Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Froggy In A Flowerpot

Today was Bring in the Houseplants Day here at the house.

Every spring I take my plants outside and let them enjoy the summer. They're all indigenous to tropical areas, so they grow well in our hot, humid temperatures.  However, that means that before the first frost I have to get them back inside.  The pots are large, and it's a messy job to soak everything (15 minutes per pot) in a sinkful of mildly soapy water to remove any potential bugs, and even messier when I transfer the pots to a pan to drain.  Then I have to find spots for all of the plants, taking into account which ones the cats like to munch on. After everything is put away the countertop and floor are a sloppy combination of water puddles and plant debris.

Plants lined up after soaking and draining
When I repotted the spider plants last spring I divided the plants among three baskets.  I only have hooks for two of them, so I decided to offer the third as a raffle prize at an event I'm going to next weekend. As I picked that one up from its draining location I noticed the pot was cracked on the bottom. Fortunately, I had an extra pot so it was easy to fix.

Spider plants don't produce babies until the pots are root bound, so I knew what I was in for.  When I dumped the plant out I noticed the roots had completely encircled the piece of plastic that covered the bottom drain holes.  I started pulling away the plastic, and this guy fell out:

Does he get around or what?

The frog wasn't moving too fast. I'm not sure if it was from the shock of being discovered, the chilly weather, or from his 15-minute soak in the sink.  I felt bad for disturbing his hiding place, so after I finished repotting the plant I encouraged him to hop into a cup, put another cup on top, and moved him to a big planter box of pansies on the front porch.  When I checked ten minutes later he was gone.

Wonder if I'll see any more frogs this season?

23 comments:

  1. What a cute little froggy. He best get busy finding a new pad. Get it, pad? Terrible, I know but I'm in a goofy headspace. Or is that head space? I dunno, maybe it's head-space.

    Either way, have an oogie boogie day.

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    1. Any way you spell it makes sense. You have an oogie boogie day, too.

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    2. Thanks, Kathy!

      PS: I emailed you the formula.

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  2. Froggy's mom won't put him in the tub tonight.

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  3. Replies
    1. As long as things don't jump AT me I can handle it. And this guy was really mellow.

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  4. I'm so glad you rescued the frog. bet he eats lots of bugs for you. We used to have toads but they have all disappeared.

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    1. I'll bet he does, too. So sad about your toads. Any idea why they're gone?

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    2. We think it's all the pesticides that people use. Not us, but others seem determined to poison and kill every living thing around here. It hasn't worked, though. The bugs and spiders are in greater number than ever.

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    3. I'm always trying to find greener alternatives...or learn to live with the critters.

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  5. That frog is so cute! I wish I could have house plants but I've got no green thumb with them and the cats destroy them anyway.

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    1. I understand your issue with the cats and house plants. I have a couple that I have to put on top of the kitchen cabinets to keep them out of cat reach. There they survive (barely) until it's time to put them back outside.

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  6. That frog is amazing. Looks like granite to me.

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    1. It does, doesn't it? It sat so still it COULD have been a statue.

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  7. Are frogs good luck? If so, you are set!

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  8. Gosh! I've never seen a frog like that. Very interesting. I thought it was a garden ornament at first.

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  9. I've heard spider plants are good indoor air cleaners. I used to keep them in my classroom in Illinois.

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    1. I bet the students liked having the greenery around.

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