Tiny Plants: Plant Resurrection!
June 1, 2021
Plant resurrection! Ever wonder if you’ve killed a plant, or just need to let it rest?
LOOK CLOSE! (Zoom in) 🔬 Some plants, like this itty bitty micro Sinningia pusilla - that have storage tubers - tend to go dormant now and then. A natural inclination is to think the plant is either completely dead, or you should keep watering it to help it resprout.
But in this case, and with this species and related species/hybrids, it’s best to just walk away, stop watering, and wait. That’s what I did with this little colony - I left it alone and didn’t water it for about 8 + weeks.
Low and behold, a new plantlet is emerging from the tuber. YAY! If I had kept watering this dormant plant, I may have rotted the tuber. Since I keep these babies inside glass canisters for increased humidity, and with the new sprout so itty bitty, the potting mix is still moist so I’ll hold off on any new root zone watering for a bit longer. This plant has now returned to it's normal size (about an inch tall) and is blooming its tiny head off!
Sometimes, if you just let a plant take the timeout it needs (like we all do) it will come back out when it’s good and ready. 😬
If you'd love to learn more about growing and collecting itty bitty houseplants, be sure to check out my new book TINY PLANTS!
