People Are Freaking Out Over This $8 Low-Maintenance Holiday Plant At Trader Joe’s
Are you one of those plant owners (or wanna-be plant owners) who feels like they just can’t keep a plant alive? Well, you might just be in luck. Thanks to a viral Reddit post, a Trader Joe’s plant has gained recent attention for allegedly not needing much attention at all, making eager plant owners everywhere wonder: Could I potentially be a plant parent?
A Reddit user posted a picture of a bulb plant called the Giant Amaryllis with the caption: “Plant find at my local TJs today! The tag says it doesn’t need water, and an employee told me it doesn’t need sunlight either. I will probably still find a way to kill it! 😂” [Editor’s note: The plant definitely needs sunlight.]
If that doesn’t sound like it’s too good to be true already, the price might set you over the edge. In Manhattan locations of Trader Joe’s, the plants are going for $7.99 and $8.99, depending on which kind you buy. The giant version, which comes in a wax bulb, is $7.99, while the large version, which comes in a pot and not in wax, is $8.99. They are, in fact, quite giant and large, growing up to three feet.
Amaryllis are a holiday plant staple, according to Erin Marino, director of Brand Marketing for direct-to-consumer plant brand The Sill. “The wax version you can’t water because of the wax coat. The reason they’re getting away with saying you don’t have to water them is because they’re positioning them as a short-term plant,” she says.
Essentially, the waxed bulbs have just enough nutrients saved up from their time in the greenhouse for them to bloom, last a few weeks, and then call it quits. Bulb plants can also be toxic to pets, so keep that in mind this holiday season, too.
“Cute for the holidays but not long lasting!” Marion adds. “You can try to ‘recycle’ your bulb by cutting off the flowers as they start to wither. If the leaves are healthy, keep them, they’re feeding the bulb with energy from the sun for the next bloom cycle.”
You can make these plants last longer sans wax coating, just keep in mind that they definitely need to be watered (and sunshine)!