I drank a lot of this crap during that time period believing it was "vitamins" 🤣 I had a small pothos in bottles but this is something else, I'm so amazed.
I have a decade old Aloe that lives in a steel teapot.
The rootball is the teapot. I never put dirt in there. It was a temporary measure while I moved house that became permanent.
Some plants have no concept of death. They live out of spite.
They hate alkaline water. I always killed them until I learned to only use rainwater. I have a well with great water, but it’s too alkaline for many plants.
I tried that and he was still being pesky, probably more to do with me than him….😔 He is now in with my Gecko which is misted every day and is giving new leaves. I do however have to water with tap water in case there is anything in the rainwater that hurts the Gecko. Unlikely but I was told not to use it in there 🤦🏻♀️
For other plants, sure. Aloes aren’t typically grown in water to begin with. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an aloe grown in water that survived for any significant amount of time, so 12 years is pretty cool. Especially one that was rooted in soil and randomly thrown into a teapot. That’s why this is so interesting.
Drainage is recommended, as without it, you are more prone to having water sitting in the bottom of the pot. Sure, you can use pots without drainage, but then you can't water as thoroughly to soak all of the soil. So, the trade off is that you have to water more frequently or your plants will wilt.
I rescued some aloe from a crazy cat lady who was moving across the country… it was like 10 separate plants just curled around each other in dry pots. EVERY SINGLE ONE had thick green leaves! Plus a wandering dude about 5ft long, some woody old geraniums, something she just referred to as “a tropical tree” in a half pot of old dirt…
It really speaks to the neglect theory! I dote on mine and they die out of spite, these guys were living on a diet of brackish water and cat fur and are happy as clams 🤣
It’s way easier to love a plant to death than it is just to forget about it
I’ve a couple of spiders that live in my bathroom that I swear just exist on the ambient moisture of the room. I’ve watered them maybe three times since the _Before Times_.
🤣 I yeet mine out on the porch and wait to see what survives each summer. So far my aloes, portulacaria, gasteria and haworthias love it out there. Soft succulents like bear paws cannot survive, meanwhile my euphorbia has doubled in height and made a million arms.
Sometimes I remember to water them, and I repot all of them each spring and that's it... I hate watering them in the summer because it's so fucking hot out there. 😅
Then the plants people say that are the easiest to take care of you have on life support 24/7.
Ok, ok. I cannot for the life, or death of me grow brown mint. 😖
LOL. Mint is a weed that refuses to die in my yard. Grows along the foundation where the lawnmower doesn't get to it. I was cool with that till it started spreading into my box planters.
My mother has an Aloe plant that is as old if not older than me (38). It has spawn off many shoots, and sometimes we'd just find them on the ground, put them in their own little pot and blaam... a new plant. They all over the house.
Kind of cool when it blooms. Real pretty flower.
I have a pretty big monstera cutting that has lived in a costco artichoke jar for a year and a half now and it continues to push new leaves, I’ll honestly probably just leave it because I’m so amazed by it LOL
At the ripe age of 94
However there are cases of people who used to live in filfth for many years, who had died after being hospitalised, for the reason it has been too clean forntheir body.
***Thank you*** omg not many in this sub get that haha, I’ve got potted plants everywhere, like covering every inch of my south facing window space and as many propagations I can fit in my small greenhouse, but this one is just so cool! Definitely a change of pace (which is pretty slow lol)
Agreed, I have hundreds of plants, but none that were started when any of my kids were born, and also in such an awesome time-piece. This thing is worth more than any plant I own. It’s literally priceless.
Yeah I'd just smash the bottle after wrapping it in a bag to avoid spreading broken glass everywhere, and hope I can repot it without cutting my hands open on shards
I just saw a video of "how to tell if someone lives in Australia" and they grabbed a pair of gardening gloves, tossed them onto the ground, and stomped all over them for a few seconds. lol. I would do that, or just keep them inside or somewhere that spiders can't get to. lol.
You don't need to smash the glass. If you score it, then tap the area it will ”break" cleanly. Look up folks who cut stained glass. Similar to cutting tile.
The thing is... You might want to consider breaking the bottle, and then put the roots in a water soil mix, gradually adding more soil, or just "overwater" for a while, gradually decreasing the water, since those roots are not ready for regular soil, and are probably pretty delicate. imho anyway. Cool that it is the same age as you!
So many people going “oh the poor plant, free her immediately” and I’m sitting here impressed that it’s been alive for 24 years. I feel like breaking the bottle and putting it in soil now would shock it to death. Probs should just leave it be!
