the_wesley•16d ago

Injured my shoulder, but repotting ferns gave me purpose.

Plant care became my daily therapy session.

4 comments

4 Comments

henry_fox15d ago

Yikes, working roots loose sounds awful right now.

theajohnson10d ago

Actually, nobody talks about the dirt texture itself. Working with dry, crumbly potting mix gives your hands and arms totally different feedback than damp, heavy soil. When beth147 mentioned compacted soil needing force, that's exactly it - the dirt tells you what your shoulder can handle that day. It's less about controlling the plant and more about listening through your fingers.

averymartin15d ago

Honestly, the small, careful movements you have to make with plants must help in a weird way. Like, you can't just rush and yank a fern out. You have to slowly work the roots loose, which forces your shoulder into a kind of gentle, guided motion. It's not about getting strong fast, it's about learning control again on a tiny scale. That patience with the plant might be teaching your body the same patience.

beth14715d ago

lol but have you ever tried repotting a cactus? Those tiny movements can actually tweak your shoulder if you're not careful, and it doesn't really teach control, just how to avoid getting stabbed. It's so slow that your mind wanders and you might forget to keep good form. Plus, if the soil is compacted, you end up using force anyway, which defeats the whole patience thing.