Lucky bamboo plants: Indoor Plant Care & Growing Guide

Unfortunately, the validity of these claims asserting that household plants increase oxygen levels at home is widely contested. One thing remains true: lucky bamboo and other household plants create a happier, healthier environment at home.

Plants are a great way to improve mental health because they help create an aesthetically pleasing environment and reduce stress. Bringing elements of nature into the home becomes therapeutic for many people. Having plants in your home or office can help to enhance focus, improve moods, and promote a sense of calmness.

Even if there is no scientific evidence that bamboo plants improve air quality, taking care of a living organism can do wonders for your headspace.

Easy to Grow Indoors

Lucky bamboo plants are one of the easiest houseplants to grow indoors, perfect for even the most novice gardener. They can survive in a wide range of conditions, including low light and lack of water.

If you’re looking for an easy way to bring more nature into your home, consider adding a lucky bamboo plant. They are low-maintenance, but they also have a range of benefits that make them well worth the investment.

By providing adequate sunlight, sufficient water, and enough nutrients or home compost, bamboo plants can flourish in your home for many years. Even if you occasionally forget to add water, the hearty lucky bamboo plant is unlikely to wilt for several weeks or even months.

Matches Well With Bamboo Floors

If you have bamboo floors in your home, lucky bamboo plants can be a great addition to your modern-style interior decor. Whether they’re placed side by side as part of a centerpiece or on top of a bookshelf to create visual interest, these plants complement your bamboo floors and add some natural charm to any room.

In a more abstract sense, a lucky bamboo plant can beautifully complement the sustainable intentions of your home. While lucky bamboo isn’t officially bamboo, they share many qualities. Each plant is naturally pest-resistant, completely biodegradable, and easy to grow. The lack of chemicals involved in caring for a lucky bamboo plant aligns with the ethos behind many of the environmental benefits of bamboo floors.

Furthermore, lucky bamboo plants are malleable and can be manipulated in near-infinite patterns using ribbons or a strategically placed light source.

Good Luck Charm

Lucky bamboo plants have been used for centuries as a good luck charm. In Feng Shui, lucky bamboo is often used to create a harmonious and peaceful environment.

Photo by Severin Candrian on Unsplash

The number of stalks in a lucky bamboo arrangement can also have different meanings:

• One lucky bamboo stalk: a simple gesture of goodwill
• Two bamboo stalks symbolize luck in love
• Three bamboo stalks promote health, wealth, and contentment
• Five bamboo stalks ensure positive emotions and good mental health
• Six bamboo stalks inspire prosperity in your life
• Seven bamboo stalks promise excellent health all-around
• Nine bamboo stalks symbolize great luck
• Ten bamboo stalks symbolize perfection
• 21 bamboo stalks are the most powerful blessing of all

You should avoid grouping bamboo stalks in multiples of four, as the number relates to death. Lucky bamboo carries these positive effects under all circumstances, but especially when given as a gift.

Enjoy the Perks of a Lucky Bamboo Plant in Your Home Today

Bamboo has been used for hundreds of years to create a healthy, positive environment. Not only do they spruce up your surroundings, but these plants are also known for their ability to bring good luck and fortune. If you’re looking for an easy way to add some greenery to your space and want to bring in some extra good vibes, consider picking up a lucky bamboo plant today. Plus, they pair well with bamboo flooring – solidifying your home’s commitment to sustainability.

Have you ever had a bamboo plant in your house? While we can’t turn your extra material into discounted floors, there are still many great crafts, tools, and other products that can be made from bamboo. Check out our article on homegrown bamboo for a few pointers on what you can do with your own harvest. Let us know if you’ve found any creative uses for bamboo in the comments!

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Categories: All About Bamboo, Gardening, Health & Wellness, Interior Design

Lucky Bamboo | Costa Farms

Dracaena sanderiana

Lucky Bamboo Plant Features

Lucky bamboo is a wonderful gift plant that adds a bold note to indoor decor with its often intricately arranged stems. It’s a slow-growing foliage houseplant that’s easy to care for in a low- or medium-light spot. You can find lucky bamboo available in an almost endless variety of arrangements, including heart shapes, twists, curls, and more. There’s even lore about how many stems are in the arrangements!

This indoor plant grows well on desks and tabletops, making it a fun addition to your office, school, or home. Because lucky bamboo typically grows in water, you can personalize yours by putting it in watertight container you wish; secure the stems in place with marbles, stones, or other materials. 

Buy Lucky Bamboo

Find Costa Farms-grown lucky bamboo at your favorite local garden center or order it online from one of our retailer partners. 

Lucky Bamboo Questions?
No problem! Just send us an email. And be sure to sign up for our newsletter; it will give you lots of tips and ideas for growing and decorating with houseplants and outdoor plants.

Lucky Bamboo Growing Instructions

Grow lucky bamboo in low or medium light for best results. It can take a high-light spot, but lucky bamboo doesn’t like direct sun so it’s best to protect it with a sheer curtain to diffuse the light.

You’ll often see lucky bamboo sold without soil. The stems may be submerged in water and pebbles, gravel, marbles, or even colorful gels. Lucky bamboo is happiest when you keep the stems submerged. Some people like to use rain water to reduce the chemical content in the water, but for the most part, this plant grows just fine in regular tap water.

If you wish to fertilize your lucky bamboo, use a fertilizer for aquatic plants and follow the directions on the fertilizer package. 

  

If your lucky bamboo outgrows its container, you can easily transfer it to a larger container. Pack in pebbles, stones, or other materials to help keep the stems upright. 

Note: Lucky bamboo is not intended for human or animal consumption. 

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  Light

  Indoors: Low light
  Indoors: Medium light




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  Colors

  Green, Variegated




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  Water

  Constantly moist soil




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  Special Features

  Purifies the air
  Super-easy to grow

Complement your Lucky Bamboo with these varieties:

Money Tree

Grow lucky bamboo for good luck and money tree for good fortune! Both plants are a cinch to cultivate and look good together.

ZZ Plant

ZZ plant is exceptionally easy to grow and, like lucky bamboo, doesn’t need a lot of light so you can enjoy it in just about any room of your home or office.

Orchid, Phalaenopsis

Beautiful moth orchids (Phalaenopsis) grow beautifully with lucky bamboo and offer an elegant accent to the plant.

Question

Q: My new lucky bamboo has stems held together by a plastic tape. Do I need to remove this?

You don’t need to remove the tape or ties we use to create the decorative lucky bamboo configurations we put together. In some cases, removing the tape/ties will cause the configuration to come apart. Leaving the tape or ties on the lucky bamboo will not harm the plants.

Q: I noticed some lucky bamboo stems have little wax caps, but others don’t. Does it make a difference?

Happily, it makes no difference at all. We add wax to some stems for folks who like the look. We leave other stems cut naturally for those who prefer the more organic look. It’s which you want in your home. 

Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena Sanderiana) Guide

About the Lucky Bamboo Houseplant

Lucky Bamboo is actually Dracaena sanderiana (also called Dracaena braunii) which normally adopts the common name Lucky Bamboo when sold.

There isn’t really a well known reason for how this common name came about, although Dracaena sanderiana grows easily in water and the canes of the plant have a similar appearance to real bamboo stalks, it has no true connection with Japanese culture.

Several canes growing together to produce a bushy and stylish display.

Lucky Bamboo is not actually bamboo and may or may not actually be lucky! Instead it’s generally accepted that the name was created as a way of marketing a quite standard and seldom grown houseplant.

The truth of the matter is that Dracaena sanderiana when grown “normally” is quite boring, the leaves tend to be spaced out and although they can have pretty markings they’re quite small and often unremarkable.

Of course like all houseplants there will be fans, it just follows that finding it in its standard form is difficult. Instead you will normally find these plants grown in water in very unique and fashionable pots and display stands, as well as the canes being interesting themselves, sometimes curly or having bends to create unusual shapes.

All of this together creates an eye catching plant which is the selling point and that is what makes a Lucky Bamboo plant attractive and an idea gift or house guest.

As for the luck element…

…Well you’ll have to buy one and test that claim for yourself! Even if it doesn’t help you win the lottery this week, all houseplants have multiple benefits for human health so in that respect it’s certainly far from being a pointless or useless indoor plant to have in your home.

If you fall for it’s quirky appearance and decide to buy one for yourself or have been gifted one, the care requirements for your Lucky bamboo plant to keep it healthy and looking good are detailed below.

Lucky bamboo spiral houseplant – photo by Toby Lee Spiegel

Lucky Bamboo Care Guide

Light

Like most plants belonging to the Dracaena family, they dislike harsh sunlight and no light locations. Good growth will come from light shade. If there is too much or not enough light the leaves suffer (see Lucky Bamboo Problems section if you think you have light related issues).

For good growth, light shade is best for these houseplants

Watering

If growing Lucky Bamboo in water, then the roots should be submerged at all times and you will need to change the water every couple of weeks to prevent it going stagnate. Ensure you don’t use tap water over a continuous period and instead try to use either bottled mineral water, a home water filter or freshly collected rain water when possible and feasible to do so.

This is because most of what comes out of the tap in the developed world is fluoridated (to prevent human tooth decay) and chlorinated (to purify it for use as drinking water) but this can cause damage to the plants leaves and general growth overtime.

If you’re growing it in soil you should water as you would other Dracaena related plants. Which is to aim for moist conditions during the growing season and reduce the amount given in Winter.

Humidity

Average home humidity is fine for your plant.

Feeding

There is no need to feed Lucky Bamboo if it’s growing in water. If you later decide to transfer it to a normal compost mix (or that’s how you are growing it anyway), feed a few times a year at normal strength, once in Spring and again in Summer.

Temperature

Good growth will result from temperatures between 16°C – 24°C / 60°F – 75°F. Don’t try and grow your plant at temperatures lower than 10°C / 50°F.

Repotting

You don’t have to repot Lucky Bamboo unless it’s growing in a normal pot containing soil, if this is the case you will probably need to do it every two or three years.

Lucky bamboo often have orange roots – photo by Bernard Ladenthin

The roots in water containers can get quite long and extensive, so by all means transplant them to a large water container if you want but you don’t have to. Although be sure to replace the water from time to time to keep it fresh.

Propagation

Mature cane cuttings take quite easily in water. Once rooted, pot up in compost or carry on growing in the water container.

