My Experiences with Neon Pothos and Rosemary so Far!

In the previous blogs, I have mentioned how I have slowly become a plant mom. I bought my very first plant right before the start of Lockdown 2.0. I thought it was the perfect time for me to learn some gardening skills and slowly start my journey of plant parenthood. For the very first plant, I opted for Neon Pothos because of its low maintenance properties. 

Not long ago, I bought Rosemary as my second plant. I wanted to keep one mostly because I was attracted by its therapeutic properties like a rich source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds for boosting the immune system, improving blood circulation, preventing baldness, hair growth, treating dandruff and dry scalp. And my favorite, adding it to food for enhanced flavors!

In the initial phase of getting Neon Pothos, I used to be very concerned and protective about it. I used to keep it in my room, check up on it, touch its leaves, talk to it and water it when needed. Maybe it's a first time plant parent thing- I used to check if it has grown everyday. It’s been more than four months since I got it but to be honest it still has not grown any longer (trail). We have a similar variety of pothos (Golden Pothos) in my house which is taken care of by my mom. Golden Pothos on the other hand has grown so long that it has occupied most of the space on the wall. This made me become impatient with my Neon Pothos so I decided to repot it in the same pot as Golden Pothos. But little did I know, even if the plants are from the same variety, their needs can be different. We started treating these plants with the same water, fertilizer and sunlight requirements. However, my Neon Pothos started turning yellow and droopy! This made me more concerned and so recently, I have repotted it to another pot. People say that Pothos are Devil’s Ivy, meaning we can go days without taking care of them and they wouldn't still die easily. Maybe this was embedded in my head that’s why I was neglecting it. Recently, I have been trying to be careful enough to check up on its needs in the hopes it would trail long very soon.

Now talking about my experiences with Rosemary, it was trial and error I’d say! With the knowledge of basic care tips, I kept Rosemary in minimal sunlight, water once every four days. And that’s where I was wrong. For the first few days, my Rosemary was green and healthy. But after a few days, I noticed the tips of the leaves started turning yellow. I assumed it would have loved more water and bright direct sunlight, so I shifted to a new place. Sadly, we had heavy rainfall for three consecutive days and that’s when the condition of the plant got worse. With my busy schedule (and mostly negligence), I forgot to check up on it. Overwatering and low sunlight turned my plant brown and that’s when I realized my rosemary died! I was disheartened but now I know what went wrong and how I can improve. Having said this, recently I have gotten another healthy rosemary plant, and with the previous experiences and learning, it’s thriving well!

With these experiences with my plants so far, the very first thing I realized is I lacked research and knowledge about the plants. To any new plant parents out there, I would suggest you do enough research about the plants you want to take care of. Secondly, even if your plant is a low-maintenance one, don’t neglect it completely! Lastly, you need to be very patient. Plants grow at their own pace. So don’t get disheartened if your plants are taking their time to grow.

About the writer:

Chadani Satyal is a Digital Marketing Executive at I Am The Gardener. She loves to sing and has recently started learning to play Ukulele. She’s probably the most entertaining person you’ll come across!