A lucky bamboo plant brings luck to its host. If you believe in luck then you should grow lucky bamboo plants at home in containers. They look like small bamboo trees but in actual they are the member of Dracaena plant family. Caring for lucky bamboo plants is challenging for new growers.
In this post, I will show the top caring tips for lucky bamboo plants.
Chose the right type of lucky bamboo
Choosing a perfect lucky bamboo from the local nursery or from a gardening store is a little confusing job. Some garden stores label lucky bamboo as a Ribbon plant because it is its second name. You should choose a bright color strong healthy plant. Below is the general guide.
Do not choose plants that look dull and lazy. Also, avoid plants with yellow or brown stems and leaves. Buy the plant with no or little color patches that look visually appealing and bright green. The green color should be equally distributed all over the parts.
Leave the plant if some parts are dark green than others. This can be a sign of plant disease. Remember you cannot revive the luck bamboo once its stem and leaves turn into yellow color.
Another best buying tip is smelling the plants. lucky bamboo plants do not have any fragrance. If the plant you choose has any kind of smell this means it is not healthy. Also, check for plant disease and insect attacks. Check the plant from root to tip and look for any signs of disease or fungus.
What are the lucky bamboo growing options?
You can grow the plant in 2 ways one is in the soil like we do traditional gardening. The second method is growing in water. Both methods have their pros and cons. But growing lucky bamboo is safe in both methods
Growing lucky bamboo in water
First of all, add some pebbles at the bottom of the container to support the plants. So that it can stand straight in the water. Use a deep container to immerse the plant about 2 to 2.5 inches deep in water.
Use clean drinkable water for your plant. Do not use water that has chlorine content in it or is filtered with chlorine. Plants don’t like chlorine in their system. Use normal tap water or rainwater. you can also use bottled water that you drink to water your plant.
For good lucky bamboo, growth change the water once in a week.
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Growing lucky bamboo in Soil
To make a perfect potting mix you should mix peat moss or vermiculite with the 2 parts of your normal garden soil. This way the normal garden soil become nutrient-rich and gain well-draining properties.
Also, mix the fertilizer in the soil at the time of planting if you are growing it from cutting.
Do not use synthetic fertilizers always use slow-releasing organic fertilizer for the lucky bamboo. Dry compost is best because it does not release smells like manure.
When caring for the lucky bamboo plants do not overdo anything. Most of the time new growers give extra fertilizers because they think this can boost the plant’s health. And they will have stronger and longer plants. Overwatering and over-fertilizing cause serious harm to the plants.
The right size of the container
The container size of lucky bamboo depends on the root ball size. Always choose the pot twice in the diameter of the root ball. The shape of the pot depends on the type of lucky bamboo plant.
Some lucky bamboo species are called runners because they grow in all directions at the fastest rate.
The second type is called climbers. This species grows in an upward direction. So, they need to be grown in deep flask type containers.
Choose the container that has drainage holes at the bottom. This helps your plant to survive in wet soggy soil.
Repotting is the one important step in caring for the lucky bamboo plants. Once your plants grow out of the container or your container looks extra small as compare to the size of the plant, repot it. Choose the bigger size pot and transfer your plant to it. Do not use old soil in the new container use the fresh potting soil in the new container. Fresh soil rejuvenates the plant.
Fertilizing the lucky bamboo
Compost is the best fertilizer for the plant. It releases nutrients at a slower rate this keeps the continuous supply of nutrients. You can use any fertilizer that is good for grass means fertilizer that has a high amount of nitrogen. Water the plant after every application of fertilization. Water helps the fertilizer to go deep to the root area.
You can use chemical fertilizers but they are not recommended. Because lucky bamboo is a houseplant and having a chemical feed plant at home is not a good idea. We grow plants at home for luck or to make the air breathable and pollution-free.
So organic fertilization is the best for all houseplants like lucky bamboo.
Mid-spring is the best time to fertilize lucky bamboo.
Water carefully
Lucky bamboo plants can survive in hard conditions means they can tolerate less watering. The outdoor type of lucky bamboo also doesn’t need frequent water. The plant stores water in its roots and stem when grown in an outdoor garden. The potted plant needs water once or twice a week depending on the temperature of the room.
No direct Sun Rays
Many varieties of lucky bamboo do not like to grow in direct sunlight. Homegrown lucky bamboo should place away from the direct sunlight. The normal room light is enough for the plant to make its food and full fill the light requirements.
But make sure you run the light for a minimum of 4 to 5 hours per day.
Or
You can place the pot in such a place where it can get indirect daylight for 5 to 6 hours. If you don’t find such a place in your home then use plant light and place it anywhere in the house. Install the light 1 feet away from the plant.
Do not use high performance grow lights for this plant. Any fluorescent light with 50 watts of power capacity will work great.
Give it a shape
Yes, you can give the shape you want to your growing plant. The young soft shoots are hardened yet, are easy to use for re-shape. Twist them around the big central stem and you will have a curling luck bamboo plant.
If you want all straight stalks then do not touch them or try to manipulate them. Let it grow naturally and if you see any stalk bending or curling remove the top soft part. It will grow again and move straight upwards.
Cleaning of the plant
Cleaning is a must in caring for bamboo plants. Remove the dead leaves, yellow leaves, and dry dead stems. There are many reasons behind the yellow color of the plant leaves. To cut the dead part of the plant use sharp shears. Do not try to cut it with your hands.
Use plant cuttings for the next batch
Lucky bamboo does not have a long life span. Moreover, it looks lifeless after some months therefore you need to master the technique of reproducing it from cuttings. Your plant will grow similar to the mother plant. Lucky bamboo has circular nodes. If you cut the plant for the cutting it will grow again from the node.
But the cutting will not grow until your plant it in water or soil. Do this procedure in winter because it is the time when the plant shows no to little growth. In early spring it starts growing rapidly.
Tie the lucky bamboo stalks
For proper caring of lucky bamboo plants, you need to tie the stalk with a colorful ribbon. The plant looks amazingly smart when multiple stalks are tied together and form a big bond.
Do not use plastic ties or metallic wires. They look unprofessional and ugly. Colorful ribbons are perfect to tie them.
Conclusion
All caring tips for lucky bamboo plants are now covered. If you think any tip is left and should be in this article. leave us a comment.
