This Trader Joe’s Fan Account Explains Succulents’ “Death Bloom”

Sure, Trader Joe’s has some delicious (and affordable) food options, but the plant section is what truly holds so many shoppers’ hearts. And if you’re one of those collect-them-all fans when it comes to Trader Joe’s succulent planters, then you’re definitely going to want to learn about succulents’ “death blooms.”

Natasha from the Trader Joe’s List Instagram account just shared some valuable knowledge about monocarpic blooms (aka death blooms) and how they’re all just a part of some plants’ life cycles. 

“Some types of succulents are ‘monocarpic’ and exist only to flower once and then die,” she wrote in a July 5 Instagram video. “This is part of the natural cycle of life and is nothing to feel bad about. Prior to the bloom, the plant will produce pups to continue the cycle.”

Death blooms will appear out of the center of the succulent, so any blooms that come out of the side of the plant are not death blooms, but instead, just regular flowers that will live, die, and sprout again during the next bloom cycle. 

“THANK YOU!!!” one person commented. “My succulents are doing this right now and I thought I was just a bad plant mom! But reading this it’s just a death bloom! I had no idea!!!!!”

Succulents that produce monocarpic blooms include aeonium, sempervivum (also known as Hens and Chicks), agave, flapjack, and some species of echeveria.

It’s important to remember that, even if you have a succulent species that will ultimately die after producing a glorious bloom, it will leave behind plenty of pups to carry on its legacy. So don’t give up on its growth — it’s not you, it’s them! And it’s all just part of the process.