When starting college, I knew there were going to be more responsibilities that I would need to take care of on my own. I had school work and my social life to balance. And while I never had any pets to take care of, I had indoor plants (that my mom cared for).
Before I got a succulent, I heard from people around me that they were easy plants to take care of. Just a bit of water and some sunlight, and it should stay alive. That seems self-explanatory and therefore, easy.
So, when the opportunity arose, I dashed out of the dorm and brought home a succulent. My roommates approved of plant life in the room since a succulent would not take up too much space. Personally, though, I know people with a more extensive indoor garden by their windows.
We all admired the little plant. It was almost like a child to us, so one of my roommates named him “Steve.”
Steve the succulent was living a good life. We had a schedule for him to be watered once a week. With watering, we made sure that it was only enough water for the soil to be damp. Succulents should not be given too much water. With sunlight, we really could only put him by the window and open the shades. There was no other way he could get direct sunlight.
Because he was always by the window, I never got to interact with him much. But I had seen somewhere that talking to plants could help him grow. Therefore, one day, I decided to check up on him. With the way my room is set up, I never need to go into the area where Steve spends his entire day.
I picked him up, and I noticed his significant growth since I first brought him back to the dorm. It was incredible, and there was a little sprout to show that more growth was occurring. I started taking pictures, but as I was doing it, I made the mistake of whacking him.
And this is where it gets complicated.
When I examined the damage, it turns out, I broke the top. I sat there in shock for what felt like an eternity. I could not believe I injured my plant. My heart broke looking at his misshapen stem where was barely intact.
“I broke Steve…” I quietly interjected to my roommate as she was on her bed. Let’s just say that she was not happy about it.
I started researching thoroughly on what to do. Thankfuly, there was a solution. First, I saw that I could tape him back up with a rod. Therefore, I used scotch tape (the solution required plant tape though) and a toothpick. It looked okay, but if I kept that strategy going, I would have needed to give Steve a lot more careful attention.
This is where my Boy Scouts friend who is majoring in Environmental Science came into play. Turns out, if I cut off where I broke my plant and then, put it back to the soil, it will eventually regrow. Of course, that task was delegated to my roommate because we all know how much of a klutz I can be.
In short, college is going to present you with a lot of responsibilities. There will always be more that you are adding to your plate. Take care of what you need to do. And by all means, in the event you start taking care of a little plant, give it plenty of love and attention. Just don’t make the same mistake I did.