Soft tip cuttings (i.e. new leaf growth) are usually less successful. Putting them in water often causes them to rot and rooting can be difficult if you go straight for the soil in a pot route. Generally speaking it’s far simpler and less stressful to just go out and buy a new plant.

Speed of Growth

The Lucky Bamboo plant normally grows quite slowly.

Height / Spread

This is difficult to answer because this houseplant can be grown in different ways and comes in different shapes and sizes. As a guide only, the plant you buy / receive could almost double in height after several years of good treatment.

Flowers

Dracaena varieties grown as houseplants, including Lucky Bamboo rarely flower indoors so don’t expect any.

Is the Lucky Bamboo Plant Poisonous?

Lucky Bamboo is sometimes labeled as Phyllostachys aurea which isn’t poisonous to people, cats or dogs. However the most commonly grown Lucky Bamboo is Dracaena Sanderiana (shown in all the pictures on this page) and most Dracaena have a mild level of toxicity in the leaves and stems which present mild symptoms when ingested.

Anything else?

If you’ve decided to grow your plant in water permanently then it should still last a few years in your home or workplace, providing you change the water every couple of weeks.

Lucky Bamboo Problems

Usually caused by underwatering in pot grown plants. Try to keep the soil moist. If they’re more “blotches” than spots, it’s caused by overwatering.

In exclusively water grown plants, it’s usually caused by a build up of fluoride and chlorine. Check the watering tips above to avoid this. This is less likely in pot grown plants because the negative effects of fluoride and chlorine are negated by the soil itself, but it’s still something to look out for over a long period.

This tends to be caused by dry air or cold draughts.

Either too much light which results in bleached dry leaves or sections. If the entire leaf is pale then it’s probably caused by not providing enough light or exposure to very cold temperatures.

If this is happening slowly this is normal and not a sign your Lucky Bamboo plant is dying. All Dracaenas are False Palms with a crown of leaves sitting at the top of their stems, new growth forms at the very tips of these stems, and the older leaves at the bottom of the crown will eventually yellow and fall. This is also really common in the well known Dragon Tree.

The plant needs to look “balanced” for it to remain somewhat attractive. If you want to prune or reshape Lucky Bamboo then snip off the shoots you no longer want. Think carefully, take your time and pick which leaves to remove cautiously as you won’t be able to put them back if you make a mistake.

About the Author

Tom Knight

Over the last 20 years, Tom has successfully owned hundreds of houseplants and is always happy to share knowledge and lend his horticulture skills to those in need. He is the main content writer for the Ourhouseplants Team.

Also on Ourhouseplants.com

Credit for Tall Lucky Bamboo in vase – Article / Gallery – Toby Lee Spiegel
Credit for Lucky Bamboo roots – Article / Gallery – Bernard Ladenthin
Credit for Lucky Bamboo in black pot – Gallery – Champlax
Credit for Dark Green Lucky Bamboo photo – Gallery – Lilkittay
Credit for Lucky Bamboo roots – Gallery – Life @ 35 (mm)
Credit for close up photo of new Lucky Bamboo shoot – Gallery – Lilkittay

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How to Grow and Care For Lucky Bamboo

You’ve probably seen the lucky bamboo plant (Dracaena sanderiana) many times in restaurants, offices, homes, and even grocery stores. Also known as the ribbon plant, this easy-to-grow houseplant has a long history in China and feng shui as a symbol of prosperity and good fortune.

Lucky bamboo grows in stalks with roots at the bottom, and tufts of elongated green leaves grow from the top. Despite its similar appearance, it’s not closely related to true bamboo at all. In addition to straight stalks, you can sometimes find lucky bamboo with stalks that are braided or bundled together with wire. Lucky bamboo can also be curled and woven into various shapes. This is a fast-growing plant, growing about 19 inches in six months. With just a little care, this attractive houseplant can bring beauty—and maybe even a little luck—to your space. However, If you’re a pet owner, grow lucky bamboo with caution, as this species is toxic to dogs and cats.

Carol Yepes/Getty Images

When you first purchase lucky bamboo, examine your plant to see if the stalks have been tied or bundled together with wire. This can damage your plant, so it’s best to remove the wire to let it grow freely. 

Lucky bamboo shapes are created not by training the plant with wire—as is done with bonsai—but by carefully turning the plant to make it move toward the light as it grows. You can purchase lucky bamboo plants already trained into different shapes and patterns or train one yourself in several months.

To train your plant’s shape, find a cardboard box a few inches taller than your plant, and cut out one of its sides. Use another piece of cardboard to cover the top of the box, then face the open side of the box toward the light source. Monitor your bamboo’s growth over time, turning the plant in the box to shape its stalks.

You may have noticed that the stems of your lucky bamboo have been dipped in wax. This is done to keep their shape, and it prevents new growth from forming. You can dip them yourself by using paraffin wax or colorless, unscented candle wax after cutting the plant to your desired shape. 

It’s important to prune back your lucky bamboo periodically, as its rapid growth can make the plant top-heavy. Trim offshoots with a pair of clean pruners or shears, and save them for propagating. Trimming your lucky bamboo allows you to control its shape and promotes fuller growth.

JeremyEdwards/Getty Images

One reason that lucky bamboo is such a ubiquitous indoor plant is that it needs very little light to thrive, making it a great option for low-light spaces. Display your lucky bamboo in temperatures above 65 degrees, and avoid drafty areas.

This plant grows best without direct sun, so choose a place with bright, indirect light for best results. If you see brown patches on the leaves, move your lucky bamboo to a shadier spot. If you notice yellowed leaves, it’s a sign that your plant is overwatered. Shriveled leaves, however, indicate that it’s time to add more water.

Planting directly in distilled water is best for lucky bamboo, as potting in soil makes it more susceptible to drying out. To keep your plant healthy in a soil planter, ensure the container has drainage holes and use a well-draining potting mix.

Plot Twist: These 15 Low-Light Plants Actually Crave Dark Corners

Lucky bamboo comes in several varieties, most commonly variations of two to three layers (or stalks, with both types falling under the Dracaena sanderiana category). Two-layer lucky bamboo is said to bring love to those it’s gifted to, while three-layer variants bring happiness, long life, and wealth.

White stripe victory (Dracaena sanderiana ‘White Stripe’) has a similar look, but features thin white stripes on its leaves. Lotus bamboo (Dracaena deremensis​, syn. ​Dracaena compacta), also called a compact dragon tree, grows with thicker stalks and is named for its lotus-shaped leaves.

Solarisimages/Getty Images

Lucky bamboo is easily propagated. With a fresh vase and a clean set of pruning shears, new stems from this plant can grow into a healthy, full-sized bamboo plant with little maintenance. Here’s how to propagate yours:

Step 1: Prepare a new vase of water or a container of well-drained potting soil (or coarse sand) for your cuttings.

Step 2: Choose a healthy-looking stem around 6 inches long with at least a few leaves. Using a clean, sharp pair of pruning shears, trim it off close to the main stem. 

Step 3: Submerge the bottom three inches of the cutting in distilled water to propagate new stems. If using sand or soil, moisten the growing medium, then plant the bottom three inches of the cutting in the new container. 

Step 4: Keep your new cuttings in a warm, draft-free space with bright, indirect light. Once you see new leaves, you’ll know new roots are growing. When propagating in water, check for new roots growing from the submerged shoots. Care for your new lucky bamboo plant as usual.

How to Set Up a Propagation Station and Easily Grow New Plants

Naphat_Jorjee/Getty Images

While lucky bamboo is easy to grow, you may experience common growing problems related to water and humidity. Here’s how to treat some typical conditions to keep your plant healthy:

Root Rot

Change the water monthly to avoid root rot. Use only purified or distilled water, as the fluoride in tap water can cause leaves to brown. Water-logged or brown stalks are also signs of root rot. To keep healthy limbs alive, trim the green tops of stalks, then propagate the cuttings in a fresh pot.

Brown or Yellow Leaves

Brown leaves are common with low humidity, so misting regularly can bring the classic green color back. If your plant’s leaves or stalks are turning yellow, it may be receiving too much light or fertilizer.

Thin Stalks

If your lucky bamboo’s stalks are starting to look thin, it needs more light. Place your plant in an area with more indirect light: North- or east-facing windows are a great option.

Refresh your plant’s distilled water every few months for soilless growth. Feed your lucky bamboo with a drop of liquid fertilizer every month, or use a fertilizer specifically formulated for lucky bamboo. 

If you’re using soil, keep the growing medium evenly moist but not soggy. When you first plant lucky bamboo, check the soil moisture frequently to gauge how much water your plant needs. Use a pot with drainage on the bottom, and mist every few days. Be careful not to let your plant dry out between waterings—if the top inch of soil feels dry, it’s time to add more water.

How Fast Does Lucky Bamboo Grow?

A young lucky bamboo plant can grow up to 19 inches every six months. Its mature height can reach between 3 and 5 feet (averaging about 3).

How Long Can Lucky Bamboo Live?

Without soil, lucky bamboo typically lives one to two years—but your plant can live a few more years if potted.

What’s the Difference Between Lucky Bamboo and Lotus Bamboo?

Lotus bamboo features thicker stalks, lotus-shaped leaves, and a less rapid growth rate than lucky bamboo.

Is Lucky Bamboo Real Bamboo?

While they look similar, classic bamboo (Bambusoideae) comes from a different botanical family than Lucky bamboo.

These Are the Best House Plants for Good Feng Shui

Sandera Dracaena or Lucky Bamboo: Home Care

Sandera Dracaena is a perennial herbaceous plant. It has several names: “happy bamboo”, “bamboo happiness”, “Sanderiana”, “bamboo spiral” and “indoor bamboo”. The base consists of tubules, on the top of which grow dark green leaves 15 – 18 cm long.

Sandera grows up to 1 meter. This flower is often used in Japanese-inclined interiors. Grown in pots with soil or water.

Many people know Dracaena sander under the name “happy bamboo”. This name comes from an interesting legend. A long time ago, a young man and a girl who were in love with each other lived in the same tribe. But the girl’s father, the High Priest, did not allow them to marry, because the young man was a poor warrior. The young man did not give up in the struggle for love and came to ask for blessings for the wedding.

Then the High Priest plunged a dry stick into the ground and ordered the youth to revive it in 5 days. The warrior watered the stick, and after the specified time, leaves grew on the dead wood. The wedding of a beautiful girl and a brave young man took place, and this plant has become a symbol of the happiness of two loving hearts.

