Apr 2, 2009

Is he what I think he is?

[Forenote: Sorry for the really long post, but couldn’t help. My fingers were fluttering about the keyboard before I realized how long the post turned out to be… Hope I don’t bore you]

Sometime before the arrival of Haemanta (Winter) last year, many experimental seeds very scattered in pots across Plantville last year and forgotten in the chaos created by Haemanta’s wicked daughter (Nishâ – the hurricane that barely touched Chennai). Many potential seeds were carried in her haste to Plantville and taken away from it too.

With the rains gone and when the citizens of Plantville were licking their wounds, many visitors manifested themselves at Plantville. One among them was this interesting person. With a single purplish, serrated, obovate leaf, it looked attractive. As most of you who’ve read my earlier posts know, I welcome my visitors warmly as long as they aren’t a nuisance. Even weeds, if good looking, are treated well. Will I ignore this visitor, whose leaf soon grew into palmate, doubly serrated leaves. I, by now, decided that guy’s gonna live in Plantville.

I was ever curious of its identity. Who could this be?

He was growing comfortably with the Jâtî family and soon I realized that the pot was too small for the three. So I had to pluck this visitor out. I tried my best to take him out but his roots were really deep that when I held its base and tugged it, the entire soil was lifted out of the pot. Now, I was afraid I might damage my Jasmines. Praying all the gods, I held down the soil with one hand and gently started tugging this guy. No way. He wouldn’t budge. I had to make a decision now. It’s either this guy or the Jasmines.

I took my hands off and took another look at the foliage and at the Jasmines. I took in a deep breath and once again pulled the guy out holding the soil down with my other hand. He wouldn’t budge. I pulled with a bit more force and I could feel this guy being hurt…

My heart skipped a beat…

I paused and waited…

Taking in another breath I tugged him a bit gently… Tuck, tuck… Two more roots were cut off…

I was murdering this visitor!

God no! I’m not doing this wantedly. What if he’s an invasive weed and what if he destroys my Jasmines? But again, I don’t want to lose him either! He was the only kind. He came without a family into Plantville…

Well, I seemed to have no choice. I had done enough damage by now. Praying still, I pulled him out and looked at my victim. I didn’t want to look at it though. What if I’d killed him? What if he were a beautiful flowering plant like the Sunflower who visited Plantville last summer?

I slowly (well, not sooo slowly like you see in movies though :D) turned my face and looked at my victim…

What do you guys think I saw?

Was I a murderer?

[SIGH]

[Another SIGH]

Well, I didn’t kill him! I managed to keep his taproot safe. It were his other roots that were severed badly. I wasted no time and dipped him in a mug of water. With the sun blazing down on us, he might not survive too long. I came downstairs quick and plopped him into a small pot of soil with a fair share of food for him.

My mom wasn’t all that happy with my work. “You could’ve waited till evening. Why do it when Sun’s so high in the sky?”

I remained mum and looked at my work. Not bad, but not good either. The guy was looking pathetic, with all his leaves hanging down limp. Would he live? Time will say...

I went to sleep for the day. Waking after five hours for lunch, I ran out to see the victim. His leaves looked better! That made me feel better… The next day, looked as if he would love some sun and I returned him back to the city… In no time, he grew healthily...

Days later I observed that he gave out a tendril… (You might remember his first tendrils from last week's Macro post) That too a forked tendril! Now is this a vine? Well, somehow, Mother Nature knows my love for creepers and gifts me with them.

Now, let’s analyze this, shall we…?

What do we know about this Plant?

It is a Vine… with Palmate leaves… that are serrated… correction – doubly serrated… palmately veined… purplish leaves that turn green… has forked tendrils…

What could this plant be?

Yesterday, night, with very less work at office, I did some googling and I was excited at what I learnt. Is he what I think he is?

Is he… ermmm… he… is he…

… Is he a... a...

...A GRAPE?Tell me YES! Please, pretty please... Let it be a Grape! I’ll be soooooo... excited. Later when I began thinking at office, I realized that I had thrown in some grape seeds that I’d saved from the fruits. So was it going through a dormant stage? Or may be it isn’t from the seeds I cast away into the pots? Let’s see… You guys have any idea

21 comments:

RAJI MUTHUKRISHNAN said...

The leaves certainly look like it , and the tendrils also make me think it might be a grape vine! Good luck.

Very entertaining, and not too long a post at all.

Anonymous said...

By gosh, I think it's a volunteer grape for sure! Certainly looks that way.

I love these long, rambling posts of yours - don't apologize, they are a joy to read! Best of luck to you and the grape...perhaps someday the two of you will be a famous vineyard!

Chandramouli S said...

