This plant takes its name from the traditional Chinese belief in bamboo as a symbol of strength and good fortune, which has made it popular as a housewarming gift. Its stems resemble bamboo and grow straight, but the plant is often sold with twisted stems, trained by the grower.
HEIGHT 90cm (36in)
SPREAD 20cm (8in)
FLOWERS Insignificant
FOLIAGE Bright green
LIGHT Filtered sun
TEMPERATURE 18–27°C (64–81°F)
CARE Easy
PLACE OF ORIGIN Tropical West Africa
Choose a bright room with moderate humidity for the lucky bamboo and place it so that it can be easily turned— this stops the stems from growing toward the light. If you’ve struggled with plants due to low levels of natural light, this plant may be the answer as it thrives under fluorescent lighting.
You can very easily grow this plant in water. To do this, fill a vase with pebbles (to help hold stems upright) and distilled water or rainwater, but not tap water. Change the water weekly. Alternatively, plant in commercial potting mix, keeping it moist. Feed twice from spring into summer with a balanced fertilizer; feed vase-grown plants in exactly the same way.
Keep the lucky bamboo in good shape by pruning the shoots to about 2in (5cm) from the main stem. Place the pieces you trim off in jars of water to root and, hopefully, make new plants.
PROBLEM SOLVING Yellow leaves are often the result of too much bright sunlight or overfeeding with fertilizer. When growing in water, if a stem goes soft at the end, cut the stem down to a healthy and firm piece of plant material and place in a vase of water. If you grow the lucky bamboo in tap water, the leaves are likely to turn brown.
DID YOU KNOW? IN ITS NATIVE HOME OF TROPICAL WEST AFRICA, THE LUCKY BAMBOO GROWS TO AN IMPRESSIVE 5FT (1.5M) IN HEIGHT AND SPREAD. ALTHOUGH IT CLOSELY RESEMBLES A TRUE BAMBOO IN BOTH SIZE AND APPEARANCE, IN FACT IT’S COMPLETELY UNRELATED.
Twisted, plaited, or bunched stems in a clear vase can make a terrific centerpiece for a coffee table. Alternatively, plant lucky bamboo in potting mix as part of a group display, alongside a small jade plant and the zebra cactus. Both of these plants need low humidity and will make good partners for lucky bamboo.
Houseplants A–Z | LUCKY BAMBOO
If you like the fresh, modern look of living plants growing in vases or jars of water, you could also try:
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