While I still believe that the short days of winter effectively communicate the time of hibernation to plants, the fluctuating mild temperatures seem to be just as confusing to flora as it is to us humans. I’ve noticed what I think are cherry blossom trees blooming right now in early January. And my iris babies still stand tall at 35 cm (about 14 in, for the Americans). Thankfully the hyacinths remain dormant.

Call me crazy (I do), but I think the weather may also be influencing my indoor plants. Many of them show signs of dehydration, which I would not have expected considering they are meant to be less thirsty during these darker months. Maybe there’s pollen on the wind that gets inside to the houseplants. There is current research confirming that plants emit chemical and hormonal compounds (consider the scents of flowers) which other plants perceive and decipher, so perhaps my domestic plants are picking up a “springtime is nigh, time to procreate” signal from the wild vegetation. Regardless, it seems I need to boost my watering schedule.

Even Maude the snake plant’s leaf tips are turning brown. Although, this can also be a sign of overwatering, too much sunlight, too much heat, too little heat, low humidity, heavily-chlorinated water, irregular watering, or too much fertilizer. This is a guessing game beyond my capabilities, but we’re going give it a try anyhow.

The other three snake plants from this batch do not show any noticeable browning of leaf tips, so that rules out problems from shared water or mostly shared watering schedule (remember that Stella and Carl received extra water during their recent repotting). The room that Maude solely inhabits does have problems of inconsistent temperature, becoming the hottest room during midday, and receives a blast of sunlight in the afternoon if the curtains are left open. So typically the curtains are closed, which I think may be the issue, considering Maude’s center leaf is uniquely tall, a sign of insufficient sunlight. For now, I have moved Maude to another room with hopefully more regulated sun exposure and temperature. I have also wiped down the leaves which had a noticeable layer of dust – likely residue from incense lit in the same room – which could have been clogging Maude’s pores. Skin: we all have it, we all breathe through it. I’ve decided against trimming the brown tips, for now, since my understanding is that the tips will not grow back and removal of them ends that leaf’s ability to grow (not entirely sure about that second bit). I am uncertain if the brown bits will be able to return to a healthy, plump green, so we will wait and see.

As a funny commentary to my observational skills, which are completely absent if I’m not specifically being mindful: I just noticed that the tips of Carl’s leaves are significantly spiky. Turns out this is completely normal, and now I’m noticing sharp tips on some other snake plants’ leaves. I imagine drawing one’s plants would be a fabulous technique for becoming intimately acquainted with all of its attributes.