Dracaena Sandera is a very famous domestic plant in China. According to the popular Feng Shui doctrine, “indoor bamboo” brings happiness and health to your home . Those people who grow this flower at home will have financial well-being, joy in the family and success in all matters.

Dracaena flowers can be seen very rarely, because it blooms about once a decade. Sometimes it can give flowers even 5 years after planting. She shoots an arrow, on which small drupes are formed. Their color is whitish-greenish. Flowers do not differ in fragrantness, but on the contrary they emit a not very pleasant smell.

Table of Table

• Home Care for Bamboo Happiness in room conditions
• Soil and top dressing for Sandrians
• The bizarre form of Sardzena
• Pests and diseases
• how to transplant the plant

“bamboo of happiness” at room conditions

Dracaena Sandera is an unpretentious plant. It does not need special lighting. “Indoor bamboo” does not like direct sunlight.

He thrives best in good diffused light. But he perfectly adapts both to a long absence of lighting , and to a constant stay under an artificial light source.

Dracaena sander under artificial light

The shrub will change somewhat: the intense green color will subside and the stems will stretch a little. But this will not greatly affect the excellent beauty of the dracaena. It is better not to put Sander on the windowsill. It would be preferable to place it somewhere in the interior of the room. It will be a great decorative accent in the room.

Dracaena sander very thermophilic . It does not tolerate temperatures below 20 degrees. Feels great in the fresh air, calmly tolerates drafts.

It is better not to take the flower out to the balcony and open space.

Happy Bamboo loves moisture and grows well in water . The only important condition is to maintain the correct water level: no higher than 2 cm above the upper roots of the plant. A high water level is dangerous for rotting trunks. You need to pour water into a container with a flower once a week. Water should be at room temperature.

When growing a plant in the ground, the soil must not be allowed to dry out. It should always be moist 2-3 cm inside. During the hot summer months, the flower needs to be watered frequently. In winter, watering should be fairly moderate.

Humidity is absolutely not important for Sanderiana. She lives quietly even in very dry air. The plant does not need to be sprayed. If it is grown in water, then in itself it will humidify the environment. Dracaena needs to get rid of dust on the leaves in a timely manner. Wiping with a damp cloth will benefit the flower.

Happiness bamboo loves moisture

Water for growing Sandera should be settled or distilled. This dracaena does not tolerate chlorinated water.

Soil and top dressing for Sanderiana

From early spring to mid-autumn, it needs to be fed with special fertilizers. Once a month is enough to feed the dracaena. Sometimes flower growers do not recommend top dressing, but without it, the plant will wither and lose its attractiveness.

Dracaena can be grown in water or in substrate . If you plant Sander in water, then for stability you can put pebbles, pebbles or any other decorative soil in the container. Make sure that the auxiliary elements are not sharp, but with rounded edges, otherwise the roots of the plant may be damaged. In addition to decorative soil, you can fill the flower container with coarse sand or hydrogel.

Fertilizer for dracaena sander

Growing happiness bamboo in water

Substrate for dracaena

For growing dracaena in a substrate, a good drainage layer is essential. It must necessarily overlap the roots of “indoor bamboo”. Small pebbles, pebbles or not fine sand are suitable as drainage. The rest of the pot space can be covered with special soil, sand, peat, or any mixture of soil sold in gardening stores.

Any transparent glass container can become a flowerpot for Sandera.

Usually these are beautifully shaped decanters, unusual flasks and glasses. In an ordinary pot, you can also grow a flower. Containers made of ceramics and clay are perfect.

Bizarrely shaped Sandera dracaena

It is sold in stores with interesting twisted trunks. Such beauty is incredibly difficult to achieve at home. It is best to buy a special transparent tube of the required bend and place the plant shoot in it. As it grows, the trunk will twist into a tubular shape. When the desired shape is achieved, the fixture can be removed and admire the excellent result.

Tying trunks with wire

Forming with ties

Various forms of Sandera

There is also a wire version. Young shoots need to be twisted around the stem and fastened with wire. When they get stronger, the wire can be removed, and the new stems of the plant will take the desired shape.

Pests and diseases

Normally, “happy bamboo” is not susceptible to diseases. But with improper care and polluted water, pests can start on the plant: mealy worms or red spider mites . If, when examining a plant, you find insects or small black dots on the leaves, then processing is needed. To do this, wipe the leaves with a cloth with soapy water. If soil or water becomes contaminated, replace them. Continue processing for 4-5 days.

Another problem that dracaena may have is stem rot . This happens due to waterlogging of the soil or a high water level in the tank. To get rid of this scourge, you need to carefully pull out the plant and cut off the rotting part. After that, plant a flower in a new soil.

Mea worm on Sander’s Dracaena

spider mite

Rotting trunk

How to transplant a plant

In order for the flower not to be damaged during transplantation and take root in a new place, several conditions must be observed: Spring will be the best time for this important moment. Dracaena is activated after winter and begins to grow.

Prepare well-formed soil . A substrate sold specifically for dracaena is ideal. But if you do not have the opportunity or desire to purchase it, then you can make it yourself. This will require peat, humus and hardwood.

A young plant needs to be transplanted annually, but for an adult plant, once every 2-3 years is enough.

If all conditions are met, you can start transplanting the plant. This procedure is quite simple and, with the right approach, is instantly performed.

Dracaena sanderiana ready for planting in the ground

1. A few days before transplanting stop watering flower . This will make the job much easier.
2. Carefully take out plant , but do not clean the roots from the old earth. Gently straighten them and cut off the excess, if any.
3. Take the prepared pot (the bottom layer is drainage, the top to the middle is soil), put the dracaena in it and sprinkle the remaining space with substrate . It is not necessary to compact it, the plant loves “freedom”.

How to propagate Dracaena

Reproduction of Dracaena Sandera occurs only vegetatively. There are two ways to get new plants:

• Cut off the top of the stem 10 cm long and plant in a pot of moist soil or a container of water. After 3 – 4 days, roots will develop, and a full-fledged “bamboo of happiness” will grow.
• Planting 9 in the same way0011 stem 7 cm long with at least one bud.

During reproduction it is important to maintain the air temperature around 24 degrees.

Dracaena sander takes root in almost any conditions. It can be grown even by a flower grower who is completely unaware of the rules of care. This plant will fit into your interior and bring happiness and good luck to your home.

Happiness Bamboo

Lucky Bamboo is often grown in apartments. In fact, it is a perennial plant, which is called Dracaena Sander (Dracaena Sanderiana). It belongs to the Needle family, trees or succulent shrubs. The annual sales volume of all types of dracaena outstrips sales of other indoor plants.

Sander’s Dracaena or Happy Bamboo

The word “bamboo” in the name appeared because of the similarity of this type of dracaena to bamboo. Why another word – “happiness”? There is a version that this name came from the Aztec legend. It said that a poor young man, in love with the daughter of the ruler, fulfilling the condition of his father, watered the dry stem of the dracaena for 5 days, after which leaves appeared on it. The father of the beauty had no choice but to agree to the wedding.

Happiness bamboo outwardly resembles a real bamboo and differs from most of its relatives dracaena in a thickened cylindrical stem from which shoots depart. It has gray-green, slightly twisted leaves, up to 23 cm long. There is a variety that has leaves with a dark green border. Often, during growth, the stem is given a spiral shape in various ways. Such a plant looks more interesting than the standard form.
The leaves of the plant are slightly toxic, so pets and children should be excluded from access to the plant.

The vast majority of this plant comes from Taiwan and China, where professional gardeners braid and twist the stems into a variety of shapes. Plants with more complex shapes are much more expensive than simple ones. They may have 20 or more individual stems.

Happiness Bamboo is often presented as a gift. This is a pretty good choice, since the very word happiness gives it a special meaning. Yes, and the item itself will decorate the room and, with proper care, will be able to serve its owner for a long time.

Lucky Bamboo has recently been considered to be good for Feng Shui. For example, that its stem is a symbol of a strong life filled with prosperity. Therefore, they began to give it, for example, to business partners. But in the East, he still does not have such “authority” as real bamboo.

The number of stems in one bunch is of great importance. The main principle is this: the more there are, the greater the blessing of good luck and luck. However, these are beliefs, and science has not found confirmation of the dependence of health, material well-being and similar serious things on the number of stems.

The Chinese send two stems of bamboo to express love. This number is also said to double your luck.
Three stems is one of my favorite home combinations. It brings three types of luck: happiness, longevity, wealth or career.
Four stems. In Chinese, the word for “four” sounds something like the word for “death.” The number 4 attracts negative sha energy.
Five stems strengthen five areas of your life: emotional, intuitive, mental, physical, spiritual.
Six stems attract prosperity and prerequisites for wealth. In Chinese, the word “six” sounds similar to the word “luck”.
Seven stems bring good health.
The word “eight” among the Chinese sounds like a word denoting growth, development.
Nine stems also symbolize and attract good luck.
If ten stalks of lucky bamboo were sent to you, this means that the one who sent them to you wants everything in your life to be as you wish.
Twenty-one stems. If someone gave you so many lucky bamboo stalks, then he expresses good wishes for you and your family in terms of great wealth and lasting health.

In rooms bamboo of happiness grows up to 70-100 cm, rarely up to 2 meters.

There are several factors that affect the health of a plant: light, water, soil environment, fertilizers, temperature and humidity.

The plant prefers bright filtered sunlight like under a forest canopy. Direct sunlight should be avoided as it can damage the leaves. Yellow leaves indicate an excess of sun. If the plant begins to stretch or its green color fades, then you need to add light.

Dracaena can grow for a very long time in a simple vase filled with pebbles and water. However, it is very sensitive to chlorine and other chemicals commonly found in tap water. Polluted or bacterially contaminated water can also be fatal. Water only with bottled or distilled water, or tap water from which the chlorine has evaporated. Water should be changed weekly.

If happiness bamboo grows in water, it is usually placed in a transparent vase that allows light to pass through and promotes algae growth. If algae is causing a lot of trouble, it’s best to switch to an opaque container.

In addition to water, it can be grown in well-drained and rich potting soil. The soil should be moist, but not soaked. On sale in specialized stores there is an optimally composed soil for dracaena.

Water growing only needs to be fed every two months or so using a very weak liquid fertilizer. One drop of liquid fertilizer is enough. If you keep happiness bamboo in water, then without fertilizers at all, it will feel bad due to a lack of minerals and other substances.

