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the spider-plant incident

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

I'd noticed recently that the little pot into which I'd transplanted my spider-plant seemed oddly full, like the soil was about to overflow the thing. Also, the usual amount of watering was leading to water overflowing the tray beneath the pot. And the plant has been putting out runners everywhere. Usually I take these as signs that it's time to re-plant in a larger container, so while The Girl and I were at the local hardware/everything store, I bought one. When I set to re-planting, however, I was shocked at how badly the plant had needed it. There was a centimeter mat of roots between the pot and the tray. I had to hack this interwoven mess off completely, and even then I couldn't get the plant out of the pot - the roots inside the pot were so jam-packed that I had to cut off the pot.

I'd bought a small amount of potting soil but I couldn't break apart the roots so I couldn't blend them. The whole mess is now sitting in an odd state with a thick ball of roots wrapped around whatever's left of the old potting soil, surrounded by a lower fringe of new potting soil. I trust that the fifty kilometers of roots still inside that knot will suffice for the plant to survive, and that it won't die from having had all those root tips severed!