"I cut it back ... maybe too much ... but it will grow back. And if it doesn't... I'll just plant another."
-- Mom on her avocado/pear tree
1. Water, sunlight, time and attention are essentials. Your job is to learn each plant, each leaf, each cutting and how they communicate and how you relate.
2. Most seedlings can germinate in darkness but cannot continue to grow that way.
3. Patience.
4. Plants act/behave in different ways in different seasons. You won't know this unless you go through all seasons. So, go through all seasons.
5. Sometimes plants need to be cut back, in order to continue growing.
6. It's good living to always be growing, watering, nurturing, tending to something physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.
7. And sometimes, do nothing.
8. Plants have feelings and emotions and preferences.
9. Things will get messy -- repotting, propagating, change etc. is seldom a neat and tidy endeavor.
10. Cut away and clear dead leaves and branches. Don't let them linger.
11. Surface moisture is just as necessary as root moisture.
12. A plant that shows life in a less than ideal environment can be temporarily instructive, but it's not sustainable.
13. A less than ideal environment for one organism can be the perfect environment for another.
14. You can do everything "right" ... in preparation, in cultivation, in maintenance, and it still won't "catch" or "thrive." This is okay. Plant some more. Listen some more.