If bamboo is kept in a container with soil, it must be watered as the soil dries. The soil should be well shed, but it is undesirable if the water stagnates in it for a long time. Therefore, pebbles or coarse sand are placed in the lower part of the container with soil.
If the soil in the container is poor, fertilize it. This is any top dressing for dracaena.

The ideal temperature for growing happiness bamboo is 18-25 degrees Celsius. But even thirty degrees in the summer season, the plant will withstand without negative consequences.

Bamboo of happiness tolerates dry air better than real bamboo. But when the air is too dry, the leaves turn brown. Plants should not be placed in front of air conditioning or heating vents or near drafts.

It is enough to transplant once a year, in spring.
It can be propagated in one of two ways:
1. Top cuttings, by further rooting them in water or in moist soil.
2. Stem segments with maturing dormant buds.

The intricate shapes of lucky bamboo can be formed by rotating the stems in front of a light source, thus causing the plant to naturally grow towards the light. In China, the stems are often grown on the sides to create a characteristic spiral. At home, this is a laborious and lengthy process.

Pruning is an important part of keeping the plant healthy. Over time, most plants will become heavy or intricate shapes will begin to lose their shape. Trimming the main stem is not a good idea. Instead, it is better to cut the branches with sterile scissors. You can cut the shoots up to 2 to 5 cm from the main stem. Soon new shoots will appear and the plant will become thicker. To prevent new growth, it is necessary to dip the cut end in paraffin.

In addition to watering and top dressing, care consists in removing dust from the leaves, removing wilted leaves from the ground. Also, dead leaves should not be allowed to rot in the water, as they can introduce bacteria there as well.
Healthy roots are red. If the plant develops black roots, they should be cut off.

If the stems themselves begin to rot or become soft, they are most likely beyond rescue. To make matters worse, rotting stems threaten other stems they are close to. Therefore, they must be removed immediately. If there is a desire to save, then you need to cut off the yellow parts and try to root the cut stem in new water.

Finally, happiness bamboo is subject to the same insect problems as other indoor tropical plants. They can be treated by removing insects or using the same methods that are used for any other houseplant.

Lucky Bamboo

Dracaena Sandera: how to care for indoor bamboo

In the Eastern practice of Feng Shui, for more than 4 thousand years, dracaena has been considered a symbol of good luck and happiness. The Chinese call Sandera “Fu GwiZhu”, which means: wealth, power, honor.

Indoor bamboo Dracaena Sandera

The name of the flower comes from the Latin Dracaena (female dragon). It belongs to succulent shrubs or trees from the asparagus family. Dracaena sanderiana has many other names: false palm, dragon tongue, palm tree, happiness bamboo.

Dracaena Sander species

Lucky bamboo is an unassuming evergreen shrub. It can be grown without leaves, leaving only a bamboo shoot-like trunk. The height of Dracaena can reach up to 100 cm. The leaves of the shrub grow up to 25 cm long. Trunks can be in the form of a spiral, which is achieved artificially. The root system of Sandera is powerful, so the plant needs a capacious pot.

Sandera has dense, oblong-lanceolate, glossy leaves. Their width reaches 3 cm. Traditionally, lucky bamboo leaves have a light green hue. You can find non-standard options with a dark green or yellow border, stripes. At home, Sandera does not bloom.

How to take care of Dracaena

Lucky Bamboo is a hardy, low maintenance plant that can grow in water. Features of the content of the flower depend on the method of cultivation – in water or soil. At home, it requires minimal care: watering, fertilizing, periodic transplantation.

Dracaena Sandera cuttings

Favorable growing conditions

To make Sandera feel good, you need to provide her with diffused lighting with a light transparent curtain. The flower is recommended to be placed on the windowsill on the western, southeastern or eastern side of the house. Direct sunlight is harmful to him. With a lack of lighting, Sandera loses foliage and develops poorly.

Optimum temperature for growing dracaena: 18-25 degrees. In the summer season, bamboo tolerates heat up to +30°C. The plant does not tolerate a decrease in temperature. Bamboo tolerates frequent airing of the room and drafts easily. Air humidity is not of great importance for dracaena. Sandera requires regular wiping of the leaves with a damp sponge to maintain its appearance.

Watering

Dracaena Sanderiana loves moisture, is not afraid of stagnant water. When growing in a pot, watering is carried out as the soil dries. The soil should not dry out deeper than 2-3 cm. Only distilled or filtered soft water is suitable for watering a flower. Lucky bamboo does not require sprays or humidifiers.

When growing the bush in water, regardless of the capacity, the liquid should not go beyond 2-3 cm above the upper roots of the flower. General water level: 6-8 cm. Exceeding the indicators can cause shoots to rot. Add water once a week.

Fertilization

Bamboo of happiness growing in the soil is fed once every 3-4 weeks. Fertilizers are applied from spring to mid-autumn. In summer, the flower is actively developing, so top dressing is carried out every 2 weeks. In winter, the introduction of minerals is not required. It is allowed to use special fertilizers for dracaena, palm trees, decorative and deciduous plants. Take 1/3 of the dose indicated on the package.

When growing without soil, it is recommended to add a special mineral complex for dracaena to the water. Soluble fertilizers with a high nitrogen content can be used. The indicated dose on the package is reduced by 5 times. The procedure is repeated every 2 months.

Pruning

Sandera tolerates pruning and crown formation well. Before starting the procedure, the plant must take root in the ground. Pruning is carried out according to the algorithm:

1. Removal of dry and excess stems located at ground level.
2. Fixing dracaena, cutting shoots above the branching point. This is done to stop the growth of the stem up.
3. Removal of excess shoots to give Sander a decorative effect.

In order for the dracaena to grow vertically, it is important to thin out the branches regularly. Bamboo happiness can have a straight or spiral trunk. The second option is created artificially. At home, it is difficult to give the stems a spiral shape on their own.

Pest and disease control

Sander dracaena problems are the result of improper care. For treatment, it is important to identify the cause of the disease:

White or light yellow spots on the leaves, dry edges

Blackening, leaf drying

Watery light border on the edge of the leaves

Yellowing, leaf rot

Dark spots on leaves

Darkening, softening, leaf shedding

How to repot Sander’s dracaena

Lucky bamboo takes root well in a new place. Plant transplantation is carried out every year, regardless of growing conditions. So that Sandera does not wither, it is important to properly prepare the container, the substrate, and follow all the steps of the procedure.

When growing in water

If Dracaena Sanderiana grows in water, replant it when lime deposits appear on the walls of the vase. Algorithm:

1. The flower is transferred to a glass with liquid.
2. Sanders’ permanent container and decorative elements are washed with a chlorine-free agent, disinfected with boiling water. If a hydrogel is used, then it is changed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
3. Distilled or settled water is poured into the prepared vase.
4. Inspect the root system of the flower. With abundant growth, it is cut a little. Removal of up to 1/3 of the rhizomes is allowed.
5. Transfer the shrub to the prepared vase.

Dracaena replanting process

When growing in the ground

If the pseudobamboo grows in the ground, it is best to transplant it in early spring. It is important to lay a thick layer of drainage in the pot. It should cover the height of the roots, be ¼ or 1/3 of the volume of the vase. The drainage layer may consist of coarse sand, pebbles, colored stones with rounded edges. The upper part of the soil can be replaced with sand, peat with a substrate, ready-made soil mixture for dracaena.

Bamboo planting includes several steps:

1. Prepare a container 5-7 cm in diameter larger than the base of the Sanderiana dracaena stems.
2. Remove the plant from the old pot with a clod of earth so as not to damage the roots.
3. Place the plant in water.
4. When the bubbles stop coming, pull the bush out of the water.
5. Prepare soil from soddy soil, sand, humus (you can take a ready-made substrate).
6. Fill the pot halfway with potting soil.
7. Send Sander to a new container. Place the flower in the center of the pot.
8. Add fresh substrate around the bush.
9. Water the dracaena generously to get rid of soil air pockets.

Propagation of Dracaena Sander

Pseudobamboo is propagated by seeds, cuttings, fragments of stems. Getting a flower from a seed at home is not practiced. Independent flower growers use only reproduction by dividing the stem and rooting shoots. Stem division method:

1. The stem of an adult dracaena is cut into several parts.
2. Top cuts are treated with garden pitch or soft wax to retain moisture.
3. The lower part of the fragments is placed in the liquid.
4. After the appearance of a full-fledged root system (after 1.5-2 months), the fragments are planted in pots.

Another method of vegetative propagation of Sandera is rooting shoots. To do this, take any lateral apical process. Procedure steps:

1. Water the mature plant abundantly.
2. Select a suitable shoot (green, long).
3. Remove the lower leaves from the shoot.
4. Cut off the shoot with a sharp knife (cut length 1 cm from the meeting point of the stem and shoot).
5. Wax up the section on the mature plant.
6. Place the cutting in water.
7. Keep container with offshoot away from sunlight.
8. After 2 months, transplant the cutting into the substrate.

Video

Dracaena sandera – “happy bamboo” of the asparagus family: Growing at home +Video

Dracaena sander (lat. Dracaena sanderiana) is a woody plant, a species of the genus Dracaena (Dracaena) of the Asparagaceae family. The homeland of the species is Cameroon.

Slender, upright shrub, branching from the base. All branches grow almost vertically. The plant has a segmented stem, at the top of which shoots and glossy lanceolate leaves grow. The color of the stem and leaves is most often bright green,

… but there are varieties of golden and dark green shades. The stem grows quickly, even dwarf varieties can grow up to 1 meter in height in a few months.

General

Indoor bamboo is used for decorative purposes for interior decoration in apartments and offices. Sander’s dracaena stems are easy to give into any shape, so the plant is most often used in various compositions. In addition, not only the soil, but also the aquatic environment is suitable for growing a dragon tree, so the plant is often used to decorate aquariums.

In flower shops, shoots are sold under the brand name “Lucky Bamboo”, although they are not related to real bamboo. This plant differs both from the legendary bamboo, and from the dracaena familiar to us both externally and in cultivation technology.

It is very widespread. Such popularity of lucky bamboo is largely due to the teachings of Feng Shui, according to which it is believed that this is a talisman tree that brings health, happiness and good luck to the house. Sander’s dracaena is sold today not only as a houseplant, but also along with ordinary fresh flowers, as a souvenir and in gift shops.

