Not so Green Thumb(s)

I actually haven't murdered any of our apartment plants (except for maybe one, but I'll explain that later)... but boy can I kill a basil plant before it even has a chance to survive. This is the 2nd major basil fail in the past 6 months or so, and I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever succeed at growing the tasty, leafy herbs?! I hope to win at the basil game some day.

* I don't kill all plants: notice the dying basil in the forefront... and our healthy 'apartment' plant in the background *

We have a few plants around our apartment, and they seem to thrive, for the most part, in their environment. So what is it about basil that makes it die the instant it enters my mind? I'm not joking, the plant was about 80% wilted the day after bringing it home from Sprouts Market. I just don't understand. Maybe basil is allergic to me? I might have to resort to buying fresh/expensive basil from the grocery store until I can figure out this finicky plant.

Maybe I should ask the specialists that work at Tagawa Gardens, because they seem to know everything there is to know about plants. A lady who works at Tagawa explained to us that finding the right pot for your plants is a lot like buying a pair of pants. How you might ask? Well, she asked Nate and I if we would prefer to buy jeans that fit at the time... or jeans that would have room to grow. The correct answer is jeans that fit of course. Plants like pots that fit their roots about as much as people like jeans that fit their butts. She also explained to us that plants get traumatized very easily and you can shock them by doing things they don't like. Who knew?! Seriously though... I get a little self conscious when my pants don't fit right too. Poor plants, I had no idea.

* This is another of our thriving 'apartment' plants. But oops... the little one was either killed off by the bigger plant or it was too small for its 'pants' *

Another thing that will kill your plants: 'Moisture Control' Potting Soil. This is a case of two minds combining in the demise of one of our first beloved 'apartment' plants. I wanted to put the plant in a 'pretty' pot, so we potted it in a glazed light blue pot. Nate thought that we should get 'Moisture Control' soil so that we couldn't over water our plants.... and I objected, because it's one of those things that just sounds too good to be true (and we all know if something sounds too good to be true... it probably is). However, I lost that argument... and into the over water-proof soil our new plant went. This plant lived happily for quite some time and I thought jeez maybe that soil isn't so bad, and months later (maybe even a year) it seemingly out of nowhere began wilting and losing it's will to live. To this day we really have no idea why that plant died. Shoot.

Until this day... I am gaining confidence in our 'apartment' plant growing/surviving skills, but I am losing hope that we'll ever grow basil without major problems. Maybe we should ask someone at Tagawa about growing basil, because I bet they have some answers. We'll see!

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* Note: the plant pictured above was also planted in 'Moisture Control' soil, but when Nate found out from a Tagawa specialist that MC soil is very bad for plants... Nate re-potted it in some new soil that plants apparently love.

A little funny story about the Moisture Control mishap:
I had sent Nate to Tagawa Gardens to get some more potting soil, which is when he asked someone about the Moisture Control soil. The lady went into a bit of a tizzy that we had potted our dear plants in that devil soil, and Nate got flustered which led him to blame the poor soil selection on his unknowing wife. I don't know if she believed him, but boy I wonder what he would have said had I been there.  :)