Amy Lu's View

I have successfully grown a Chia pet! (Not sure “grow” is the right verb…Raised? Sprouted? Conjured?)

I didn’t plan to be a Chia pet parent, but we received a Groot Chia pet years ago–pre-pandemic–from our Loot Crate subscription service for geekly merchandise. 

I kept waiting for a special time to start Chia Groot, and finally took the plunge last Thanksgiving. 

I gave it my best effort. I even read the directions–something I deeply dislike doing and try to avoid at all cost. 

I watered it and waited and watched. My Chia Groot never grew. 

I was disappointed, but not surprised. Growing plant life (other than the mold on our shower curtain) has never been one of my fortes. 

So I took a break and tried again in January of this year. And, I failed again. 

Hmmm, maybe there was a problem beyond my ineptitude? Perhaps the chia seeds were “stale” since I had waited so many years to try and get Chia Groot to grow. 

So I ordered some new seeds via Amazon, and gave it another whirl. And…it worked! Mostly. Sort of. My Chia Groot did grow, but only in certain spots. 

Chad and I surmised that the problem was I didn’t water Groot’s head fully, so bolstered by that knowledge and experience, my fourth time growing Chia Groot was a bona fide success! No, Chia Groot didn’t have perfectly evenly distributed chia hair, but can any of us claim our hair is perfect?

Of course I’ve told my Chia Groot story as often as possible, and various people have remarked, “You tried it FOUR times?” Yes, my four attempts are amazing–because it took me four attempts to succeed and something rather easy, but more importantly, because I didn’t give up. I often abandon endeavors when I get frustrated, so it does feel good to persist at something and have it pay off. 

Watching my Chia Groot sprout and grow day by day was so satisfying. One day I even told Chad, “I think I could just sit here and watch my chia pet grow.” He replied, “That would probably be a good thing.”

While I bask in the glow of my Chia Groot success, my overall state of house plant management is mixed. I think one of the house plants that Chad got me for my birthday in March of 2022 has officially died. My second attempt at growing a mini-sunflower seems to be going well but there are some disconcerting white flakes in the soil and a few wilted leaves that are making me nervous. 

But I can’t let these failures and worries diminish the joy of my Chia Groot triumph. I can’t expect everything to go well all at once. 

And all things come to pass–especially chia pets who are particularly ephemeral. Luckily, my research into chia pet farming alerted me that they get “leggy” (basically collapsing under the weight of their awesomeone) and that a chia pet owner will want to start their chia pet over.

Yes, it’s the circle of life. I’m not quite ready to take the plunge and reboot my Groot Chia but I’m starting to gear myself up. 

I even got so excited by my Chia pet success, I ordered two more chia pets–a Chia Grogu and a Chia Unicorn. No, I didn’t get Bob Ross. Nothing against Bob Ross, but I just don’t have any connection to him. I did contemplate getting a Chia Llama or Chia Joe Biden, but I decided to go with Grogu and a unicorn because there was a special that made them slightly cheaper if purchased together. (This purchase was made with some anxiety beyond the normal “making a decision” anxiety–I still have an indoor oyster mushroom kit and a Stir Fry seed pop to plant, and here I am, buying more Chia Pets!)

Chad’s response when the chia pets were delivered: “What, are we going to have a chia pet farm?”

I hope so. As soon as I have the time and brainpower (yes, Chia pet planting DOES take my brainpower) and the forecast promises a couple of sunny days in a row, I’m going to try. A middle-aged lady can dream.