Cultivation and Care Features

Home care for Dracaena Sander is quite simple due to the hardiness of this plant. It is unpretentious, requires bright, ventilated rooms. However, lucky bamboo will not only survive, but will also look good even in rooms where there are no sources of natural light at all, and artificial lighting is switched on only intermittently. It tolerates dry air well and does not require constant spraying. Dracaena is often sold rooted in water, but is best grown in soil. When growing in water, it must be changed every two weeks.

Water must be chlorine-free, for which tap water must be exposed to air during the day. Indirect sunlight is desirable. Do not add fertilizer to the water, the plant may die. It is not advisable to spray, especially in winter, it is better to wipe with a damp sponge. And when the shoots (branches, horns) reach 10-13 cm, they can be cut off, put in water; when they take root, plant them in heavy, and preferably in palm soil, and a full-fledged false palm tree will grow – dracaena.

Temperature and humidity

Dracaena sander belongs to thermophilic plants. For its successful growth and development, it is necessary to maintain a room temperature of 22-26 ° C, but nothing terrible will happen if the temperature in your room rises to 30 or even 32 ° C. It is warm in the homeland of bamboo, so it easily tolerates high temperatures, and absolutely does not tolerate cold. In winter, the average daily temperature should never fall below 18 °C.

Irrigation of Dracaena Sander

Dracaena Sander is much more moisture-loving than its family members. This dracaena is not afraid of stagnant moisture and easily tolerates life in the “water” mode. If the plant is grown in the ground, then watering is carried out as the soil dries up, maintaining medium-high humidity and preventing the soil from drying deeper than 2-3 cm. Complete drying of the earthy coma for lucky bamboo should not be allowed in any case.

When growing in water, it is critical to keep the level stable. No matter what container the happiness bamboo is in, the water should not go beyond 2-3 cm above the upper roots of the plant (the total water level is limited to 6-8 cm). Too high a water level can lead to rotting of the shoots. You need to add water with a frequency of 1 time per week, more frequent procedures are not needed.

The quality of the water is very important in the cultivation of Sander Dracaena. This plant can be watered or kept in distilled or filtered soft water. Its temperature should correspond to the temperature of the air in the room. Dracaena Sander will not refuse regular wiping of the leaves with a damp cloth or sponge, which will help get rid of dust and maintain the appearance.

Transplanting , water changes and substrates

Transplanting lucky bamboo, regardless of its cultivation strategy, is carried out annually. For a plant growing in water, “transplantation” is carried out when signs of deposits appear. The container in which bamboo grows should not be changed, but simply carefully removed the plant into clean water and dishes, thoroughly cleaned its permanent “vase” and then put the bamboo back.

Decorative pebbles, in which lucky bamboo grows, also need washing and periodic cleaning (the hydrogel is changed at the frequency recommended by the manufacturer). For pseudobamboo growing in the soil, transplanting is best done in early spring.

When planting in water, plants, in principle, do not need any substrate substitute, but to fix thin shoots, durability, it is better to put Sander’s dracaena not just in a container with water, but in special decorative substrates – glass pebbles, pebbles, other types of decorative soil.

Please note that it is better to choose individual stones or fragments with rounded edges, without sharp cuts and sides. Perfect for lucky bamboo and colored coarse sand, and granulate, and a special hydroponic hydrogel.

Containers for out-of-soil lucky bamboo are also chosen in a special way. For Sander’s dracaena, usually transparent vases, glasses, decanters, flasks or original vases and vessels that fit well into the interior are used.

Hydrogel cultivation details

With this method of cultivation, a small number of beads are placed in a transparent container and filled with water. To create a beautiful effect, a glass vase is filled with balls of different colors. Caring for the culture is quite simple: you need to add water as it evaporates and add nutrients (feeding) to the liquid. One bag of hydrogel is enough for several years.

When grown in soil, the most important thing for Dracaena Sander is to lay a thick, powerful layer of drainage. It should completely cover the height of the pseudo-bamboo roots, make up from 1/4 to 1/3 of the volume of the container.

Rounded stones, pebbles, coarse sand can be used as a drainage layer, decorative stones can be used in transparent containers. The upper part of the substrate can be replaced with sand, a mixture of peat and substrate, or you can use the usual earth mixture for dracaena from among the ready-made compositions.

Propagation

Additional Dracaena Sander plants can be obtained using vegetative parts. To do this, use the apical shoots or segments that remain after crop pruning.

Bamboo of happiness from top cuttings

Cut off small cuttings from the mother plant, the length of which should not exceed 15 centimeters. We install such vegetative parts in a moist nutrient substrate and cover with a film. In addition, cuttings can be rooted in water with an added growth stimulator.

Propagation from stem pieces

You can also get additional happiness bamboo plants from stem pieces. To do this, take segments 6–8 centimeters long (each specimen must have a sleeping kidney). The segments are rooted according to a similar principle: in water or a moistened nutrient substrate.

Important! For the rooting of vegetative parts, it is necessary to create special conditions. The recommended air temperature in the room where the cultures are located is in the range of 22-25 ° C.

Pruning Indoor Bamboo

The dragon tree needs timely pruning to make it look decorative. Without it, the bush will look overgrown and untidy. Trim dry shoots at the base of the stem regularly.

If you want to have tall, upright bamboo in your apartment, cut off the side branches regularly. Places of cuts must be treated with ash or waxed to avoid the formation of ugly dry growths.

If, on the other hand, you don’t want your bamboo to grow, use a different pruning method. Decide how tall the bush you want to end up with, and where the branching should come from. Cut the stem just above the node and make a horizontal cut with a sharp tool. This specimen will no longer grow upwards, and side shoots will come out of the notch.

Diseases and pests of Dracaena Sander

Lucky bamboo in indoor culture usually does not get sick. Only in a very neglected state, with water pollution and deviation from the usual care strategy, in the vicinity of the affected crops, mealybugs, red spider mites can annoy him. You can fight pests with insecticides, but it’s easier to replace the crop with new plants.

Common problems in growing Dracaena Sander :

• drying of the tips of the leaves, the appearance of a brown dry edge all over the leaf plate with insufficient humidity, low air temperature;
• yellowing of the lower leaves – a natural process (if they turn yellow slowly) or in the absence of top dressing;
• rolling leaves in a cold room;
• appearance of dry spots on leaves in direct sunlight.

Lucky Bamboo

Lucky Bamboo is often grown in apartments. In fact, it is a perennial plant, which is called Dracaena Sander (Dracaena Sanderiana). It belongs to the Needle family, trees or succulent shrubs. The annual sales volume of all types of dracaena outstrips sales of other indoor plants.

Dracaena sandera or “bamboo of happiness”

The word “bamboo” in the name appeared due to the similarity of this type of dracaena to bamboo. Why another word – “happiness”? There is a version that this name came from the Aztec legend. It said that a poor young man, in love with the daughter of the ruler, fulfilling the condition of his father, watered the dry stem of the dracaena for 5 days, after which leaves appeared on it. The father of the beauty had no choice but to agree to the wedding.

Dracaena Sandera looks a bit like bamboo and differs from most of its relatives in a thickened cylindrical stem from which shoots extend. It has gray-green, slightly twisted leaves, up to 23 cm long. There is a variety that has leaves with a dark green border. Often, during growth, the stem is given a spiral shape in various ways. Such a plant looks more interesting than the standard form.

Bamboo of happiness is often presented as a gift. This is a pretty good choice, since the very word happiness gives it a special meaning. Yes, and the item itself will decorate the room and, with proper care, will be able to serve its owner for a long time.

Lucky bamboo is good for feng shui. Its stem is a symbol of a strong life filled with prosperity. It is a favorite gift in business, for example for partners.

The number of stems in one bunch is of great importance. The main principle is this: the more there are, the greater the blessing of good luck and luck. However, these are beliefs, and science has not found confirmation of the dependence of health, material well-being and similar serious things on the number of stems of “lucky bamboo” or another plant on the table.

The Chinese send two stems of bamboo to express love. This number is also said to double your luck.
Three stems is one of my favorite home combinations. It brings three types of luck: happiness, longevity, wealth or career.
Four stems. In Chinese, the word for “four” sounds something like the word for “death.” The number 4 attracts negative sha energy.
Five stems strengthen five areas of your life: emotional, intuitive, mental, physical, spiritual.
Six stems attract prosperity and prerequisites for wealth. In Chinese, the word “six” sounds similar to the word “luck”.
Seven stems bring good health.
The word “eight” among the Chinese sounds like a word denoting growth, development.
Nine stems also symbolize and attract good luck.
If ten stalks of lucky bamboo were sent to you, this means that the one who sent them to you wants everything in your life to be as you wish.
Twenty-one stems. If someone gave you so many lucky bamboo stalks, then he expresses good wishes for you and your family in terms of great wealth and lasting health.

Growing Dracaena

In rooms, Dracaena Sandera grows up to 70-100 cm, rarely up to 2 meters. It is an undemanding plant. It can be kept in a vessel with water, but it is better in a container with earth. The best is a ceramic container, and besides it, glass.
On sale in specialized stores there is an optimally composed soil for dracaena.

If you keep the happy bamboo in a container with soil, it must be watered as the soil dries. The soil should be well shed, but it is undesirable if the water stagnates in it for a long time. Therefore, pebbles or coarse sand are placed in the lower part of the container with soil.
In addition to watering, caring for dracaena consists in removing dust from the leaves, removing wilted leaves from the ground, and feeding the plant.

If you keep “bamboo happiness” in water, the plant will feel worse due to lack of minerals and other substances. A sign of this is the yellowing of the leaves. If the soil in the container with Dracaena is poor, then fertilizer should be applied to it. This is any top dressing for dracaena.

Place the container with dracaena better in a ventilated and bright place, but not in direct light. The “bamboo of happiness” tolerates dry air better than real bamboo.

It is enough to replant the “bamboo of happiness” once a year, in the spring.
It can be propagated in one of two ways:
1. Top cuttings by further rooting in water or moist soil.
2. Stem segments with ripening dormant buds.

When growing “happy bamboo”, the stem is often curved. For example, in the form of a spiral, a heart, etc.
A composition of several Sander dracaena plants looks very nice, the stems of which are tilted and intertwined and grouped at the bottom.

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The leaves of Lucky Bamboo may start to turn yellow due to mishandling or insect pests, or poor water quality and lack of nutrients.

