Chia Pets are grown by applying moistened seeds of chia (Salvia hispanica), the sprout-like plant from whose common name the Chia Pet gets its name, to the grooved terra cotta figurine body.
Seeds are provided for three plantings. Additional seeds can be purchased for the reusable the Chia vessel. Several Chia Pet animals are available, including a turtle, pig, puppy, kitten, frog, and hippopotamus. Sculpted Chia heads and licensed Pets of cartoon characters including Garfield, Scooby-Doo, Looney Tunes, Shrek, The Simpsons, and most recently the Chia Sponge Bob. (Wiki Link)
Official Chia Pet Website
My brown thumb has struck again...
C'mon, I thought these weren't supposed to die? I followed the directions exactly and mine didn't even last a whole month.
Maybe I just need to find something different,
Like...
A modern version of the Chia Pet - Domsai's wacky terrariums.
Terrariums are all the rage this year especially when the terrarium in question is as crazy as Gessato's Domsai Terrariums. Sure, they're weird, kooky and a little pricey ($140), but who wouldn't want a modern take on the Chia pet keeping them company throughout the day?
Perched on ceramic panted legs, the Domsai Terrarium is the perfect spot to house a cactus or succulent, protected by a tiny hand-blown glass globe atop. Domsai Terrariums are handcrafted in Italy, so that each one is a unique object. The mouth-blown glass covers are created with specific plants in mind, but you'll need to acquire your own flora, as plants are not included. On second thought, I don't think I'm willing to spend the $140.00 if the plant isn't even included!
Explain to me how I can grow veggie plants
From seeds, actually eat the veggies after harvest yet I can't handle a Chia Pet!
There has to be more out there. Something even I could keep alive!
House plants that are "supposedly" hard to kill.
African Violet – Saintpaulia
Putting an African Violet in your home is a great way to add a touch of color. These plants don’t need direct sunlight, and are extremely hardy. They don’t need to be watered more than once a week, and its best that the plant is able to dry out before being watered again. You will find this plant offered in many different colors, including lavender, purple, mauve, and a two-color flower. I've had a few African Violent plants that lived for years. When I moved out of my dads during the winter I left the plants there fearing they would die in the cold while moving. Of course my dad didn't water them so they died.
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English Ivy – Hedera helix
Though English Ivy best thrives outside where it can grow up to 100ft. long, it still makes a great indoors plant. When keeping an ivy plant inside, it’s important that it is given enough sunlight during the day. Besides this, ivy is a very easy plant to take care of in your home. Since ivy grows so much, it’s important that you have enough room for it. But, you won’t regret this plant. It cleans your air for you!
Can vouch for this one as well. But it grew so much I had to keep cutting it back so I'm pretty sure I did the killing of this 1.
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ZZ Plant – Zamioculcas Zamiifolia
The ZZ plant is one that you can take with you wherever you live. It doesn’t require a lot of space, and it can take neglect extremely well. The ZZ plant can live without having enough water, and doesn’t require a specific type of lighting in order to grow. It is a slow growing plant, but introducing it to more light can surely speed up the process. This plant is great for those die hard black thumbs.
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Peace Lily – Spathiphyllum
Watering plants is an important part of keeping them alive, and since plants can’t talk, it can be hard to know when its time to water them, especially if you’re no gardening expert. However, the Peace Lily’s leaves will start to wilt, in order to let you know that it’s literally in dying need of water. The Peace Lily doesn’t need much light, and is marked by leaves that bloom a white tall flower.
I took care of quite a few of these when I worked at the high school. The only big problem was water drainage in the pots they were in. Water would just sit on the top of the soil. Kind of gross looking but they lasted the 4 years I worked there.
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Spider plant – Chlorophytum comosum
Originally found in South Africa, the spider plant is probably one of the most widely used houseplants. This plant is definitely different looking, as its point long leaves eventually bud into flowers, that then die and turn into smaller spider plants. The spider plant loves a lot of bright light and can stand any temperature. It doesn’t need to be watered everyday, but in the summer watering is very important.