Raji Muthukrishnan: I'm hoping the same, ma'am. Palms enjoined! Thank you. I was afraid I might bore you all with too long a post with too much of words. Glad to hear I didn't. [Phew]

Greg: Thank you, Greg. I seriously pray you're right! Vineyard! LOL! Sorry, for the laughter, but I don't consider myself such a fine gardener, but I wish I do become what you said. Thank you for your kind comments :)

Randy said...

Mouli,
I think it's a grape vine too! Congrats! :-)

Randy Emmitt said...

I'd say a grape for sure. Here in the US grapes like heat lots of heat. We used to have a red seeded grape when I lived in Ohio and it was one of the sweetest grapes I've ever eaten.

Rowena said...

Ahahaha! I LOVED your post! So entertaining, interesting and curious at the same time. It wasn't until I saw the 7th picture did I realize that it looked like a grape leaf to me. I hope it is, because then you'll be able to post about The Grapes That Survived Your Wrath.

(not sure if you've heard of The Grapes of Wrath but it's a novel by John Steinbeck.)

Chandramouli S said...

Thank you, Randy! Wow! It feel good to hear that. I sowed it with a very faint hope of it germinating as I've heard that they're difficult to germinate. Yesterday when reading about them online, I learnt that they need a cold dormant period before germinating. So, I guess the rains provided that dormant period and I forgot all about it! Hurray! Time to celebrate and do further research to make it grow into a beautiful vine! Thank you again.

Thank you Randy Emmitt! You have no idea how excited I am to hear that you're sure about it! Wow! You're wonderful. I'd hug you tight like there's no tomorrow if you were here. LOL! I'm delightful! I hope I grow this well and this beauty bears fruits in few years from now!

Rowena: Thank you so much! I seriously wish I write that post in future! I'm already doing quite a bit of study on growing grapes for great yields. I don't wanna lose him now, as I was so close to losing him once!

I haven't read that novel but have heard of the author. May be I should read it. God! That reminds me that I'm yet to complete Tess Gerritsen's The Bone Garden! It's been sitting in the shelf for two weeks now. That's so unlike me, who's crazy about fiction... Now I guess I wandered off...

Thank you once again, Rowena. Have a great day!

Chandramouli S said...

BTW, did you try germinating the red-seeded grapes, Randy (Emmitt)?

Secret Aging Man (SAM) said...

I'm so glad you didn't kill your guest! You really had me going with your story and it wasn't boring at all. I love the way you personify your plants.

Chandramouli S said...

Thank you SAM. I'm glad I entertained you :) I'm sooo glad I didn't kill him too. He's gonna be nourished well... really well from now on.

Anonymous said...

Looks like a grape to me too. :-) Hooray!
Frances

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

I agree it looks like a grape. What a great gift if it is!! Glad he survived.

Corner Gardener Sue said...

I looked back, but can't remember which picture caused me to think it looked like a grape plant to me, but was tickled to read that's what you and others thought it might be. I hope it grows well, and am glad it survived your wrath! LOL

Thanks for your comments on my SkyWatch and other posts.

Chandramouli S said...

You're a darling, Frances! Hurray! YAY! I've got GRAY-APE, I've got a GRAY-APE! Hurray! Thank you! Hurray! (I'm going crazy about this!)

It is a really precious gift, Catherine! I mean, I really can't express it! God, I still think about the way I pulled it out, I chastise myself - what if it... I don't even wanna go there!

Sue: Thank you so much, Sue. I really am glad it did too. The more I hear from people about confirmation, the more delightful it feels!
My pleasure. It's always a pleasure to visit your blog.

Jan said...

You are so entertaining with your posts...and what a surprise ending, even to you! ha ha. It is a grape, if you say so. How exciting. I hope it'll grow large and prolific. [I loved the way you called the little seedling 'person'] :-)

Chandramouli S said...

Thank you, Jan. Yes! It was so surprising to me too! I too hope the same, thank you for your wishes :) [I did feel that way about him]

walk2write said...

It is a very healthy grapevine, and it doesn't look like it minded the root pruning at all. Are you going to build an arbor for it? And the story was not too long at all. I enjoyed it.

Unknown said...

Chandramouli
I'm glad the plant didn't die. I'm a little surprised-grape vine in Chennai!!? But the little one is lovely - a stubborn brat I suppose. Enjoyed your post.

Chandramouli S said...

walk2write: I'm glad it didn't! Of course I am and that's what I'm studying about these days. Glad you liked it :)

Lively: I know you're surprised, but after reading more about Grapes, I realized that these would do great here in Chennai too. Thank you so much.

Anonymous said...

The leaves remind me of a grape vine too. Hope you get some fruit if it is!

Chandramouli S said...

I hope the same, Racquel. May be the next year! Wow! How cool it'd be to have grapes hanging down your garden!