A Winter’s Day Confession

Location: Michigan

It is late January. I’m ready to confess.

Okay. Here goes.

I am an over-waterer.

It’s been a lifelong condition. As far back as I can remember I have poured water, too much water, on plants and they have overflowed, time and time again. And yet, and this is the kicker, I keep doing it. Here I am, in middle age, full of wisdom and pithy insight into human nature, and yet I am convinced that this plant in front of me, this poor thirsty plant, needs more water. Yes, just a little more. So I pour it on. And then I turn away and I hear the …drip…drip….drip…

Augh! Go get the towels! Get the plant off that table! Carry it to the sink.

There have been several ways that I have deal with this watering problem. First, I always take time to explain to every new plant I get to expect the worst. It’s a nice place to live, great fertilizer, good bug control, as much sun as possible, outside in the summer, inside in the winter, lots of friends. However, you will get too much water.

Second, I put really good, big saucers under everything.

Last but not least, I use this fertilizer that HELPS people like me and their poor drowning plants. It’s this “Oxygen Plus Liquid Fertilizer” concentrate that Safer provides. So even when I do over-water, this fertilizer helps make up for the (unintentional) damage I do. It covers a multitude of sins. Or multitude of water..,depending on how you look at it.

There is a bright side. I have friends who always forget to water their plants. I go to their house and there, unbelievably to me, their plants are hanging on to life by a thread. I look at the houseplants in the window and say, “Oh, these must be on death row.” My friends do not think this is funny. They say, “I thought we watered those last month?” And then they hand me the watering can. And I get to water everything to my hearts desire. Soaking, soaking and more soaking. I’m happy as a clam. So the bright side is look for friends with really dry plants.