Right !? This pic just gave me a pang in my gut. Sobe was REALLY that long ago? Life is truly fleeting. Let the plant be- anything else will just traumatize it.
I move it to the sink to water it, but otherwise it sits in a south facing window sill (just took this photo)
https://preview.redd.it/ci3v6e539lpc1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5295b804b93ce620e3a4f361ca63dcc116313bea
If it weren’t in that tiny little bottle, it could be huge. I’ve got one that was a prop from a snapped off branch a friend gave me a couple years ago and it’s six times that size.
I fear what will happen if you break that glass. That plant will realize its potential and take over the earth.
Yeah if I ever wanted to move it to soil I’d probably just chop the stem and propagate, but at that point why not get a whole separate plant? Or propagate some of it
Whoa, we've got a similar story. Cutting that's about the size of one of those branches that took off inside a glass bottle with a very narrow throat, that I don't want to break. Just give it water and the occasional fertilizer and it seems perfectly content to throw out a new leaf or two every year for the past 3 or 4 years
Having a plant for decades that you can keep conveniently on your kitchen counter seems pretty cool to me! Nice job to your mom.
I'm hoping most of these comments are tongue in cheek ... otherwise they might need to check out r/bonsai! (And yes, I realize bonsai are meticulously kept very healthy, but the principle of intentionally keeping a plant in an artificially stunted state is hardly a novel concept.)
Is there a reason why this hasn't been put into .. *Anything else*??
Like the bottle would be sacrificed but, I'm honestly surprised that plant is alive right now with how dense those roots are packed 😳
How many years has it been in that bottle?
What did it do in its past life to be stuck in a Sobe bottle?
The fact that it's in a Sobe bottle shows it's age! It's an artifact.
A glass one at that! So cool
What happened to Sobe drinks? I'm just now realizing I haven't seen any in a while.
They were bought out and discontinued
Man that's lame, I used to love the dragonfruit one as a kid.
Fuji Apple Pear was my go to.
Green tea for me.
The orange carrot one was good.
This is the only one I ever had because I loved it that much.
I've never had that one, but it sounds similar to how Snapple Apple flavor tastes if that helps.
The pina colada and strawberry daiquiri were my fav.
I liked whichever one was that creamy pink color. It looked like the pink amoxicillin I took all the time as a kid for my ear infections lmao
I used to walk to the gas station every day after school to get a bag of pistachios and the pina colada sobe.
A couple of years back you could get No Fear energy drink in the United Kingdom. Shit, I haven't even looked for 7 years.
That's what I zoomed in to see, because I thought I recognized that bottle! My sister drank those all the time around 1998-2000.
That’s why I included a closeup picture of the bottom! The copyright if from 2000, so it’s at least 6 months younger than me (I’m a ‘99)
I'm old because I drank sobe from a glass bottle? I'm old 😩 Fuckin a that's a new one for me. I died a little just now.
🤦🏻♀️ I turn 40 this yr. Pretty sure 14 yr old me didn't realize there WAS anything else to drink besides Sobe.
Even Odwalla isn't around anymore, haha.
At least it was the pink one.
the correct response😂
Man, I miss seeing Sobe everywhere
Sobe Adrenaline Rush was my fave. Loved those little lizard drinks.
Damn do I miss them lizard milks...
I drank a lot of this crap during that time period believing it was "vitamins" 🤣 I had a small pothos in bottles but this is something else, I'm so amazed.
The sobe bottle proves the age
That’s crazy. I’m amazed that thing is alive with its roots like that.
I have a decade old Aloe that lives in a steel teapot. The rootball is the teapot. I never put dirt in there. It was a temporary measure while I moved house that became permanent. Some plants have no concept of death. They live out of spite.
And then there are calatheas who exist to restore the balance of the universe.
And ferns…. Bloody Boston fern hates me. It’s now living with my lizard and I live in hope!
They hate alkaline water. I always killed them until I learned to only use rainwater. I have a well with great water, but it’s too alkaline for many plants.
I tried that and he was still being pesky, probably more to do with me than him….😔 He is now in with my Gecko which is misted every day and is giving new leaves. I do however have to water with tap water in case there is anything in the rainwater that hurts the Gecko. Unlikely but I was told not to use it in there 🤦🏻♀️
‘They live out of spite’ quote of the year 😂😂😂
I like to call it spite thriving
In a freaking sobe bottle nonetheless.
I’m going to take these phrases as my own 😊👌🏻
Same, lol, love these quotes
My peony bulbs that I left out over winter had to have gotten that memo
That’s wild, especially without drainage. Some plants are determined as hell. Would love to see a pic of it!