Growing and caring for Dracaena sander or Lucky Bamboo

Dracaena sanderiana native to Africa, South Asia, belongs to the Asparagaceae family is a fairly popular plant, due to its resemblance to bamboo and unpretentiousness, it takes an honorable place as an element of decor. In flower shops, such dracaena can be found, as well as single swirling shoots, as well as entire compositions, under the brand name Lucky Bamboo. Sometimes the sellers themselves do not know the real name of this plant. The swirling shoots of pseudo-bamboo are created artificially, as the stem of Dracaena Sander grows, it is placed in a curved tube, and when it reaches the desired height, it is released.

In China, three bamboo shoots are given to those who wish well-being. Financial success carries five stems, seven stems will become a talisman of health and longevity, but 21 stems will bring complete family well-being. It is believed that if bamboo shoots are also decorated with ribbons, put in a beautiful vase, then this will attract all the fairies in the area to your house.

It should be noted that Dracaena sanderiana has a number of differences from real bamboo: the stem can be cut into cuttings and new plants can be obtained, foliage can form in each constriction, new shoots will grow at the cut site.

So if you want to grow Dracaena like a bamboo, you will have to keep an eye on its trunk and pick new shoots as it grows to keep its bamboo-like appearance, or it will grow with variegated foliage all over the trunk.

About caring for Sander Dracaena or Lucky Bamboo:

Temperature: The optimum temperature for Dracaena in summer is 20-35 ºC, and in winter the temperature should not fall below 17ºC. Bamboo does not tolerate low temperatures very well, it is considered a very heat-loving plant. In summer, it is not advisable to take Dracaena Sanderiana out onto a balcony or under the open sky. It is enough just to provide fresh air access to the room, it calmly tolerates drafts.

Lighting: Dracaena sanderiana prefers bright light without direct sunlight, but what pseudo-bamboo is valued for is its unique adaptability. It takes root remarkably in any room, even with poor lighting, and retains its wonderful appearance and colors where other Dracaena lose their foliage brightness.

Fertilizer: No florist can say for sure whether or not to fertilize Dracena Sanderiana, which is grown in water, opinions differ. Sometimes they are not even recommended, but it is noticed that with a lack of minerals, the quality of the foliage of a plant deteriorates, and from this it is concluded that the plant slowly begins to die from a lack of minerals in the water. Therefore, in order to maintain attractiveness, it is still necessary to sometimes add fertilizer to the water. Dracaena Sanderiana needs to be fertilized once a month, from spring to mid-autumn, if it grows in your soil, but if the plant is kept in water, then you can fertilize less often.

Pests . Usually, Dracaena Sanderiana does not get sick, but if the plant care strategy is rejected, for example, if the quality of the water used for maintenance or irrigation is poor, or if it is in close proximity to other diseased plants, it can be affected by red spider mites, mealybugs.

Growing Sandarian Dracaena or Lucky Bamboo in soil, hydrogel and water:

Pseudo-bamboo can be grown in water, in hydroponics and as a normal plant in soil. The plant grows remarkably no matter what method of cultivation you choose.

• If grown in the ground: Growing Dracaena sander in the soil will result in a stronger plant, faster growth and beautiful leaves. The soil for bamboo should be equal parts peat, leafy soil, humus and sand. The acidity should be 5-6 pH. Good drainage is required, which should be ¼, 1/3 of the volume of the container. The roots of the plant develop quickly enough, so the pot should be tall, not flat. Although pseudo-bamboo is moisture-loving, when watering, you should still make sure that the top layer of soil has time to dry out 2-3 cm in order to prevent stagnation of water and rotting of the roots, but the complete drying of the earthy coma should not be allowed either. Important for Dracaena is the quality of water for irrigation, it must be soft, filtered or distilled.

• If grown in water: Easily tolerates water life. Grow water should be filtered or distilled. You can also use melted water, after freezing the bottle in the freezer for 2 days. The stems of the plant should be immersed in water no more than 1-2 cm. The water should be changed once a week, if necessary, more often, for example, if the water turns sour.

• If grown in hydrogel: Growing Sanderiana Dracaena in hydrogel attracts many florists because thanks to the wide choice of hydrogel colors, you can create different beautiful and vibrant compositions. It is very easy to grow in hydrogel: you need to pour the required amount of hydrogel balls for 3-4 hours, after this time you will get huge bright balls from which you can make any compositions, or simply place them in any container you like. Bamboo in hydrogel looks very impressive in transparent glass vases. It is easy to take care of the material, just add water and wash it regularly. The hydrogel is replaced every 2-3 years. Caring for Dracaena in hydrogel is otherwise the same as growing in water.

• You can read about growing Dracaena Sander in a florarium and a garden in a bottle in a separate article: We create a garden in a bottle and a florarium with our own hands.

Transplantation: Transplanting Dracaena, no matter how it is grown, must be done regularly. If bamboo grows in water, then transplanting involves cleaning the vase from deposits, and if bamboo grows in the ground, young plants are transplanted every 2 years, adults once every 3 years. Do not forget about good drainage, which should be ¼, 1/3 of the volume of the container. It is better not to touch large plants, but only change the topsoil every year. For transplanting bamboo growing in the ground, it is better to wait until spring. It is necessary to transplant carefully, using the transshipment method, in order to avoid damage to the roots. In adult plants that grow in tubs, it is necessary to change the topsoil annually.

Propagation Dracaena Sanderiana or Lucky Bamboo

: Dracaena is successfully propagated by stem division, cuttings and top shoots. In any case, you will need wax, with which you need to process the cut, the wax for processing should in no case be hot, otherwise you can burn the plant, which will lead to its death. For this, the wax of an ordinary candle, which is melted in a spoon, is suitable. It is enough to dip the plant in it for 1-2 seconds. Waxing is done in order to prevent the leakage of moisture from the plant, the ingress of harmful bacteria. It is necessary to choose a stem for propagation by dividing carefully; it should not be yellow, soft to the touch. Cuttings for propagation should be up to 15 cm long, usually these are the tops of the shoots, but if the trunk is cut, then the stem segments should not be less than 6 cm and they should have at least one sleeping bud. Cut off shoots must have at least 1 node, roots will grow from it.

Possible causes	Solution of the problem
low room temperature; sharp drops.	temperature control
Unsuitable soil	transplant; top dressing with activated carbon (10 tablets are crushed, combined with the top of the soil).
excess minerals in the soil; top dressing with fluorine.	Transplanting with change of substrate
The plant receives little oxygen from the soil.	changing the soil with a softer substrate; loosening the soil
Root rot due to waterlogged soil.	transplant; growing a new plant from the top of the flower (in case of severe damage to the lower part)
Fungus caused by waterlogging of the soil.	treatment with antifungal fungicide “Kvadris”, “Maxim”; water reduction; frequent ventilation of the room
spider mite; aphid.	Treatment with Aktara fungicide
temperature violation; aphids; spider mite.	Temperature control; treatment against pests with fungicide “Aktellik”

Indoor Bamboo (Dracaena sandera) – care and propagation at home

Indoor bamboo has nothing to do with the wild Asian herbaceous plant that we are used to hearing about. They are similar to each other only in appearance. In fact, indoor bamboo is an evergreen miniature plant called “Dracaena Sander” (“Dracaena Brauniic”, “Dracaena Sanderiana”). The people called it the lucky bamboo or the dragon tree. The plant is popular with flower growers all over the world, because indoor bamboo care at home is simple, and you can get compositions of incredible beauty from grown specimens.

Content

• 1 Description of the plant
• 2 Dracaena Sandra Dragons
• 3 Growing in the ground
  • 3.1 Lighting and location
  • 3.2 Temperature and humidity
  • 3.3 Foreigning
  • 3.5 Reaching
  • 3
  • 3.6.1 Soil
  • 3.6.2 Pot

Sander. The plant has a hollow bare segmented stem, at the top of which shoots and glossy lanceolate leaves grow. The color of the stem and leaves is most often bright green, but there are varieties of golden and dark green shades. The stem grows quickly, even dwarf varieties can grow up to 1 meter in height in a few months.

Indoor bamboo is used for decorative purposes to decorate the interior of apartments and offices. Sander’s dracaena stems are easy to give into any shape, so the plant is most often used in various compositions. In addition, not only the soil, but also the aquatic environment is suitable for growing a dragon tree, so the plant is often used to decorate aquariums.

In fact, indoor bamboo is a flowering plant. Once in a lifetime, a dragon tree can release a flower-bearing arrow with small white flowers. Flowering takes a lot of strength from the dracaena, so after it the plant dies. A few witnesses of this phenomenon note the pleasant aroma of flowers.

Dracaena Sander cultivars

• Lucky Gold – characterized by a yellow border around the paradise and small yellow strokes in the center of light green leaves.
• Golden Lotus is a striped yellow-green variety with a predominance of yellow.
• Celes – better known as “Lucky Bamboo” or “Happy Bamboo”.
• Boringuensis – light green leaves with a dark green border.
• Moon Shine – distinguished by white and silver stripes on green leaves.
• White – has white leaves with a wide green stripe in the middle.
• Whiskers – similar to White, but on the contrary, a wide white stripe runs through the center of the green leaves.

Growing in the ground

Indoor bamboo is not the most whimsical plant, but still, in order to grow a beautiful and healthy specimen, you will need to make some effort and remember a number of important rules. This plant can be grown both in soil and in water. First, let’s talk about how to care for bamboo at home if you decide to plant it in a pot with earth.

Lighting and location

Dracaena Sandera likes plenty of light, but avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight – the stem and leaves may burn. Place the pot so that diffused light falls on the pot at noon. The best placement options would be east and west window sills.

In summer, the flower pot can be taken outdoors, but remember to protect it from direct sun and rain.

Indoor bamboo often endures wintering well without additional care, but if cloudy weather prevails in your area, it is better to additionally highlight it in the autumn-winter period using fluorescent lamps. Do this if you notice that your pet’s trunk has begun to turn yellow, and the foliage has drooped or begun to fall off. Bamboo does not tolerate hypothermia, so in winter it is better to rearrange it away from cold windows and protect it from drafts when airing the room.

Temperature and humidity

Dracaena Sandera belongs to thermophilic plants. For its successful growth and development, it is necessary to maintain a room temperature of 22-26 ° C, but nothing terrible will happen if the temperature in your room rises to 30 or even 32 ° C. Bamboo comes from warm countries, so it easily tolerates high temperatures, and absolutely does not tolerate cold. In winter, the average daily temperature should never fall below 18 °C.

