Plant Standards

It’s Saturday morning, and Pastor Ricardo Hernandez is watering his plants.

I ask why he waters the leaves of the vine climbing the tree. “Not the leaves,” he says. “The bark.”

He shows me the tiny root sprouts of the climbing vine. In dry season, if he does not water the bark 2-3 times per week, the vine shrivels and dies.

Now I understand why the leaves of my potted pothos shrink as the vine lengthens. My vines have no wet bark.

Ricardo and Leyda show me the naïve Nicaragua palms and the palms the started from seed they brought back from a Guatemala tourist site.

“I cannot take seeds back to the U.S.,” I say. I tell him about U.S. customs rules.

Then I confess a violation. On a trip to Israel, I too gathered several kinds of seeds and tucked them in the bottom of my suitcase going through customs.

Back in the States, though, my Puritan preacher won. Terrified of igniting a rampant new plant disease, I tossed them in the trash. We laugh together.

Ricardo tells me most countries have similar customs regulations, including Nicaragua. He has no qualms about hiding seeds in his suitcase. 

But, on the customs sheet, he will not lie. He leaves the plant question blank. If asked, he tells the truth. So far, he has slipped through unasked.

I remember my customs sheet. 

On the “plants and seeds” line, I listed, “None.” 

Hmmm.

A few moments later, as I admire an easy-to-root Nicaraguan plant, Leyda offers me a cutting.

“Yo voy a penser,” I answer (I will think.)

I’m still thinking.

…

PS to readers. Your advice?  Speak. I’m listening.