To sign “plant” in ASL, you use both hands to mimic a plant growing up out of the ground. Your non-dominant hand forms a sideways C shape (representing the soil or a pot), and your dominant hand pushes up through it with fingertips together, then opens and spreads as it rises. The whole motion looks like a seedling sprouting and unfurling its leaves.
Step-by-Step Breakdown
Start by holding your non-dominant hand at about chest height in a C shape, turned on its side so the opening faces up. This hand stays still throughout the sign. It represents the ground or a flower pot.
With your dominant hand, bring all five fingertips together into a tight point (sometimes called a flattened O shape). Position this hand below the C of your non-dominant hand, then push it upward through the opening. As your dominant hand rises past your non-dominant wrist, gradually spread your fingers apart and open the hand wide. The motion should feel smooth and organic, like a plant unfurling.
Repeat this upward-and-open movement a second time. This repetition is important: doing the motion only once typically means “grow” rather than “plant.”
Why the Repetition Matters
ASL often distinguishes between related concepts through movement changes. A single upward motion through the C hand generally means “grow.” Repeating the movement shifts the meaning to the noun “plant.” The same base sign, with slight variations in repetition or context, can also convey “spring,” “bush,” or “garden.” If you want to be clearly understood as saying “plant” (the thing, not the season or the action), use two distinct repetitions and let the context of your sentence help.
A Memory Trick That Works
The easiest way to remember this sign is to picture exactly what it looks like: a seed sprouting through dirt. Your still C hand is the soil. Your rising, opening hand is the plant pushing through and spreading its leaves toward the sun. Once you see it that way, the sign is hard to forget.
Signing “Plant Seeds” (the Verb)
If you want to say you’re planting seeds in a garden, the sign is different. Rub your thumb across your fingertips as you move your hand forward in a slow arc, as if you’re dropping small seeds into a furrow in the soil. The motion is deliberate and mimics the physical act of sowing by hand. This is the verb form, meaning “to plant,” as opposed to the noun form described above.
The Initialized Version
You may occasionally see a version of “plant” that uses a P handshape (the ASL letter P) instead of the open-fingered sprouting motion. This is called an initialized sign because it borrows the first letter of the English word. Some ASL speakers and educators consider this version less natural to the language. ASL linguist Dr. William Vicars recommends learning the sprouting version described above as your default sign, but being aware of the initialized version so you can recognize it if someone else uses it.
Related Signs Worth Knowing
Once you have “plant” down, a few related signs build naturally from the same visual logic:
- Grow: The same motion as “plant” but performed only once, with a single upward push through the C hand.
- Tree: Your dominant forearm stands upright (the trunk) on top of your flat non-dominant hand (the ground), and your open dominant hand shakes slightly at the top, like branches moving in wind.
- Flower: Bring your fingertips together and touch them to one side of your nose, then arc them to the other side, as if smelling a bloom.
These signs share the same intuitive, visual quality that makes ASL botanical vocabulary relatively easy to pick up. Each one is a small picture of the thing it describes.