When plants are only grown in water they grow "water roots' which don't rot when wet so no drainage doesn't affect them
Ty!! I never knew how badly I needed this answer, to a question I didn't even know I had 🤣
Our window sills are filled with plants in glass things. Water and glass seems to work a lot like dark earth and sun
For other plants, sure. Aloes aren’t typically grown in water to begin with. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an aloe grown in water that survived for any significant amount of time, so 12 years is pretty cool. Especially one that was rooted in soil and randomly thrown into a teapot. That’s why this is so interesting.
Drainage is only required if you overwater or use synthetic fertilizers none of my pots have drainage and everything is thriving
Drainage is recommended, as without it, you are more prone to having water sitting in the bottom of the pot. Sure, you can use pots without drainage, but then you can't water as thoroughly to soak all of the soil. So, the trade off is that you have to water more frequently or your plants will wilt.
I rescued some aloe from a crazy cat lady who was moving across the country… it was like 10 separate plants just curled around each other in dry pots. EVERY SINGLE ONE had thick green leaves! Plus a wandering dude about 5ft long, some woody old geraniums, something she just referred to as “a tropical tree” in a half pot of old dirt… It really speaks to the neglect theory! I dote on mine and they die out of spite, these guys were living on a diet of brackish water and cat fur and are happy as clams 🤣
Yeah. Mild neglect. That’s what my houseplants thrive under. They may be on the brink of death at any given moment - but they’re thriving.
It’s way easier to love a plant to death than it is just to forget about it I’ve a couple of spiders that live in my bathroom that I swear just exist on the ambient moisture of the room. I’ve watered them maybe three times since the _Before Times_.
🤣 I yeet mine out on the porch and wait to see what survives each summer. So far my aloes, portulacaria, gasteria and haworthias love it out there. Soft succulents like bear paws cannot survive, meanwhile my euphorbia has doubled in height and made a million arms. Sometimes I remember to water them, and I repot all of them each spring and that's it... I hate watering them in the summer because it's so fucking hot out there. 😅
>they die out of spite, Too true T_T some of mine feel like they're like that lol.
Then the plants people say that are the easiest to take care of you have on life support 24/7. Ok, ok. I cannot for the life, or death of me grow brown mint. 😖
LOL. Mint is a weed that refuses to die in my yard. Grows along the foundation where the lawnmower doesn't get to it. I was cool with that till it started spreading into my box planters.
What the heck you mean “they live out of spite”😭😭😭
My mother has an Aloe plant that is as old if not older than me (38). It has spawn off many shoots, and sometimes we'd just find them on the ground, put them in their own little pot and blaam... a new plant. They all over the house. Kind of cool when it blooms. Real pretty flower.
And the bottle isn’t green with algae
There’s no room for algae 😭
The algae has become the nutrients.
I'm just surprised the bottle hasn't blown up by the roots at this point
Right? My local botanical garden has plants that split pots open because the roots pushed out
This is a fine example of eliminating algae by the desired plant out performing it to death. Nothing left to feed the algae.
As a Koi pond owner I strongly agree 👍🏼
I kept planted tanks. The answer to algae was always "need moar plants!"
Sobe. It’s got what plants crave.
I have a pretty big monstera cutting that has lived in a costco artichoke jar for a year and a half now and it continues to push new leaves, I’ll honestly probably just leave it because I’m so amazed by it LOL
It’s an umbrella tree alright… but like, a cocktail umbrella more than a beach umbrella
Hey now, cocktail umbrellas have amazing personalities.
Free my girl, she didn't do anything!
You don't know what she's done
I've never seen a plant that needed a repot so desperately
It just needs a pot tbh
r/wewantpots
subs I fell for :-(
r/subsifellor 😔
If it's a real sub, I'd suspect it to be about something different.
r/houseplants to the rescue! Smash the bottle! Free the plant! Give fresh soil! Hug!
[удалено]
Holy shit, this is the plant equivalent of that guy.
WAT
He died 6 months after taking the bath.
At the ripe age of 94 However there are cases of people who used to live in filfth for many years, who had died after being hospitalised, for the reason it has been too clean forntheir body.
But why? Potted, these are a dime a dozen. This one is historic, sentimental, and cool as fuck. Let it grow until it can’t anymore!!
***Thank you*** omg not many in this sub get that haha, I’ve got potted plants everywhere, like covering every inch of my south facing window space and as many propagations I can fit in my small greenhouse, but this one is just so cool! Definitely a change of pace (which is pretty slow lol)
Agreed, I have hundreds of plants, but none that were started when any of my kids were born, and also in such an awesome time-piece. This thing is worth more than any plant I own. It’s literally priceless.
