Masochistic houseplants!

[Chevette Girl]

My orchid, who I regularly neglect and I think I've watered it *properly* all of about three times in its 6 or 7 years, surprised me by flowering again. I can't believe this thing. It must really really like me or something... It's never had more than 4 leaves because I always forget to water it and the oldest one dries out...

Anyone else have plants that love abuse?

My christmas cacti also flower somewhat regularly despite years of abuse and neglect, and every now and then even the African Violets get pretty for me, and I can't believe this bougainvelia is still alive...

[Altricious]

Some plants flower as a last ditch effort to reproduce before they die. Neglect is about the only way I ever got my Christmas cactus to bloom.

[Riverat]

I have a couple of survivors, one a Pony Tail Palm (pachipodeum / elephants foot/whatever) that I have negleted to water for months on end and a few times left outside in sub freezing weather, had the top rot off, etc. It is still great looking in a strange way with multiple "tails"
I also have a plant of unknown species (known for decades by my friends as "Thing")I bought for a buck at a K Mart when K Mart was new. It was in a pan a foot across and six inches deep, looked like someone had cut a small tree off about a foot from the base and potted it. It has the strangest milky green bark and large round lobed (three to five leaves on a leaf stem) leaves. I've frozen it, dryed it out till all the leaves fell off and the smaller branched shriveled up, left it rootbound for years, over watered it until rot set in, etc. It to is looking good in its bazare way, though I have been taking better care of it. had both of these for 35 years or so and they seem determined to outlive me.

[Chevette Girl]

I have a spiderplant that's been mine since I was a little kid, haven't quite killed it yet. I chuck all my spiderplants out for the summer, under the resin chairs so they get water and shade... they always go crazy and explode with babies, most of which have shrivelled up and died by now because I'm terrible and forget to water them... I have a jade plant my hubby's grandma gave me and I need a new pot for it, the plastic one it's in is not only too small but also the plant overbalances it when it leans towards the sun... She also gave me something I suspect is in the aloe family, it was a nub with three 1" leaves for three years, and then all of a sudden the leaves shot out to 4" long and it started growing and just hasn't stopped...

And I have the best ivy ever - it wilts when it's thirsty so I water everyone. With the exception of this particular plant, I have the touch of death with ivy because they never tell you when they're thirsty, I even planted one in the same pot as something else that does flag, and it went crunchy long before the other thing politely requested sustenance...

Riverat, if you could post a photo of "Thing" that would be really cool, you've got my interest piqued...

My mom has a cactus she grew from her cousin's cactus, its name is "Stretch" because it just keeps growing and growing... all my attempts at cloning Stretch have failed so far.

And I checked my bougainvelia, I was gonna cut it back to a stump but it's got tiny little new leaf growth all over the place so I only cut back anything without leaves, and it only bit me once, thorny prima-donna... nothing like playing blood tribute to your plants

Oh, and I have a small (2') umbrella tree and one of those spiky things they plant everywhere still alive from the plant baskets when my dad died ten years ago... but I think I've managed to kill just about everything else from then...

[TAKeyser]

Wish I had that kind of luck with plants. They die just from me looking at them in the store. I am going to give growing something another chance this year as I ordered 3 Hop plants and a Chocolate Mint plant. Might as well grow something I can make mead out of.

[Sadie Lady]

Same thing orchids. I can't remember the last time I watered them, they've been blooming for months. Some sort of African plant, forgot and left it outside till December, brought it in and it bloomed. Should be blooming now, don't know if it will do it again now.

[Chevette Girl]

My husband says they bloom because they're in fear for their lives... probably about right... he also teases me for leaving dead ones around to serve as an example to the rest... (I did finally chuck the pointsettia that died this summer).

And be careful where you plant that chocolate mint, I think it took my mom ten years to get rid of the applemint she planted in the garden in a fit of silliness...

[Sadie Lady]

I felt bad and went and watered my orchids

[TAKeyser]

Originally Posted by Chevette Girl

And be careful where you plant that chocolate mint, I think it took my mom ten years to get rid of the applemint she planted in the garden in a fit of silliness...

It's being planted in a raised planter box that is on the patio away from everything else. I had already heard it was pretty invasive. Plus I like to move around every few years (I get bored) and planters are the way to go.

[skunkboy]

Originally Posted by Chevette Girl

I have a spiderplant that's been mine since I was a little kid, haven't quite killed it yet. I chuck all my spiderplants out for the summer, under the resin chairs so they get water and shade...

I'm not sure that you can kill spiderplants... when I worked in a basement computer lab we had some that lived for years with almost no natural light and hardly and water.

[skunkboy]

Originally Posted by TAKeyser

Wish I had that kind of luck with plants. They die just from me looking at them in the store. I am going to give growing something another chance this year as I ordered 3 Hop plants and a Chocolate Mint plant. Might as well grow something I can make mead out of.

If you can kill mint, I will be shocked. Better not plant it in the yard, it will explode and colonize all availible dirt...

[TAKeyser]

Someone gave me some plant and it was supposed to be kill proof. All you had to do was sit it in a glass of water on a windowsill and forget about it (kind of like JOAM), well it died

[skunkboy]

Originally Posted by TAKeyser

Someone gave me some plant and it was supposed to be kill proof. All you had to do was sit it in a glass of water on a windowsill and forget about it (kind of like JOAM), well it died

For a cheap window plant you can just use toothpicks, a potato, and glass/jar of water.
Also something to do with taters that start to sprout from age.

[greenbucks]

For all those aspiring and forever wanting a green thumb, there is what we call 'artificial' plants. LOL They look beautiful all year round, never need watering, nor do they need fertilizers.

Dusting a few times every year will do... ha ha ha .

[TAKeyser]

Originally Posted by greenbucks

For all those aspiring and forever wanting a green thumb, there is what we call 'artificial' plants. LOL They look beautiful all year round, never need watering, nor do they need fertilizers.

Dusting a few times every year will do... ha ha ha .

I killed one of those also, well in truth the dog chewed it and killed it.

[Chevette Girl]

Originally Posted by skunkboy

I'm not sure that you can kill spiderplants... when I worked in a basement computer lab we had some that lived for years with almost no natural light and hardly and water.

Oh, you can, I've done it (although I think it was actually overwatering)... just not with that one or the one I got as a housewarming present 12 years ago I swear they eat dirt though, repot them every 5 years and there's no dirt left in the pot, just root!!

[Loadnabox]

Originally Posted by Chevette Girl

My husband says they bloom because they're in fear for their lives... probably about right... he also teases me for leaving dead ones around to serve as an example to the rest... (I did finally chuck the pointsettia that died this summer).

And be careful where you plant that chocolate mint, I think it took my mom ten years to get rid of the applemint she planted in the garden in a fit of silliness...

My brother bought a Pointsettia several years back from a lady doing church charity sales at his office. This year her comment was , "You still have a three year old pointsettia? Don't you know you're supposed to kill the stupid things every year?"

[Chevette Girl]

I had one where I worked that the office got as an Xmas present from a client, and I even got it to flower the next Xmas. I meant to do the same with my own but it dried out while I was on vacation... I had one friend who used to bury its pot in her garden every year, and bring them in in fall...

[Echostatic]

I planted an appleseed in a plastic container, and put it in my windowsill... We will see how much it likes neglect >.>

My aquarium plants, on the other hand, seem to be doing well for the most part, and aside from adding some liquid carbon every day, I leave them alone mostly. But then, with fertilizer coming from the inhabitants, and no need to water, it's kinda hard to neglect them in the first place o.0