How to Grow and Care for Lucky Bamboo Indoors (2023)

FAQs

How do you take care of a lucky bamboo plant indoors? ›

Place your bamboo in indirect sunlight. Fill your container with enough water to cover the roots. Lucky bamboo prefers a temperature range of 65–95°F (18–35°C). Optional: use a liquid houseplant fertilizer every three to four weeks.

According to bamboo plant Vastu, it should be planted in the eastern corner of the house. This zone in the house represents the energy of the family. Placing it near the entrance of the house will attract positive energy.

Lucky bamboo likes moist soil, so keeping the soil wet is crucial. Yellowing leaves could signify that the plant has become root-bound and needs to be repotted into a larger container to give the roots room to spread out. Lucky bamboo can also grow in water with stones or pebbles to prop it up.

To take care of lucky bamboo, place your plant in bright, indirect sunlight. Avoid keeping it in direct sunlight since the leaves could burn. If you're growing your lucky bamboo in water, make sure there's always enough water in the container to cover the roots.

Lucky bamboo is a short-lived plant and lives for one to two years. However, expect your plant to live a few years longer if you transfer it to a pot with soil.

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert: The nature of lucky bamboo is to grow a single stalk. However, you can make al lucky bamboo stalk branch by cutting the top off. If you top the lucky bamboo stalk, two new branches will appear on the side of the stalk just below the cut. You can then root the top to start a new stalk.

Bamboo plants can be kept in bedrooms, as well. Since it requires minimal care and little sunlight, bedrooms are the perfect place to add a bamboo plant for home for bringing in some greenery. Lucky bamboo symbolises growth, beginnings and family harmony.

A lucky bamboo brings good fortune and prosperity for at least a year. Unless it dies, in which case, according to legend, the owner is in for 29 years of bad luck.

Lucky bamboo is an odd-looking plant that grows in almost any light level and without soil without making a mess in your clean bathroom. You require a few pebbles and a container of water for the plant to root. Make sure that the container of water remains full so that this low-light plant remains hydrated.

Can I Use Miracle Grow on Lucky Bamboo? I found out the hard way, do NOT put Miracle Grow in the water. My plant turned yellow from it. Try this fertilizer that's made just for lucky bamboo instead.

What is the best fertilizer for lucky bamboo? ›

In water: Fertilize your lucky bamboo every couple of months (you can go longer). You can use a little dirty aquarium water (if you have it) or a diluted (tenth of the normal strength) water-soluble houseplant fertilizer. The best time to fertilize is when you change the water.

Too much sunlight: A lucky bamboo plant needs bright but filtered sunlight, similar to the light beneath the canopy of a tropical forest. Lucky bamboo often turns yellow if it sits in a window with too much direct sunlight, which can scorch the leaves and stress the plant.

The leaves of your lucky bamboo plant turn yellow or brown

Another really clear sign that your lucky bamboo plant is in trouble is if the leaves have turned yellow or brown. Healthy lucky bamboo is a vibrant green, and it should be supple and flexible.

Bamboo grows quickly, so must be repotted when you start seeing leaves that are much lighter in color than usual, markedly fewer new shoots and stalks that are thin and weak.

You'll need to repot every year or so and eventually, perhaps after 5 or 6 years, you'll probably have to prune your plant back a bit, as it can get quite large. As for fertilizer (not vitamins), that's only a minor concern, as the lucky bamboo is not a very greedy plant.

While it craves shade outdoors, indoor lucky bamboo needs bright indirect light. Placing it too close to a sunny window may cause the leaves to scorch and turn brown. It prefers nutrient-rich, slightly acidic soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5. As discussed, sandy loam or cactus and succulent potting mix are ideal.

Filter your water.

Lucky bamboo can be grown in soil or water. If you're growing the plant in water, filtered or distilled water is your best option for keeping your bamboo's roots moist and healthy. (Tap water may contain chemicals that can burn its stalks). Always use clean water to refresh your plant.

Both watering the lucky bamboo plant and using mulch effectively will give it more of a chance to grow strong. You should notice your lucky bamboo stalk getting thicker over time if you're caring for it well.