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Croton – Codiaeum
Though this plant is nothing but leaves, it surely adds a good amount of color to any bland room in your home. You will usually find these in a tropical garden, but recently they have become extremely popular indoor plants. These plants do need more light than most, but stay colorful throughout the year. Its important to water this plant enough, as drying can damage it.
I bought this type of plant and another one on the same day about 4 years ago. (See bottom of page) The other plant is still alive but this one sadly did not survive winter. The leaves just kept falling off, no matter what I did/how I watered it.
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Chinese Evergreen – Aglaonema
The Chinese Evergreen in just the last five years has been able to produce more than 20 different varieties. This plant is cold tolerant and doesn’t require a lot of attention to keep it alive. However, it is important to make sure that the plant isn’t over-watered, so making sure that the pot is well drained is a necessity. It is a slow growing plant, so repotting isn’t a big issue until about a year or so.
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Jade plant – Crassula ovata
The Jade plant is definitely one that catches eyes. With its out-of-the-ordinary leaves and pink flowers that bloom during the winter, the jade plant can make a good addition to your home. Because it only requires a little bit of sunlight and doesn’t need a lot of care, it’s the perfect plant that won’t die easily, no matter how much you neglect it.
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Philodendron – Philodendron bipinnatifidum
It is said that the Philodendron has been used as a house plant since the time of the Victorians. As a tropical plant, it requires some sun, but this can be achieved by letting it sit outside during the day, or using artificial light within your home. It can go for days without being watered, but does prefer warm moist air. In any case this is a hard plant to ruin and is a great plant if you lack a green thumb.
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Christmas Cactus – Epiphyllum
Unlike most cacti, the Christmas Cactus isn’t one that’ll hurt you if you try to touch it. This cactus is an extremely easy plant to take care of, and usually doesn’t require repotting. It’s important to be sure you don’t over-water it, but not watering it enough also damages the plant. To solve this, one thorough watering a week usually does the trick. This plant is extremely easy to take care of, and it’ll bloom once a year to bring some color into your living space.
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Cryptocereus anthonyanus - Ric Rac Cactus
This is known a Ric Rac cactus. It is a jungle cactus, just as the holiday cactus are. This one gets south and west light exposure. Not particularly fussy about watering.
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I've bought a few of those little cacti that Home Depot sells like...
Honestly I haven't been able to keep them alive for more than a few months each. They look cool, I thought hard to kill... but apparently not.
Bonsai
I've always wanted some sort of Bonsai plant/tree and while at Sams Club before Christmas I found some.
Though they are plastic they look pretty realistic to me. Maybe I should stick with one of these.
Fake Bonsai Trees @ samsclub.com
Or a real one for only $60.00
Bonsai is the art of growing trees, or woody plants shaped as trees, in containers. Bonsai is sometimes confused with dwarfing, but dwarfing more accurately refers to researching and creating cultivars of plant material that are permanent, genetic miniatures of existing species. Bonsai does not require genetically dwarfed trees, but rather depends on growing small trees from regular stock and seeds. Bonsai uses cultivation techniques like pruning, root reduction, potting, defoliation, and grafting to produce small trees that mimic the shape and style of mature, full-sized tree. (Wiki Link)
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The only other house plant I have. I mentioned it above. I've had it about 4 years now and it seems to be doing fine.
The real plant is on the left, fake plant on the right. (Yes it has a dead leaf I didn't notice until I took this picture) I believe it is a Sansevieria Plant of tropical origin, often erroneously included in the group of succulent plants because of the fleshy foliage, lanceolate and varied.
Think I'll buy one of these next time I see them as well...
Lucky Bamboo
Botanically named as Dracaena, it is a tropical plant of the lily family with naked branches ending in tuffs of sword shaped leaves. It originates from Southeast Asia, and now it becomes a unique indoor plant for its nature of longevity. There are three types of lucky bamboos according to the color of its leaves, Green Lucky bamboo, Natural, Gold, and Silver. You can make beautiful styles with it.
I've always wanted a plant like this, much like I always wanted a Chia Pet. Since that didn't survive I'll try this.
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Images from respected sites mentioned and Wikipedia
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