There’s a zombie on your la-awn… and on your windowsill, thanks to this fun new Zombie Plant Growing Kit from our pals at TickleMe Plants. Since I kill most of the plants I try to grow, I’m intrigued by the idea of a plant that is actually supposed to die when I touch it. And my kids will get a major kick out of watching it come back to life, which that tomato plant from NASA definitely didn’t do.
Please don’t tell Bobak Ferdowsi.
The Zombie Plant is actually Mimosa pudica, which was common in the wild where I grew up and will not in fact eat your children. But it might educate them. When touched, the leaves fold up and the branches droop in an entertaining facsimile of phytozombieism. Of course, you have to grow it first, which is why the kit comes with six seed-starter soil disks in a recycled plastic carton, plus a packet of zombie seeds. Follow the directions to see sprouts in a few days, leaves in a few weeks, and a full-fledged zombie rampage by summer. And by “zombie rampage” I mean fluffy pink flowers that vaguely resemble brains. Mother Nature thinks of everything!
Find the Zombie Plant Growing Kit at ThinkGeek. Of course. If you’ve never seen Mimosa pudica in action, there’s a fun video showing what happens when you touch the full-grown plant. The model doesn’t lose a finger. Promise it’s SFW and small children.
My students love growing their own TickleMe Plants and Zombie Plants!