Indoor bamboo is a tropical plant, so it loves moisture. In the warm season, in addition to watering, it is necessary to spray the plant 2 times a week with settled water from a spray bottle. In conditions of extreme heat, we recommend occasionally showering the dracaena (use warm water). In winter, move the pot away from heaters that dry out the air, or place a wide bowl of water next to it.

Wipe the leaves with a damp sponge if dust has accumulated on them. This will help increase humidity and reduce the risk of infestation.

Watering

Bamboo should be watered frequently on warm summer days. Varieties with wide leaves are watered about once every 2 days, with narrow ones – 2 times a week. In this case, it is not desirable to allow complete drying of the soil. If the soil in the pot is constantly drying out at the recommended watering frequency, then your dragon tree needs more water. The amount of moisture consumed depends on the height of the specimen – the higher the plant, the more water it needs.

To simplify the procedure, indoor bamboo can be watered through the pan. So the plant takes as much moisture as it needs. 3 hours after watering, drain excess water from the pan. Prolonged stagnation of water contributes to the formation of rot on the roots.

Only settled filtered warm water is used for irrigation, preferably rainwater. Ordinary tap water contains many substances that are harmful to the plant. If it is not possible to collect water, you can disinfect it by freezing it.

Top dressing

Dracaena Sandera needs regular top dressing every 1-2 months. The plant better accepts mineral fertilizers for decorative leafy plants in liquid form. Fertilizers designed specifically for dracaena are ideal. The frequency of feeding can be adjusted independently, observing the well-being of your specimen. If, after fertilizing, the bamboo turns yellow or starts shedding leaves, then it should be fed less often. In winter, the frequency and number of dressings are halved.

Pruning

The dragon tree needs timely pruning to give it a decorative appearance. Without it, the bush will look overgrown and untidy. Trim dry shoots at the base of the stem regularly.

If you want to have tall, upright bamboo in your apartment, cut off the side branches regularly. Places of cuts must be treated with ash or waxed to avoid the formation of ugly dry growths.

If, on the other hand, you don’t want your bamboo to grow, use a different pruning method. Decide how tall the bush you want to end up with, and where the branching should come from. Cut the stem just above the node and make a horizontal cut with a sharp tool. This specimen will no longer grow upwards, and side shoots will come out of the notch.

Transplantation

Transplantation is recommended in April-May. It is needed to increase the size of the pot as the plant grows. Young specimens are transplanted annually, adults can be disturbed less often – once every 3 years.

When transplanting, the plant should be placed in the center of the pot at a depth so that the roots touch the drain. After falling asleep the earth, it needs to be slightly pressed down so that air comes out. Otherwise, in the future it may fail, exposing a large section of the stem. After transplanting, the flower must be well watered and ensure that the soil does not dry out. Once a week, the soil needs to be loosened.

Soil

Dracaena Sandera is not picky about soil. The only conditions – the earth must be loose so that the plant breathes well. Therefore, you can even use the usual universal primer. If you want to make your own substrate, do so by mixing the following ingredients:

• 1 tsp soddy soil;
• 2 parts of leafy earth;
• 2 parts peat.

Pot

The pot of indoor bamboo should be appropriate for the size of the plant and the number of plants in one pot. The larger your specimen, the larger the pot is needed. The depth of the pot should be 2 times the rhizome, so the width and height of the pot are usually equal. Wide containers are also used, only to create a beautiful composition of several copies. With this planting, make sure that the outer stems are at least 5 cm from the walls of the planting container. For growing bamboo, a pot of any color and material is suitable, as long as it has drainage holes. At the bottom of the pot it is necessary to place a layer of drainage – pieces of brick, expanded clay. Drainage should take up 25% of the height of the pot.

Growing indoor bamboo in water

Growing indoor bamboo in water is quite common among flower growers. The choice of dishes is not of fundamental importance, but the plant looks most beautiful in transparent glass flowerpots. Often, several copies of bamboo are placed in one container at once, tying them with a colored ribbon.

Well washed and boiled pebbles should be placed on the bottom of the pot. Only a healthy plant can be planted in water. If your dracaena shows signs of disease, water will only make it worse.

The water must be soft. It is allowed to use settled rainwater or distilled water. Using plain tap water is not acceptable, even if you have a filter. Keep an eye on the water level in the pot – the roots should always be fully submerged under water. Top up if necessary. At the same time, once a week, you should completely replace the water in the dishes. Approximately every 3 months, along with new water, apply mineral fertilizers.

It is allowed to grow indoor bamboo in hydrogel. We recommend using small granules. Place the plant in the hydrogel and fill it with water. Top up with fresh water if necessary. Top dressing with this method of cultivation is carried out every six months.

Spiraling

Often, you can find on sale specimens of indoor bamboo with an original and bizarre shape. This is facilitated by the distinctive ability of the stem to bend and remember the shape. We will tell you how to achieve this shape at home.

Method 1. A stick, cylinder or any other support of the required shape is placed in a flower pot and the stem is wrapped around it. At first, the structure must be fixed with wire. As soon as the stem becomes woody, the wire and stick can be removed.

Method 2. The plant pot is covered with a box so that one side flap is open. The rest of the flaps and the top must be closed. Then the light will enter the box from only one side – our bamboo will stretch there as it grows. After a while, when the slope of the stem to one side is visible, turn the box so that the sun hits the dracaena from the other side. So, by constantly turning the box, you can curl the stem of your specimen into a spiral. But this method is very long – one turn can take up to a year.

Other, more complex compositions can be created from indoor bamboo, but we will talk about this some other time.

Propagation

Indoor bamboo can be propagated by cuttings and seeds. At home, propagation by cuttings is most convenient, but we will talk about both methods for informational purposes.

Propagation by cuttings

To propagate bamboo at home in this way, you need to spend a minimum of time and effort. There are several cutting options.

• Top shoot. To obtain a cutting from an adult plant, cut off the top with a sharp tool. The length of the resulting cutting must be at least 15 cm. The cut points must be lubricated with liquid wax to prevent decay. Then the resulting stalk is placed in water. It is recommended to add a root growth stimulator to the water, for example, Kornevit. After rooting, the stalk can be planted in the ground and looked after as an adult plant.
• Stem cuttings. This method is used if it was not possible to propagate dracaena by the previous method. The stem is cut from the mother bush and divided into several parts. It is important that each part has a growth point. Each part is placed in water for rooting, and then planted in the ground, as in the previous case.

Growing bamboo from seeds

It is almost impossible to propagate Sander’s dracaena from seeds at home, because the seeds of this species of dracaena are characterized by very poor germination. In addition, even if you manage to germinate them, you will run into other problems. Indoor bamboo seedlings need the same daylight hours and the same air temperature throughout the year, in addition, you will have to maintain the required level of air humidity.

Diseases and pests

Lucky bamboo has a good immunity to diseases, but growing problems can happen, and you need to be prepared for this. In the table we have indicated the answers to the most frequently asked questions.

Trouble	Cause	Solution
Dark spots on leaves.	Fungal rot.	Cut off problem areas, wax the cuts, treat the plant with a fungicide.
Darkening and leaf fall.	Hypothermia.	Maintaining a comfortable room temperature.
Sticky leaves.	Aphid.	Treat with insecticide.
Cobweb on leaves.	Spider mite.	Treat with insecticide or soapy water.
Slow growth, stem and leaf yellowing .	Too little or too much fertilizer.	Follow the instructions when introducing top dressings. Follow the recommendations from the “Feeding” section.
Leaf drop.	Age update. Wrong organization of watering.	Mature specimens sometimes shed their leaves, this is normal. Remember to keep the soil moist. Follow the instructions in the Watering section.

Let’s take a closer look at why indoor bamboo turns yellow. There can be quite a few reasons for this, and it will take time to determine the correct one. Here is their list:

• drafts;
• dry air;
• prolonged exposure to direct sunlight;
• poor quality of water used for irrigation;
• moisture deficiency;
• light deficiency;
• thin layer of drainage.

If you see the problem right away, then it will not be difficult to correct the shortcomings. If not, you just have to normalize the care of bamboo, fully complying with all the rules indicated in this article.

Photo gallery

Finally, we want to present you a photo of various indoor bamboo compositions.

Conclusion

Happiness Bamboo is a rather unpretentious and very original indoor plant. Due to the property – to take various forms, it can never get bored. You can grow at least 5 copies at home, and they will all be different from each other. We recommend getting yourself such a pet and we hope that our article will help you grow it bright, beautiful and healthy.

Bamboo Plants 101: How to Grow Happy Bamboo Plants Indoors

Bamboo, one of the most widely grown and practical plants on the planet, is used in food, art, architecture and traditional medicine, and even helps fight climate change. Although difficult to grow indoors, more and more people are choosing to add bamboo to their indoor plant collections.

Properly caring for and creating the right conditions for indoor bamboo takes little effort, but once you find the right balance, you will be richly rewarded with its elegant appearance, calm aesthetics and effective oxygenation properties. Our guide will teach you everything you need to know to grow your own beautiful indoor bamboo!

What is bamboo?

Bamboos belong to a diverse subfamily of evergreen flowering perennials comprising 115 genera further subdivided into over 1,400 species. Although many species have a decidedly arboreal and tree-trunk-like appearance, bamboo actually belongs to the Poaceae family of grasses.
Giant bamboo ( Dendrocalamus giant ) is the largest grass on the planet and can grow up to 100 feet tall and 50 feet wide, while the smallest species of bamboo Raddiella vanessia , reaches a little over one inch in height.

Most bamboos are native to Asia, although there are other species native to Australia, America and sub-Saharan Africa.
While most species prefer the warm and humid environment of the rainforest, there are other species that grow in abundance in the cooler climate of the mountain ranges, and there are even some particularly hardy species that can withstand temperatures of 29 degrees below zero.

Bamboos are one of the fastest growing plants on the planet, with some species capable of growing as much as 36 inches per day! Bamboo shoots or stems are known as “stalks” and new stems grow vertically from the parent plant’s rhizomatous underground roots.
It takes only a year for each stem to reach its mature height, after which it will never grow taller but will begin to produce lush green foliage while the rhizomes continue to spread and produce new stems.

What does bamboo symbolize?

Bamboo has played an important role in mythology and symbolism for thousands of years, especially throughout Asia, where it grows most abundantly.

In traditional Chinese culture, bamboo is considered to symbolize the exemplary gentleman who demonstrates such qualities as directness, perseverance, modesty, durability, flexibility, strength and elegance.

