have said, a lot of those can be propagated back up 💜
ur doing a good job
Hello Internet stranger, I am sending you internet hugs! Thank you for sharing this part of your story, I’m truly hoping you’re feeling better and I wish the best of luck to your babies and their funky new hairdos!
Oh I relate to this so hard. I fell into a deep depression last year after my best friend of 13 years passed away. I neglected my plant collection and lost all but… maybe 5 of them? Before that I had over 100 plants.
The grief of losing my best friend and then my plants which also meant so much to me was.. a lot. I still tear up thinking about some of the plants I lost and haven’t replaced some of them yet because I’m still grieving the ones I lost.
The select few that made it? They were in ROUGH shape, but it’s been healing watching them slowly recover. Plants can be so forgiving 🖤
I’m so glad you’re doing better, and your plants will get there too 🖤
I hope you can bring them back to life. That would be symbolic. 🥰
So glad to hear that you are doing better. I’ve suffered from depression most of my life (I’m 76} and it is a beast of an illness. I have someone that helps me with my chickens and mini pigs. I went away for surgery and she failed to water any of my plants. I was devastated, but. like you, I found tiny signs of life and started over. Wishing you luck with your plants and going forward good mental health.
Fr though
Plants are a lovely reminder that it’s possible to bounce back from the gnarliest conditions. Wishing you lots of healing and comfort ❤️
You can always think that your plants were clinging to life bc they miss you and were waiting for your return 🩷 I hope you have a lovely week. Take it easy and don’t be too hard on yourself
Congrats on new start! Just like many before me said: take your time and don’t be too harsh on youself. Life has ups and downs, and you are a survivor. And so are your plants.