All Things Lucky Bamboo

Welcome to our blog on Lucky Bamboo! My name is Tanya and I'm excited to have a place to share thoughts, tips and ideas for lucky bamboo and all the gorgeous plants we have on our site! Come back from time to time to see what's new!

Bamboo & Lucky Bamboo - Not even the same family!

Many times people ask me, "So just how fast will this lucky bamboo grow anyway?" or "How long until I have to re-pot my bamboo?". It seemed like a lot of people had/have this question, and at first I would answer them by saying that it is a fast growing plant (because I have definitely seen the leaves on my own lucky bamboo arrangements grow several inches each year) but it won't need to be re-potted for a good few years if cared for properly. It took me a while to figure out that when folks ask these questions, they are concerned that their "bamboo" plant will grow through the roof like the bamboo they have battled in their yards. Turns out most people have a misunderstanding of lucky bamboo in general!

So I'm here to set the record straight: Bamboo, the kind that Pandas eat, that grows into forests and spreads like weeds in your neighbor's yard, is actually a type of grass. It is lovely and it is 100% not the same as lucky bamboo that you have in your home (or are shopping for today)! Now, I don't know tons about traditional bamboo of this sort, but I do know a whole bunch about...

Lucky Bamboo is actually dracaena sanderiana and a member of the lily family. While it is originally a water-loving jungle plant grown under a thick canopy of jungle trees, lucky bamboo is grown, trained, harvested and cut into smaller plants that can be arranged into managable in-door house plants.

Once cut, lucky bamboo will not grow any taller but will force the new growth out of the side of the plant creating the traditional and well-recognized profile of lucky bamboo that we've all come to know and love. The side shoot is actually a new lucky bamboo plant sprouting out of the side of the "parent" stem. Pretty cool!

The only reason this pretty plant will need to be re-potted is if the root system becomes unruly and needs room to spread out. (This can also be avoided by trimming the root system, you'll want to check out our FAQ's section for trimming and re-potting pointers)

"My Lucky Bamboo leaves are turning light / pale green!"

Got a great and an all-too-common question from the online contact form today.... thought it might make a great post!

Q: "I have had a bamboo plant for a few years which stands in water and pebbles. There are 5 of them which have produced many leaves and are growing taller. I just add water to the vase when I see it gets low. I have noticed that many of the leaves have turned a "pale" green and I am wondering why this is happening? Does it require any type of "food" added to it. By the way, it does not sit in direct sunlight. It is in the corner of my room and doesn't get any sunlight at all. Thank you for your help!"

A: Thanks for your note, I'll try to give you some advice! Given all the detailed information you've provided I can only determine two reasons why this might be happening:

1) As you suspected, the plant may just need some nutrition at this point as water will only provide the very basic traces of minerals at best. If you have been using tap water these two few years, it could be one-part no nutrition and one-part chemicals in the water. Best thing to do as you proceed is invest in some lucky bamboo fertilizer (we sell Green Green which I find is a great balance for lucky bamboo) and to switch to water from a natural source (probably bottled if you don't have a well).

2) Check the leaves carefully for a spider mite infestation.... this is the only other reason (outside of sunburn) that the leaves might be turning yellowish. Spider mites are known by tiny webbing between the leaves and also by a sticky brown substance on the underside of the leaves. The mites themselves are very hard to see with the naked eye but you can occasionally see them crawling about if you look very closely or with a magnifying glass. If you notice any of this, let me know and I'll try to help you from there.

Good luck!

Positioning Lucky Bamboo During the Winter Months

So here it is, the coldest of the cold months of the winter. I don't know about you but I feel even the smallest drafts in my house...and so does my lucky bamboo plants!

To keep my plants feeling a little more comfortable, I've moved some of them around to the warmer spots in my house! My woven pieces, which are most suceptible to the cold due to their being created with very thin lucky bamboo canes, I have moved to my very sunny, very warm dining room. My larger floor plants have been moved up off the floor by several inches to keep the water from getting too chilly.

If you are looking for some warm spots in your house, try a few of the following ideas:

1. On top of the fridge--most of these large appliances run warm, plus they are closer to the warm pockets of air near your ceilings

2. Upstairs--again, since warm air rises, your upstairs level can be several degrees warmer than the downstairs

3. Sunny rooms--although you don't want to put the lucky bamboo plant in direct sun, your lucky bamboo definitely appreciates the warmth and the indirect rays

Good luck and stay warm!

Will Fertilizer Save Lucky Bamboo? (Does Green Green really work?)

I received a great question from someone browsing the web for answers today...

"Will Green Green prevent my lucky bamboo plant from turning yellow??? And if the plant is already yellow will Green Green help the plant become normal?"

Personally, I love what Green Green Plant Food has done for my plants! I have taken in an entire household of struggling lucky bamboo plants over the years and I have seen many of them "spring" back to life and color with some TLC and Green Green.

Green Green contains the perfect balance of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potasium for plants that have sensitive constitutions--like lucky bamboo. Too much fertilizer can be toxic for lucky bamboo (or lotus bamboo) so you have to be careful that you don't overdo it. That's why I love Green Green, I know that just a few drops each week is all I need.

Green Green is great:

For general nutrition (which keeps the plants healthier in the long run)
For the health of the roots and stems
When leaves and stems are fading (to light green)
For adding vitality to aging plants
Before or after blooming
When placed indoors and away from sunlight
When a plant (lucky bamboo / lotus bamboo) is sensitive to hot or cold weather

To answer this person's question: While Green Green won't absolutely prevent the plant from turning yellow (ie: if the plant dries out, nothing, including Green Green, can save it), it will add the necessary balanced nutrition the plant needs to keep it healthier and happier for a longer period of time (with otherwise proper care of the plant).

Green Green is great for adding vitality to aging plants and boosting the color if it begins to fade! But it can't bring a dead plant back to life. I hated to tell this person that if the stems of their lucky bamboo plant were yellow the plant was most likely dead or dying and couldn't be saved.

I'll keep using Green Green because it has worked wonders in my book... that's the reason I sell it and only it!

Brrrr....Lucky Bamboo in Cold Weather

It may be turning cold outside again but even though the outdoors doesn't offer much to look at after the leaves are down, I have to say that looking at the greenery around the office or my house makes me happy! I don't know about you but I love having green in my space; it adds all the life of the outside even when it's too cold or too stark to enjoy the actual outdoors!

A few of my favorites are my enormous 60" stems in the corner directly behind my computer (I often find myself staring at it while I'm trying to compose my thoughts) and the spiral lotus in a black and white Celtic-style ceramic vase on the opposite wall in front of a mirror. In a way, my plants keep me company all year long.

I had to take all the plants out to the shop for a fall "spa" treatment (pruning, trimming of roots, spraying down and general cleaning) for a few days and I actually felt less happy looking at all the bare space and empty corners! I'm happy that all the girls are back and beautifying the office again!