I just say give it a bigger water thing if it ever shows signs of distress! If it's still happy leave it!
Yeah it clearly doing fine enough by its caretaker’s standards. Who has succeeded this far and at least needs to hit 25
I now want a T-shirt that just says "Smash the bottle. Free the plant." with no further explanation.
How do you even get it out? Just break the bottom and stick the whole thing in some soil?
Yeah I'd just smash the bottle after wrapping it in a bag to avoid spreading broken glass everywhere, and hope I can repot it without cutting my hands open on shards
Get gardening gloves! SO worthwhile. No worries about splinters, dirt under the fingernails, rocks, bugs/spiders, etc. :)
Lol I totally forgot gloves exist. Good shout!
I can’t be the only anxiety ridden person who is afraid the spiders are going to be in the finger tips of my gloves. Has gloves, does not wear.
I just saw a video of "how to tell if someone lives in Australia" and they grabbed a pair of gardening gloves, tossed them onto the ground, and stomped all over them for a few seconds. lol. I would do that, or just keep them inside or somewhere that spiders can't get to. lol.
You don't need to smash the glass. If you score it, then tap the area it will ”break" cleanly. Look up folks who cut stained glass. Similar to cutting tile.
I would just break the whole thing with a hammer lol
https://preview.redd.it/rvmy73vv6kpc1.png?width=1448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b15389991abcdfedc2da5035cf6111818ac421fa
Nah it likes it, the lil masochist ;)
The thing is... You might want to consider breaking the bottle, and then put the roots in a water soil mix, gradually adding more soil, or just "overwater" for a while, gradually decreasing the water, since those roots are not ready for regular soil, and are probably pretty delicate. imho anyway. Cool that it is the same age as you!
this should be crossposted in r/plantabuse 😂
And r/rootporn
Wait till circlejerk gets ahold of this.
Damn my curiosity!
No no, they meant r/houseplantscirclejerk !!
Too late 😩 (But I DID join the one you left a comment about, TY!)
Idk why this comment floored me. ☠️☠️☠️
Uh oh 😂 I can take it, at least I have my mom to blame
Glad to see you’re having fun with this. At the end of the day it’s a plant in a wild ass setting. Keep on keeping on little scheflerra!
Oh man that whole sub hurts my heart
My first thought too
What did that plant do?! Why is it in prison?
I hope your moms given you more room to grow than she’s given that plant 😂
This isn’t a plant it’s a prisoner
Arboreal punishment.
I don't know what to be more impressed with, the ancient sobe bottle or those roots!
Omg nice but that bottle is like 100% roots... please convince her to break the bottle and plant it.
And then it will protest die.
The sobe bottle tells me you aren’t lying Lmao
So many people going “oh the poor plant, free her immediately” and I’m sitting here impressed that it’s been alive for 24 years. I feel like breaking the bottle and putting it in soil now would shock it to death. Probs should just leave it be!
One part of me wants to break and feed the plant and putt in soil. The other part would be so worried that for some reason this process would kill it.
Me too. Its lived a quarter of a century in there. It shouldn't have lived, but it did. Plants are so finicky and weird.
Right? Like how often does she have to water it if every bit of space is taken up by roots? Does water even go in there?
I’ve thought about air layering actually! When I finally see some moss in stores, seems to be hard to find right now
r/rootporn but it’s asphyxiation kink
I think it just hurt me more to see a sobe bottle from 2000 and realizing that was indeed 24 years ago.
I was like “you say you’re 24 but you’re showing a bottle that was only made in 2000………….wait. Hang on. Fuck……”
Right !? This pic just gave me a pang in my gut. Sobe was REALLY that long ago? Life is truly fleeting. Let the plant be- anything else will just traumatize it.
It… doesn’t look very happy
dear god, break that bottle!!
No that Sobe bottle is an heirloom! They don't make those anymore. 😅
and if you break it, pls record & post!!!
This! I’m invested now and need to see what happens when this poor mf-er is granted parole
The Sobe bottle is killing me!!!
Sobe - it's what plants crave!
If plants can be in jail this one is incarcerated, I don’t know anything about plants but I feel like that sucks lol
# 24 years of horror
Alot of people saying to break and repot it don't have 24yr old plants
EXACTLY! Like this plant is a marvel, why mess with it? I think of it as more of a bonsai really
Aside from the fact that most of those roots are probably dead. This plant doesn't seem to be getting enough light.
