My mom told me to stop talking to my plants so much

She said it was silly and they couldn't hear me anyway. I kept doing it for my fiddle leaf fig, Greg, for about three months, just chatting while I watered. Then I went on a two-week trip and my plant-sitter didn't talk to him. Greg dropped almost half his leaves. I'm back to daily chats and he's pushing out three new ones. Has anyone else had a plant that seems to react to voice or just the routine?

4 comments

4 Comments

oliver8551mo ago

Wait, are you serious? My monstera totally did the same thing when I had to work late for a month and stopped my nightly check-ins. It got all droopy and sad looking, then perked right up when I went back to telling it about my day. Maybe it's the vibration or just the routine like you said.

nancy_wood1mo ago

My fiddle leaf fig went through a similar phase last winter. I got busy and stopped my usual chat while watering, and @oliver855, it started dropping leaves like crazy. I swear it wasn't a light or water issue. Once I got back into the habit of just talking about normal stuff, like the weather or my plans for the weekend, it stopped shedding. It really does feel like they pick up on the change in routine more than we realize.

lucas3891mo ago

Totally agree with you @nancy_wood, it's wild how sensitive they are. Makes me wonder if it's less about the actual words and more about the regular sound of a friendly voice, you know? My peace lily throws a fit if I water it without at least saying hello first. They really do thrive on that little bit of daily attention as part of their care.

the_viola8d ago

Greg dropped 12 leaves in one week when I stopped talking to him last spring. @nancy_wood I saw your fiddle leaf fig story and it made me feel a lot better about the whole thing. I started reading my work emails out loud while I watered and within a month he had all that growth back. It's not the words for me either, pretty sure it's just me being in the room and paying attention for those 10 minutes. My peace lily on the other side of the room didn't care at all though.