Dirty Talks with Magda aka @leafy_jungle

“Am I a plant nerd? When have I become one? Where is that girl who was

proud of her hatred towards hours spent leaning over the microscope while cutting

some pathetic, dirty bit of a root?”

Adam: Tell me a bit about yourself, Magda

Magda: I’ve spent all of my twenties between parties, universities, and travel.

In 2006 I’ve moved to Poland’s capital - Warsaw, from a medium polish city with really medieval culture.

For reasons I won’t get into right now, so it doesn’t turn into some Freudian nightmare, I had a choice to study either medicine or pharmacy and since I really didn’t want to wade through someone’s guts for the rest of my life, I chose the latter. I treat my first year at university as my real date of birth, because I’ve started to have some freedom in decision-making concerning my life. My first brave step was to study a second major - philosophy, in hiding..., because my parents would never approve. Yeah…I know. Anyway, that is how I ended up being a pharmacist and a philosopher.

A: that’s quite the combo!

M: In these crazy years, Time and Energy were my friends, and I’ve managed to be sober long enough to stay fit, well-rested, and get two master’s degrees. But then, one morning I saw something curious in my tiny, tiny, 5-meter square kitchen. It was a Spider plant. Yup...a good old Chlorophytum. What, what did you

expect? A Monstera obliqua?

A: haha that would be crazy!

M: Anyway, don’t get me wrong, it didn’t just appear. It had been there for about two years already, and I think that I might even water it like...five times in total? Do you think now: „bullshit, it wouldn’t survive”? Well, it did. It’s like magic. And if you still don’t believe me, then, sorry to say that, but you are a Muggle.

A: So that’s how you ‘discover’ and got into plants?

M: When my Spider plant produced a baby Spider, I was amazed. It was so cute, and it also meant that it was trying to survive in these horrible conditions. Something changed in my heart that day. I felt like scum. Maybe my hate towards botany was unnecessary rancor for being forced to study pharmacy? I’ve decided that I would take better care of it. First I moved it closer to the window and I scheduled a weekly watering.

Over a couple of weeks, I saw five new leaves and more baby Spiders coming out of it. The plant was saying thank you...and maybe also...I forgive you? I wanted to report it because it got too big for its tiny pot, so I went to this big warehouse with house and garden supplies. While shopping for a pot and some potting mix, I saw this weird, very exotic-looking, plant. I grabbed it, along with a little coffee tree, and went back home, suddenly all happy and radiant.

A: That’s how you get your glow I see! Does plant care improve your day-to-day?

M: I tend to treat plant care as a deeply meditative process. After five years I can say that on the whole, it has helped me to build a slower daily routine. I tend to be a multitasker and have a bit of a hectic spirit in my everyday chores. Plant care helps me establish a more scheduled and structured frame, keeps me attentive, reminds me to slow down, and that the world is in fact not on fire.

A: Clearly you haven’t heard of 2021… So in general you are not overwhelmed?

M: Plant care is definitely appropriate for the „meditation on the go” which is the true goal of mindfulness. There was a time when the number of plants I owned overwhelmed me and it became a job of sorts. Then, I decided to bring some technology into my life and it helped me to maintain my jungle in good shape. I will not add much more plants to my collection though. I think that the „leafy jungle” is well saturated. It is not about the limits I think, but about balance. I am making „balance” my keyword for 2022.

A: Any filthy challenges you face?

M: Most of my indoor jungle challenges circle around periodic thrip infestations and quick drying of the Aroid mix is totally frustrating during the winter season. When the radiator is on, I have to go around every other day with the watering can. The lack of light in my new house I fixed by buying a bunch of grow lights and so far

this solution works pretty well. I try to keep plants with similar needs together, so the amount of work doesn’t drive me crazy.

A: What is your routine for plant maintenance?

M: As I inspect the jungle every day, I just check if the soil is already dry. Most of my plants are watered twice a week because they tend to be in a very airy soil mix. The smallest hoyas need to be watered every day. As to my grow tent - this is a gem, sometimes, when I’m very busy I just take a peek once a week to see if everything is ok in there. 

This year I moved about 1/3 of my plants into semi-hydro, so I just follow the water indicator and refill the solution whenever appropriate. Back in the baby-free days, I loved to take my plants to SPA and give them a shower once a month. Now that it is no longer possible, I try to wash them as often as possible. The shower is awesome when it comes to pest prevention. It keeps the leaves in good condition, the stomata can „breathe” freely. It seems to me that such rain stimulates the growth of the plant.

A: How do you feed your plants?

M: My schedule of fertilization is recently a bit more complex, as I grow hoyas and anthuriums now, I use more potassium-based fertilizer for them. Potassium encourages the formation of flowers. For the Philodendrons, I’ve always used 10% diluted fertilizer every week. The rest of the plants get their monthly feed altogether.

Sometimes I use some extra vitamins and minerals to strengthen the plants. Nowadays feeding became my favorite aspect of growing plants.

A: So what is the worst thing you have ever done? To your plant of course (or another human, your choice)

M: I think that after reading a book about the art of bonsai I’ve decided to cut the roots of Alocasia that were growing out from the pot. It was a stupid idea and I will never do that again. Once, in my early days as a plant grower, I opened the window, and the Ficus that was living on the windowsill went fully to the exhibitionist mode in just a few minutes. It was a very visual and instructive lesson.

A: What are you looking for when getting a new plant?

M: It changes over time. At first, I could definitely be defined by a word: HOARDER. I would bring to my apartment literally everything green that I could get my hands on. Starting with succulents and ending on the opposite verge with ferns. I even had a Sophora and I don’t know why, because honestly if somebody can keep this thing alive, they should get a Nobel prize. Recently I’ve noticed that I’m going for a velvety dark vibe more and more. I’m a velvet collector x).

But the most important thing when buying a plant is that it is pest-free, and well developed. I stopped buying baby plants, because they mostly don’t survive the winter and, if I don’t shop online, then I make sure to also check all the plants around the shelf for pests before I pick something up from the crowd.

A: That makes a lot of sense. Did sharing your plant journey on Social media change your approach or influence you in any way?

M: There are pros and cons, to be honest. I will tell you everything! In my early days, I think that Social media was the most resourceful medium that provided me with both technical and practical tips. I’ve met a lot of smart people and plenty of folks with the same 80’ vibe as me (including you!). But Social media has also made me anxious about the condition of my plants, and made my wish list extremely long at some point. 

A: To be honest I totally understand... So how did you manage?

 M: I did a month-long unplug and, to be honest, I didn’t want to go back. But...but, I thought this through and decided to just unfollow the hip people, that made me feel not good about myself, and now I think I got my balance back. At the end of the day, I treat social media as my knowledge resource more than a catwalk and I intend to keep it that way.

You can follow Magda on Instagram @leafy_jungle

And don’t forget to check her blog at https://linktr.ee/leafy_jungle

Have you become more curious about plants? Check my LEAVE IT THE FUCK ALONE plant care guide.