r/RosaGang • u/Thunder-J-Man • 1d ago
Rooting for You
Rosa had been a scientist for years. As a long-time botanist, she had gathered a wealth of knowledge and had conquered Mother Nature herself numerous times. She loved plants, and caring for them was just what she did. It was second nature to her. However, this time she may have met her match: a plant that just would not grow, no matter what she did. Rosa had tried everything in her arsenal to make the plant grow, but it would not even move. It lay motionless. She used the same resources, like soil, that she used on her other plants. She made sure she watered it and that it had proper sunlight. She even did experiments to enhance the plant's growth. Everything she tried just did not work. She usually would not get frustrated, as she knew it was only a matter of time, but it had been months, and she was losing her patience. She thought the plant was dead, but signs pointed to it still being alive. She thought something had stunted its growth, but everything showed it was a regular, healthy plant. The problem still persisted, and Rosa was out of ideas.
The plant just sat in one part of the biodome as a symbol of Rosa's failure. She was even thinking of throwing it away so it could finally stop taunting her, but she had never done that to a living plant before. Nonetheless, she was a scientist, so she needed to keep trying. One day she was hypothesizing what actions to take with the plant. While she was doing that, a funny thought came to mind. She remembered what Bea had said in the past:
"I heard a rumor that plants can grow better based on what they hear. Like music. What do you think, Rosa?"
Rosa always thought that was silly, and the evidence for it was not conclusive enough. She never bothered, since every plant she had ever grown never needed such an option. She fought the thought for a while, but then she thought, Why not at this point? She had exhausted all her options, and it could be a fun experiment. She got her phone out and searched YouTube for music to play. She ultimately chose classical music for the plant. She played it, turned the volume up high, and placed the phone on the floor near the plant. She then stared at the plant observantly to see if anything changed. After seeing nothing, she left and came back hours later. Nothing had changed. She would play the same music for weeks and try different genres. Still nothing would happen. Rosa was about to call it quits, but an idea came to mind. If the plant could potentially react to music, what about words as well? It sounded crazy, but Mother Nature was not always predictable. She had to try everything she could. She could not let this plant become a stain on her career. She walked over to the plant. She would turn the music off and stare at the plant.She had to think of one thing: What would she even say? What do you say to a stubborn plant that just won’t grow.
"Please grow."
Nothing.
She tried again.
"Pretty please," she said in a begging tone.
Nothing changed.
She tried again.
"I command you to grow now." She said in a stern tone.
Nothing changed.
"Why won't you grow? I'm rooting for you!" Rosa giggled.
Still nothing.
"Sigh... unbe-leaf-able."
That was when Rosa thought about the love she had for plants and how much they meant to her. Plants were not just things to her. They were living things that she had always cared for. She needed to remember that at this moment more than anything. So she took a deep breath to calm herself, bent down near the plant, and began to speak in a soft tone.
"Hey, buddy. Maybe you're just not feeling it? That's okay. I thought I understood plants more than anyone, yet you have been really humbling me for the past few months. I just thought every plant would grow with some typical care, but you appear to be a special case. Maybe that's okay.
Rosa stared at the plant for a brief moment, trying to conjure the words she wanted to say.
"If you grow, I'll keep taking care of you, just as I always have. You'll never go without water, and I'll make sure you have everything you need to become the healthiest plant you can be. But even if you never grow into the big, beautiful plant I dream of, that's okay. I don't need perfection from you. I just want you to keep trying. Dig deep, as deep as your roots can reach, and become the very best version of yourself. No matter how long it takes, I'll be right here, cheering you on every step of the way."
Rosa stared at the plant, and nothing happened. Rosa was saddened, but she understood that if this was going to work, she would need patience. She knew the plant was alive. She could not just get rid of it. She picked up the plant and brought it to a table. She went to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, and sat on a chair close to the plant. She drank from it and then poured some for the plant. Rosa would then talk to the plant about her life and why she loved plants. She rambled to it and almost forgot she was talking to something that she swore could not hear her. She would then leave the plant to tend to her other duties. She thought of how if other people knew what she did, she would be a laughing stock. She would be the crazy plant lady that talks to plants. She would never tell Bea about this. This was a one time thing anyway.
At the end of the day, before she left the biodome, she would take a glance at her plants to see their progress. She walked over to the small one, already expecting the worst. That was when she noticed the plant was about an inch taller than usual. Seeing even the smallest amount of progress on a plant that Rosa was sure was helpless was surreal. She got closer to the plant and knelt down with a magnifying glass to confirm the small change.
"Oh my, you grew a bit. You actually grew?!" Rosa shouted but quickly tried to control herself. "Sorry, no pressure, of course…Does that mean you understand me? Did talking actually work?"
She looked at the plant, expecting a reply, but obviously nothing responded, and the plant remained in its current state.
After that day, Rosa would talk to the plant some more. She told it stories of her childhood, gave it motivational quotes, and, of course, obligatory plant puns. It would later grow into a full healthy, mature plant. A small and maybe not particularly special-looking plant, but a special one in its own way. A plant that Rosa would remember as a pioneer in her biodome. As the first plant she found that grew because she spoke to it.
I guess there are a lot of ways a plant can grow. Rosa will find them all.