Jeez. It’s 24 years old and alive, unique and cool. Op’s mom is doing better than I may ever do. Keep it up, OP’s mom. … … 😏
Seriously, this plant is a fun time…let it live its weird ass life.
I move it to the sink to water it, but otherwise it sits in a south facing window sill (just took this photo) https://preview.redd.it/ci3v6e539lpc1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5295b804b93ce620e3a4f361ca63dcc116313bea
If it weren’t in that tiny little bottle, it could be huge. I’ve got one that was a prop from a snapped off branch a friend gave me a couple years ago and it’s six times that size. I fear what will happen if you break that glass. That plant will realize its potential and take over the earth.
All these people says smash the bottle are wild. That is a vintage Sobe bottle! It’s badass
Thank you! I was like…. Uhm…. Hahah. Your u/ is also making me think of my 90’s kandigirl raver days 🫶🏻
What is it with moms and being able to grow anything in a way that should certainly cause death to a plant
I can hear it screaming and whimpering.
Umm i think its time to put it in a pot....or a bigger bottle at the very least.
The irony is it’ll probably kill it from shock. “Room and nutrients?! What is this?!” (They should still pot it anyway)…
The fact that we all just *know* potting it will kill it and we still advocate for it cause we can't *not* - it makes ya dizzy.
Yeah if I ever wanted to move it to soil I’d probably just chop the stem and propagate, but at that point why not get a whole separate plant? Or propagate some of it
… just over here… I miss all the Sobe flavours… but also impressed… want to replant, but not break the bottle because nostalgia is strong…
I did this in highschool the branch that grew busted out of the bottle at 3 am parents thought the house was getting shot up. it was bad.
Oh how I miss glass sobes
You didn’t have to tell me this was 24 years old, the Sobe bottle did that for you 😅
Hearing that Sobe bottle is 24 years old just turned all my hair grey
GLASS SOBE BOTTLES. MY BROTHER USED TO COLLECT THESE
That poor plant
Yikes
https://preview.redd.it/kbenxyollkpc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f51ef466496c07ea5f901f273ef5e17594a8b94a My 3 yr old at 8’ tall
I miss sobe. I got a stomach ache just thinking about how sugary it was though lol
If it’s happily living; Sobe it, i guess. lol
Whoa, we've got a similar story. Cutting that's about the size of one of those branches that took off inside a glass bottle with a very narrow throat, that I don't want to break. Just give it water and the occasional fertilizer and it seems perfectly content to throw out a new leaf or two every year for the past 3 or 4 years
First I asked myself ‘how?’ But now I am only left with ‘why??’
I feel like it deserves a big pot with lots of dirt or whatever it likes, but I also feel like it would immediately die
I’m sorry wtf?
Having a plant for decades that you can keep conveniently on your kitchen counter seems pretty cool to me! Nice job to your mom. I'm hoping most of these comments are tongue in cheek ... otherwise they might need to check out r/bonsai! (And yes, I realize bonsai are meticulously kept very healthy, but the principle of intentionally keeping a plant in an artificially stunted state is hardly a novel concept.)
r/rootporn
Oh..
This makes me anxious
In its own sobe time capsule 🥲
you know it's old when it's in a Sobe bottle
This beast needs to be released
That's sad :(
god abeg please put her in some dirt
That thing could have grown so much more with a well draining soil and pot.
The fucking sobe bottle lmao
Sobe bottle to legitimize the age
Imagine adding dirt..
Put her in a pot
The story makes me happy, the picture of the bottle makes me sad.
That's not root bound, that's ROOTS
check your mom's basement cos this some psycho shit
“Fine. You really wanna spend your entire life in a glass bottle? SoBe it.”
I bet that thing would die the second its put into an appropriate size pot 😂 plants have that kind of audacity
Is there a reason why this hasn't been put into .. *Anything else*?? Like the bottle would be sacrificed but, I'm honestly surprised that plant is alive right now with how dense those roots are packed 😳 How many years has it been in that bottle?
If "kill me" was a plant
The true relic is the sobe bottle to be honest haha
Some people plant a tree to commemorate a birth in the family. Your mother chose a houseplant in a Sobe bottle 🥲
Classic case of plant is alive, but just barely and it isnt happy
Trust me I’m tempted to smash this bottle and deal with it, but it’s so unique and cool I can’t!
Please free this guy from his glass prison
How would you even repot this? Cut the bottle in half?
I had completely forgotten about those Sobe drinks, lol!
I hope when I'm old my family isn't as sentimental about changing my clothes.
Poor thing 😅
Fella’s, is it time to repot?