If you wish to cut back your lucky bamboo more drastically, with the intention to reshape it, you can cut as many shoots as you want flush to the stalk. Usually new shoots will not regrow from the pruned areas due to the close cuts.

Seven stalks bestow good health. Eight stalks improve fertility. In Chinese, “eight” sounds like the word used for “grow”. Nine stalks symbolize great luck.

How many layers of lucky bamboo are lucky? ›

3 Layer Lucky Bamboo: Three layers of Lucky Bamboo is believed to be one of the most favorite presentations of lucky bamboo. It brings three kinds of luck to you: Happiness (Fu), Long Life (Soh) and Wealth (Lu).

3 Stalks. The core belief is that 3 represents happiness. A bamboo plant with 3 stalks is a wish for a new beginning. So, if you are looking for a Happy Birthday gift of a New Year gift, you can settle for this 3 stalks arrangement of the bamboo plant.

To revive a dying lucky bamboo move the plant to an area of bright, indirect light, only water using rainwater, maintain a temperature range of 60°F to 75°F (16°C to 24°C) and prune any dying leaves to help stimulate the growth of health green leaves.

Once a lucky bamboo stalk turns yellow it will not turn back to green. If the stalk is staying firm, you can leave it be. However, I usually remove the yellowing stalks from a container holding healthy green stalks. You can propagate new stalks from the yellow one if it still has green parts.

Choose a pot or container with a diameter that is at least 2 inches wider than the stalks you are re-planting. Fill the bottom of the pot with stones of gravel to improve the drainage of the soil. Place the stalks close together and hold them in place with more of the stones or gravel.

Similarly, we sometimes water less than 3 times a week if the weather is cool and/or the plants are in full shade. Bamboo in the ground generally need less frequent watering here – once a week, sometimes twice a week is adequate – because the larger volume of soil stays moist and cool for longer periods.

The best 12 plants for good luck and fortune are: 1) Money Tree (Pachira Aquatica), 2) Rubber Plant (Ficus Elastica), 3) Snake Plant (Sanseveria Laurentii), 4) Citrus Tree, 5) Blue Singapore Orchid (Vanda Coerulea), 6) Holy Basil (Ocicum Sanctum), 7) Jade Plant (Crassula Ovata), 8) Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia), 9) ...

Flowering: In their natural tropical habitat grown outdoors the lucky bamboo will flower, but grown indoors they will not. How it looks: Most of these are sold with about 3 stalks that look very similar to real bamboo plant's (although they're not bamboo) and grow light green shoots with slim and long arching leaves.

Feeding. Bamboos are grasses, so appreciate a feed high in nitrogen – we recommend using The Palm Centre Slow Release Bamboo Fertiliser (one application lasts up to 6 months), but also lawn feed (but not feed and weed!), fish blood & bone or, indeed, any garden plant fertiliser is better than none.

To grow bamboo successfully indoors, you need a sturdy container and ample light and humidity. Bamboo needs at least 6 hours of light to thrive. Put bamboo in your sunniest window. Depending on the type, it can grow up to 5 to 8 feet tall; lower light usually means slower and less growth.

What is the best soil for bamboo in pots? ›

The best potting soil for bamboo is a loamy, well-drained mix that incorporates organic matter. Most bamboo species prefer a slightly acidic soil with a pH level of approximately 6.5.

Once the stalk is turning yellow, it will not recover. You will have to cut the yellow section off in order to save the remaining part of the healthy stalk. A stalk can be turning yellow from the top down or from the bottom up. If it starts from bottom up, the roots of the bamboo or the container is contaminated.

Simply peel or cut the unwanted leaves off so that new ones can grow and replace. Do not leave yellowing leaves on until they turn brown or black since it can spread decay to other parts of the bamboo.

Lucky Bamboo gets taller as the stems (or shoots) grow, not by the stalk (or cane) growing. If you prune the cane by half, then the height of your plant will be reduced by at least half. Lucky Bamboo, or Dracaena sanderiana, naturally grows straight.

Bamboo can be an invasive threat to biodiversity.

Many spreading bamboo species are categorized as invasive exotic plants that crowd out native plants and threaten biodiversity. The best ways to contain spreading bamboo tend to be expensive and complicated, and may not be worth pursuing for many homeowners.

