So it's a very strange plant year. Both glad and sad!

Sad:
First, absolutely none of my seeds sprouted. Granted, I was using some old seeds, but usually SOME sprout, even then (and some were not old but harvested from a neighbor!) But no, no flowers for me or the bees this year. I have never had that happen. So far, the acorns and hawthorn berry I planted haven't sprouted, either.

Glad:
Earlier in the year TWO of my snake plants bloomed, which I have never seen before, and now my spider plant is blooming!!



![](https://d1vof77qrk4l5q.cloudfront.net/img/3102d8913e6742f01e62c99b4e6a6a8533afb73f.jpg)

My spider plant is pretty young, I got three babies from a different neighbor around the turn of the calendar year or so? All three were planted in a triangle formation in the pot, and right now two are very tall and blooming.



![](https://d1vof77qrk4l5q.cloudfront.net/img/82eca960f3cbf34c7a86d85c1e2a8fc109b0885d.jpg)


Sad:
EMMY THE ELM TREE HAS SPIDER MITES. I've never had spider mites before, and I've been growing plants since I was a teenager! Perhaps it's just as well that the seeds haven't sprouted, as at least they won't get infested.



![](https://d1vof77qrk4l5q.cloudfront.net/img/89a27fd5bd94de958754e5d99d1268ff0993de85.jpg)

*This is some of the damage they have wrought!*


The only plants on the balcony that are actively growing are Emmy, the ivies, and cat grass (and one volunteer stalk of some sort of grass with pretty seeds).



![](https://d1vof77qrk4l5q.cloudfront.net/img/5bc3f721fecb8fa6087ee90ff84c5785a8e5be6f.jpg)

*Emmy was a volunteer, too. I usually let them be since I don't get many up here.*

So I gave her a good watering with some food to help keep her strength up yesterday, and wiped off some with my last paper towel, wetted. This morning I gave her a good spritz of water with my spray bottle, which seemed to be hard enough since I don't have a hose, as it knocked off pretty much everything I could see (including five of the damaged leaves). I'm going to treat her with some soapy (castille) water in a spray after dark, and am going to pick up some neem oil from a neighbor later today.

The ivies got moved to the ledge and wiped off and sprayed, too.



![](https://d1vof77qrk4l5q.cloudfront.net/img/03f586cd72eb875f5c4f2570a03c9911fc528835.jpg)


I can't figure out where they came from. The ivies? But they are growing like gangbusters and showing no damage. The tomatoes I moved outside? But none of the houseplants they were near inside are infested. The air conditioner maintenance installed?? The dead carnation heads I put in her pot as mulch??


![](https://d1vof77qrk4l5q.cloudfront.net/img/e566ca6ed3c8b8690143a236b9ce1675486d2da3.jpg)

*Ugh, all that work is so exhausting!*

Glad:
The compost. But I've already written about that. ;D



![](https://d1vof77qrk4l5q.cloudfront.net/img/b51d7f9ef32f102f08ab2d002872ee24992725b5.jpg)

*Gorgeous!*

Side note: the new compost smacks me in the face with onion smell every time I open the bucket. XD There's a whole bag of onions-worth of skins in there since I buy several pounds, chop them all up, and freeze, so I don't have to cry every time I want onions in a dish. I can't wait for those to break down. X3

Sad:
The tomatoes. They have not taken well to being moved back outside. They are almost entirely dead (though, now I realize there might also be spider mites... ). So that means out of my GIANT, LEAFY TOMATO PLANTS, I got one Roma-sized tomato, and one grape-sized tomato ...in a year and a half. And they didn't even *start* blooming until they were around seven months old.

Weirdest. Tomato harvest. Ever.

I mean, I've had plenty of food gardening flops, and plenty of mishaps (the tomato plant that fell two stories. The cucumber plant that got eaten by a squirrel before it even bore fruit), but this misadventure might take the cake. XD

So yeah, man, #plantlife. It's a crazy time. Much drama. So wild. XD

Have a good day, Steem fam!



![](https://d1vof77qrk4l5q.cloudfront.net/img/5d4b8e636a882f3bd4a57121a81c702060edf690.jpg)

*And send healing thoughts to Emmy, please!*

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