How to Keep Trader Joe’s Orchid Alive or Make It Bloom Again
I’ve seen some crazy things living in New York: a man peeing into a blue city mailbox in the middle of the city in the middle of the day, while pedestrians pretend not to notice; the subway train was forced to change course and crawl back to the previous station, while the conductor and driver panicked loudly in front of the passengers; three Rolls-Royces, accidentally parked on the street, not fearing that they were taken. But the craziest thing I’ve ever seen is trendy florists offering simple white moth orchids for $ 85 apiece.
Why would anyone spend so much money when you can buy the same plant from Trader Joe’s for $ 12.99 and collect milk while you’re there? But they spend money, otherwise the florists wouldn’t sell it at such a high mark-up. There are people who will tell you that the flowers on expensive orchids somehow last longer, or that expensive orchids will bloom again, while their cheaper cousins will never grow another stem of flowers. I’m here to tell you that the only real difference between what you get from this high-end flower shop and Trader Joe’s is a fancy pot that comes with a variety of flowers.
So go ahead, buy a flower from the grocery store and enjoy the regular annual fresh flowers. If the mood strikes, put it in an unusual saucepan.
Here’s what worked for me and my $ 12.99 plant, although that doesn’t mean a comprehensive guide to growing orchids.
1. Remove the old stem.
Your orchid’s beautiful flowers will likely last one to three months before they start to wilt and the stem dries up. When all the flowers have withered, it’s time to cut the stem so that a new one can grow. Take a pair of very clean scissors and cut the stem about one inch from the base. I leave about one knot – this is a small jagged line on the stem – at the bottom. Some people like to cut right at the base, others leave two knots – I compromise. Either way, the tiny remnant of the stem will dry out before a new one can grow.
2. Repot
Most likely, TJ’s orchid ended up in a tiny terracotta pot with an even smaller plastic pot inside. If you remove the plastic pot, you will most likely see the orchid roots pressing against the walls, trying to find new areas to expand at the top of the pot.
After the orchid stops blooming, it’s time to replant it. Buy a pot with a drain hole a couple of inches larger than the one it was in. Buy a bag of orchid potting mix. You can get the variety of moss that Trader Joe’s orchids are usually planted in at the store, or you can get orchid bark, which, despite its name, is actually a mixture of tree bark and charcoal. I personally prefer orchid bark, but either will work.
Remove the plant carefully from the pot and try to remove any moss or other planting material surrounding the roots. Try not to disturb the roots; it is better to leave sticky moss than to pluck the root. If you see dead or shriveled roots, you can cut them off with scissors before replanting.
Pour some fresh orchid growing medium into the pot, carefully place the roots inside and cover with additional potting material. Avoid packing your orchid tightly in a pot as you want the roots to have some breathing room.
3. Fertilize and wait
There are any number of commercial orchid fertilizers on the market, so take your pick. Immediately after transplanting and after the flowers have faded, this is a good time to start feeding your plant so it has the nutrients to bloom again. I prefer water soluble fertilizers so that I can fertilize while watering.
The orchid will first grow one or two new leaves, taking advantage of the lack of flowers to provide itself with enough fresh green leaves, so be patient while waiting for a new flower stem to emerge. Eventually, after the new leaves have grown in, the stem will begin to stick out. As it gets longer, gently tie it to the peg you stuck in the pot. You can save the bamboo pegs and ties that your orchid came with and use them again. Try tying the stem to the post before the flowers begin to bloom.
4. Take care of the plant regularly.
Keep your orchid in a place with plenty of light, but not in direct sunlight. I keep mine on a small plant stand that sits to the side of a very sunny window to keep the leaves from burning. If the orchid does not receive enough light, it may keep a new stem from growing.
For orchids, forgetting to water is better than watering too much. Roots can easily rot due to too much wetting, eventually leading to the death of the plant. So try to let the planting material dry completely between waterings. The large moth orchids sold at Trader Joe’s especially like to dry out a little between waterings.
While this will depend on the humidity in your home, watering once a week to once every two weeks will suffice. I like to put the orchid in the sink, water it with plenty of water, and wait for any excess to drain from the pot so that the orchid never sits in standing water. Orchid bark planting mix dries faster than moss planting mix, so if you tend to water your plants because everyone knows food is love, bark may be the right medium for you. If you forget to water, moss may be your best bet.
Orchids love a damp home, so if your home is dry, especially in summer when the air conditioner is on all the time, you can gently spray your orchid every couple of days. Do not spray it to get it wet, but simply spray in its general direction to create a small damp cloud of dew around it.
If you have an orchid at home, share a photo in the comments!