It grows hydroponically in a container filled with rocks; real bamboo, which belongs to the grass family, requires soil to thrive.

Lucky bamboo grows best in pebbles or small stones, not dirt, to keep it upright, and at least an inch of water.

Growing Lucky Bamboo in Soil - Fast Growth | Care Tips of Soil grown Plant

Bamboo removes benzene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde while also adding moisture to the air to act as a natural humidifier. Plus, some say keeping bamboo shoots in your home will bring you good luck. Thats a win-win-win in our book.

Why is it called lucky bamboo? ›

Also known as Dragon Tree or Ribbon Plant, the Lucky Bamboo is a Feng Shui sign. As the name suggests, the plant symbolises good luck, and since one seems to be lucky when money is involved, the plant also symbolises income. As bamboo can grow fast, so should the money pile up.

Bamboo is a symbol of strength, flexibility, and growth. The combination of these virtues is what has inspired us to create high-quality, durable, and extremely soft products.

Too much sunlight: A lucky bamboo plant needs bright but filtered sunlight, similar to the light beneath the canopy of a tropical forest. Lucky bamboo often turns yellow if it sits in a window with too much direct sunlight, which can scorch the leaves and stress the plant.

The most common factors for yellowing leaves are either too much sunlight; and/or too salty or heavily-fluoridated tap water. It is best to keep the bamboo away from sunlight and to use filtered water.

Similarly, we sometimes water less than 3 times a week if the weather is cool and/or the plants are in full shade. Bamboo in the ground generally need less frequent watering here – once a week, sometimes twice a week is adequate – because the larger volume of soil stays moist and cool for longer periods.

Fertilizer. Super Green is one of the fertilizers specially formulated for Lucky Bamboo growing in water. Because I now use purified water which has all the minerals removed, I've started to use this food 2 or 3 times a year.

How to Feed Bamboo. Bamboo plants are heavy eaters. Beginning a month after planting, feed bamboo with Miracle-Gro® Shake 'n Feed® All Purpose Plant Food, which contains natural ingredients to help feed plants both above and below the soil.

The best fertilizer that you can give your lucky bamboo is organic manure or compost. If your lucky bamboo grows in a water medium, make sure to provide them water-soluble liquid fertilizers.

While it craves shade outdoors, indoor lucky bamboo needs bright indirect light. Placing it too close to a sunny window may cause the leaves to scorch and turn brown. It prefers nutrient-rich, slightly acidic soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5. As discussed, sandy loam or cactus and succulent potting mix are ideal.

Once the stalk is turning yellow, it will not recover. You will have to cut the yellow section off in order to save the remaining part of the healthy stalk. A stalk can be turning yellow from the top down or from the bottom up. If it starts from bottom up, the roots of the bamboo or the container is contaminated.

What if lucky bamboo dies? ›

A lucky bamboo brings good fortune and prosperity for at least a year. Unless it dies, in which case, according to legend, the owner is in for 29 years of bad luck.

Generally, symptoms of over-watered bamboo or bamboo planted in a wet site are excess yellowing foliage, rotting new canes and leaf tip die back.

When to repot bamboo. If you have a healthy bamboo plant in a small pot, say one or two gallons, the roots will probably fill in within the first year or two. Once the bamboo and its rhizomes have filled the pot, then it's ready to move into a bigger container.

If your bamboo plant has dying or dead leaves or stems, you will notice that the leaves or stems are turning yellow. This is a sign that the plant is unhealthy and if untreated will spread to other parts of the bamboo plant.

Mist the soil every two days.

Misting your bamboo regularly can keep it from getting soggy or drying out. Distilled water and rainwater are the best choices to water and mist your bamboo. Bamboo is sensitive to the salts and chemicals in tap water.

In general, lucky bamboo can go for about two weeks without being watered. However, it's important to keep in mind that this is only an estimate – some plants may be able to last longer without water, while others may need to be watered more frequently.

Choose a pot or container with a diameter that is at least 2 inches wider than the stalks you are re-planting. Fill the bottom of the pot with stones of gravel to improve the drainage of the soil. Place the stalks close together and hold them in place with more of the stones or gravel.