![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_rckScott just bought an electric lawnmower that runs on a chargeable battery. He got tired of having to go out and buy gas to run the old lawnmower but hadn't wanted an electric mower that needed a cord. The leaf blower and snow thrower both use cords, but neither of them are designed specifically to chop up things that get underneath them.
We finally managed to repot the Christmas cactus that Scott's mother gave Cordelia more than a decade ago. It's needed repotting for at least five years, but my hands weren't up to the task. I also had a moderate sized chunk of the plant in water after the cleaning lady knocked it off the plant in January 2020. It flourished in that glass of water in spite of getting no sun whatsoever.
At any rate, I melted down over the damned plant about six months ago because nobody else would water it unless I stood over them and watched and because I couldn't safely move through the dining room to get to the plant on the window sill. I have always resented the plant but have been unwilling to abandon it because it's a living thing (I have no idea why I didn't throw out the piece I ended up rooting. No, I know. It was such a large part of the plant, maybe a third of it).
At this point, Scott's actually clearing the path back to the plant occasionally. I still have to ask, but he no understands that I can't walk through bags and boxes and can't move them without help. He also bought me two large pots and twice as much potting soil as we needed. We had that for about four months before I managed to catch him when he could help. I could do most of the work, but I couldn't get the plant out of the old pot or open the bag of soil.
I set up with a large box in the living room and put the empty pot and the bag of soil in the box. That let me sit on the couch and bend down to work which was about the only way I could have done it without injuring myself and without making a huge mess. The whole process took about 15 minutes with most of that dedicated to slowly water the repotted plants. The original plant looks so much healthier now that it's no longer root bound, and the rooted fragment seems to be happy.
I'm still looking for someone to take one or both plants. Cordelia says she doesn't want them, and I really don't either. I also don't think I can keep taking care of them even at the water once a week level. The dining room is a tight space, and it holds a lot of things that Scott really wants to keep but that don't have other homes. Since we don't eat out there, the area around and under the table ends up as storage for things like empty boxes that won't fit in that week's recycling and books that we can't currently donate and board games Scott wants to play but doesn't have opportunities to play.
Our local niece has said she's willing to take the plants, but she's still in college in a dorm room a ten hour drive from here. Well, she's half an hour away right now. I just don't think she wants to give up that much carrying space for plants, and if she's leaving them with her parents, I want their consent first. I'd feel better about giving her just one of them.
We finally managed to repot the Christmas cactus that Scott's mother gave Cordelia more than a decade ago. It's needed repotting for at least five years, but my hands weren't up to the task. I also had a moderate sized chunk of the plant in water after the cleaning lady knocked it off the plant in January 2020. It flourished in that glass of water in spite of getting no sun whatsoever.
At any rate, I melted down over the damned plant about six months ago because nobody else would water it unless I stood over them and watched and because I couldn't safely move through the dining room to get to the plant on the window sill. I have always resented the plant but have been unwilling to abandon it because it's a living thing (I have no idea why I didn't throw out the piece I ended up rooting. No, I know. It was such a large part of the plant, maybe a third of it).
At this point, Scott's actually clearing the path back to the plant occasionally. I still have to ask, but he no understands that I can't walk through bags and boxes and can't move them without help. He also bought me two large pots and twice as much potting soil as we needed. We had that for about four months before I managed to catch him when he could help. I could do most of the work, but I couldn't get the plant out of the old pot or open the bag of soil.
I set up with a large box in the living room and put the empty pot and the bag of soil in the box. That let me sit on the couch and bend down to work which was about the only way I could have done it without injuring myself and without making a huge mess. The whole process took about 15 minutes with most of that dedicated to slowly water the repotted plants. The original plant looks so much healthier now that it's no longer root bound, and the rooted fragment seems to be happy.
I'm still looking for someone to take one or both plants. Cordelia says she doesn't want them, and I really don't either. I also don't think I can keep taking care of them even at the water once a week level. The dining room is a tight space, and it holds a lot of things that Scott really wants to keep but that don't have other homes. Since we don't eat out there, the area around and under the table ends up as storage for things like empty boxes that won't fit in that week's recycling and books that we can't currently donate and board games Scott wants to play but doesn't have opportunities to play.
Our local niece has said she's willing to take the plants, but she's still in college in a dorm room a ten hour drive from here. Well, she's half an hour away right now. I just don't think she wants to give up that much carrying space for plants, and if she's leaving them with her parents, I want their consent first. I'd feel better about giving her just one of them.
no subject
Date: 2021-07-08 10:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-07-15 07:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-07-15 08:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-07-08 11:05 pm (UTC)1. Craigslist. Every area's local Craigslist is different, and some are deeply sketchy, but it's at least worth a look.
2. Do a quick google search to see if your neighborhood/city/local area has some kind of virtual swap/virtual garage sale website.
3. Have Cordelia and Scott ask people they know if they need a random plant.
4. Put out a sign on the front lawn saying "Free Plant!" and either leave one of the plants there or instruct people to knock on your door if interested.
5. Ask around the local PTA or equivalent?
...
I would totally take one, except I live in New York and also have too many plants of my own already.
no subject
Date: 2021-07-15 07:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-07-15 01:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-07-09 02:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-07-15 07:13 am (UTC)I gave one to our local niece and one to our nephew. Scott's mother, if she ever asks, will be happier with the idea that they're still in the family.
no subject
Date: 2021-07-09 02:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-07-15 07:14 am (UTC)