Report From PIA – January 24
Today I helped my friend repot some houseplants. They were sent in a basket as a gift, and like most such dish gardens, the plants could never live for long in that configuration. This type of collection is usually in a container that doesn’t have any drainage, with the plants crowded together in a way that prevents them from thriving.
Dish gardens are often given as gifts for occasions such as housewarmings, birthdays, death or illness. In all cases, the plants are intended to cheer the recipient, so it’s odd that they are packaged in a way that pretty much guarantees that the plants will die. I told my friends that if they wanted these plants to live, they needed to liberate them from that gift basket as soon as possible…which is what we did today.
If plants are going to live in a container, they need room to spread their roots and drainage that will keep those roots from rotting. Whether we are cultivating plants indoors or outside, we always need to remember that what goes on below is reflected above. That beautiful, growing plant needs a healthy root system.
People too need to have conditions that support our root growth. Those things that hold us up and nourish us from down deep need to be allowed the space to flourish. Our faith, core values and love aren’t immediately visible, just as the roots of a plant are hidden underground. But these are structures that encourage and support our life and growth. These are, pun intended, what keeps us grounded.
What provides your faith, core values and love with enough root room?
Here was the choice - throw two of the plants away, or put two per pot? Two per pot won out.
