Jorielle's Blog

Lucky Bamboo
Mar 20, 2008 | 11:16 PM PST
When you bring your plant home, let it sit in a bright area near a window, but NEVER in direct sunlight. You can successfully grow lucky bamboo in a bathroom with no windows if you give it some indirect sunlight once a week or so.

Because this plant thrives in water, it's best to give it good water. Tap water is fine but put the water in a glass or a bowl and let it sit for 24 hours before adding it to your lucky bamboo. The chlorine and fluoride in tap water will evaporate or neutralize during that time, and your lucky bamboo will be much happier with this purer water.

Most lucky bamboo plants are grown in pebbles and water. Change the water once a month. To keep your plant extra healthy, add a couple of drops of aquarium plant food when you change the water. It's not necessary to do this every month.

If your lucky bamboo has been grown in soil, keep the soil evenly moist. Plant food is not necessary if the plant is getting its nutrients from the soil.

A stalk that turns yellow has often been overfed with plant food. If your plant is yellow, change the water immediately, and do not give it plant food for a month.

Once the stalk turns yellow, it is very difficult to reverse the damage; if it is clear that you can not save that stalk, remove it immediately to prevent any plant diseased from spreading to the other stalks.

With proper care lucky bamboo plants can grow two or three feet tall, and last for years.

When it gets a bit ugly and needs pruning, consider cutting the canes back to their original length when first potted in China. This will let the plant start over and no doubt restore balance to your life and home.