In Japan, bamboo is traditionally grown around Shinto and Buddhist temples because it is believed to form a sacred barrier that protects the temple from dark and evil forces. It is also believed to be a symbol of good luck.

In Hawaiian mythology, bamboo is believed to be the embodiment of the Polynesian creator god Kane.

Bamboo varieties

Bamboo can be divided into two separate categories according to growth habit; run or tumble. Both categories of bamboo have an incredibly strong and powerful root system from which new stems emerge.

Running bamboo spreads vigorously and quickly. They have strong and aggressive underground rhizomes that move long distances away from the parent plant, some up to 100 feet, producing many new shoots as they go. Here are some examples of running bamboo:

Golden groove bamboo is a running variety native to China. They can be recognized by the distinct golden stripes that adorn their pale yellow stems.

Red Margin Bamboo is popular in gardens because its fast growing habit, dense foliage and frost tolerant nature make it ideal for hedges and privacy screens in colder climates.

Tsuboi Bamboo is a dwarf creeping variety with dense, often variegated foliage and a maximum height of about three feet, so it is often used as a groundcover.

Clumping bamboo has a dense but compact root system and spreads slowly, usually only a few inches per year, and produces new shoots just above the rhizome. Due to their slower and more manageable growth, cloddy bamboos are much better suited for indoor and potted growing than grow bamboos. Here are some bamboo species that clumping:

China Mountain Bamboo, as the name suggests, grows in the mountainous regions of China. They have lush, dense foliage with bright green shoots. Chinese mountain bamboo is one of the hardiest types of bamboo, able to withstand harsh winters and low temperatures.

Jiuzhaigou Bamboo is an ornate and highly ornamental variety with lumps. It has stunning variegated shoots of red, green, orange and gold, topped with elegant medium sized foliage. Their canes become redder when they are exposed to more sunlight.

Umbrella bamboo has elegant pale green and yellow shoots, often with a slight curve. Their clumping habit makes them popular in gardens as they don’t tend to spread too much.

The Best Indoor Bamboo Varieties

Growing bamboo indoors is not for the faint of heart as it has very specific care requirements. Many species of bamboo can reach dizzying heights and huge distribution in their natural habitat, so you will need to choose your variety wisely.
Bamboo is not recommended for indoor cultivation as its extensive root system requires careful maintenance and the plant is more likely to suffer from pot binding.

Some types of bamboo just can’t stand indoors, while others do just fine indoors. Any bamboo grown indoors will show more moderate growth compared to its outdoor counterparts, although their robust root system is more difficult to manage than regular indoor plants.

We recommend choosing one of the following varieties to give your indoor bamboo garden the best chance of success:

Black Bamboo This is a stunning and dramatic variety named for its unique glossy black stems that create a striking contrast with bright green leaves. . This is one of the more resilient bamboos, although they love a lot of moisture so regular misting is a must!

Buddha belly bamboo is an interesting and quirky variety, so named because of its round sectional stems. They have a compact stature, so they are well-suited for growing both indoors and in pots, and can even be grown as bonsai plants. They grow best in full sun, so place them on a sunny, south-facing window sill.

Large-leaved bamboo is another species that adapts easily to indoor growing conditions. They have long, broad, flat, architectural leaves that taper towards the end. Large-leaved bamboo grows best in full sun and partial shade, so a north or east-facing window sill is ideal.

Mexican weeping bamboo produces masses of rustling, feather-like pale green leaves that resemble weeping willow foliage. This is a clumpy variety that reaches a height of about four feet when grown in containers, making it a great small option for indoor growing.

Shiroshima bamboo has striking variegated green and white leaves that stand out from other bamboo varieties. It is a dwarf variety with a maximum height of only 10 feet even in the wild and even less when grown indoors, although it is a creeping variety so will need a strong and wide container.

Square stem bamboo has charming angular stems making it a unique addition to any houseplant collection. They have bright green palm-like foliage and can grow relatively tall even indoors. Although it is a creeping variety, its roots do not spread as aggressively as others, so it is easier to care for.

Lucky Bamboo is a very common houseplant, but, oddly enough, it’s not actually bamboo at all. Although its stems closely resemble bamboo, they actually belong to the dracaena family of palm shrubs and completely unrelated to bamboo.
They are really good, do not require special care. an alternative to growing the trickier, real bamboo indoors. According to feng sui principles, lucky bamboo will bring positivity and good luck to your home!

How to take care of indoor bamboo

Pots

The main thing to consider when choosing can because your bamboo is strong. Choose a large, sturdy pot that can safely contain the roots while still giving them enough room to grow. grow as the plant matures.
Sturdy terracotta pots are a good choice because they are porous, making it easier for air to flow to the roots. Avoid plastic pots as the roots will soon break through. Make sure there are plenty of drainage holes in the base of the pot, as bamboo does not tolerate waterlogged roots.

You should also place a layer of pebbles in the bottom of the pot before adding soil to help drain.

Since they grow very fast and vigorously, you will probably need to repot the bamboo every couple of years. The best time to transplant bamboo is in the spring, just before it begins to grow actively.

Although not the best option for growing in pots, if you really want to try growing creeping bamboo, choose a pot that is wider than it is deep so the shoots have enough room to spread.

Soil

When choosing a potting soil for your indoor bamboo, drainage is key! Choose a light substrate with plenty of additional drainage materials such as perlite or vermiculite and organic matter such as sphagnum moss in a ratio of about a third of each.
Try not to compact the substrate too much as the root system needs a lot of space and aeration to breathe.

water

Getting water just right is critical for bamboo, and these moisture-loving plants need a lot of it! But equally, bamboo plants hate waterlogged soil and are prone to root rot when overwatered. You should water your bamboo once or twice a week, allowing the top 10-inch layer of soil to dry out completely in between.
Young plants need more regular watering, while mature plants are slightly more drought tolerant. Make sure the soil and pot are fully drained after each watering. If you notice that your bamboo leaves are starting to curl or droop, this is a sign that they need to get drunk.

Light

Most bamboos like light. In their natural habitat they grow to great heights to capture most of the sun’s rays on the forest canopy, and these bright conditions should be replicated as best as possible. A sunny window sill is best, where your bamboo will receive several hours of bright, indirect light each day, although some varieties grow best in direct light.
Low light levels will not harm your bamboo, but it will grow more slowly.

However, some smaller species of bamboo grow much happier in semi-shady or sheltered areas that mimic their natural growth conditions low to the forest floor, where only dappled sunlight comes through the canopy.
Make sure you check the individual lighting requirements for any type of bamboo you choose to grow indoors.

Rotate the bamboo plant regularly so that the entire plant receives even light and does not grow asymmetrically. Your bamboo plant will also enjoy being placed outside for a few hours on warm sunny days.

Humidity and ventilation

Most types of bamboo, especially tropical varieties, like a warm and humid environment, reminiscent of the rainforests from which they originate. They prefer to keep the humidity level constantly above 50 percent.
You should spray your bamboo stems and leaves regularly, or place the pot on a pebble tray filled with water to increase the humidity level of the environment, but make sure the pot is not standing in water.

Bamboo plants love well-ventilated areas, so it is recommended to place them near a window that is regularly opened. They need good air circulation so that their roots can breathe and prevent the soil from becoming waterlogged. Placing them outside on light breeze days is a great way to increase the fresh air supply to your bamboo.

Food

Feed your bamboo monthly with a well-balanced fertilizer in the spring and summer when it is actively growing. You can even use lawn fertilizer, as bamboo belongs to the grass family. In winter, they do not need food.

Pruning

In most cases, you won’t need to prune your bamboo very often, other than periodically getting rid of any wilting or dead foliage. Old shoots can also be carefully removed when they begin to die back, but be careful as bamboo cannot regenerate stems once they have been cut.

Since bamboo can grow very tall, it may be necessary to “elevate” your plant to maintain a more manageable size. This is best done in late summer and early fall when your bamboo growth will naturally slow down.
If you want to limit the size or shape of the mature bamboo, trim any unwanted foliage just above the leaf node. This helps the bamboo redirect energy to the remaining branches and foliage for denser and healthier growth.

Don’t worry if your bamboo plant starts shedding its leaves at the end of its growing season, it’s completely normal.

Propagation

Propagating bamboo every two to three years is the most effective way to keep its roots out of control, and it’s also a relatively easy way to grow more bamboo plants for free, either for your own home or as a gift.

Best propagated in spring, as soon as new stems begin to appear. Try to combine breeding with transplanting, which is also best done in the spring.

The best propagation method for your bamboo will depend on whether it is a running type or a sticky type.

If you have creeping bamboo, it is easy to propagate it by separating the extensive rhizomes. Remove the plant from the pot and shake off the earth to expose the root system. Choose a healthy rhizome away from the parent plant that is already producing soft new roots and stems.
Carefully separate it from the rest of the root system with a strong sterile blade. Place the cutting parallel to the ground in a container filled with the same potting mix as the parent plant and place it next to the parent plant.

Cover the cutting with plenty of earth and keep it damp but not wet until your new plant is established.

Clumped bamboo is a little more difficult to propagate, as its rhizomes are very dense. Clumping bamboo should not be propagated until it is fully mature, around the age of four or five years. Take the bamboo out of the pot and shake off the earth so you can see the root well.
Look for a healthy branch with its own shoots and roots that can be easily separated from the main bush. You may need to use a saw to separate the cutting, but make sure it is thoroughly cleaned first.

After removal, treat the cutting in the same way as a bamboo branch, covering it with soil and placing it next to the parent plant. Keep the soil evenly moist, but not soaking, until the new growth has established itself.

FAQ

Bamboo life span

Slot machine Bamboo life expectancy varies greatly from species to species. Some species can live for over a century, while the lifespan of each individual reed is typically between five and fifteen years. Bamboos tend to have a relatively shorter indoor lifespan, although they can thrive for many years if cared for properly.

Is bamboo a good oxygenator?

Bamboo is incredibly effective. oxygenator by absorbing a large amount of carbon dioxide and releasing a large amount of pure oxygen as it grows rapidly, so a thriving bamboo plant will not only create a calm and cool aesthetic in your home, but also make your home healthier!

Will my bamboo bloom?

Most species of bamboo flower, although this is very, very rare and usually occurs only once in the life of the plant, after which it usually dies. Some species bloom only once every 120 years! It is highly unlikely that an indoor bamboo plant will ever produce flowers.

Wrap

how long bamboo lives

Slot machine Bamboo life expectancy varies greatly from species to species. Some species can live for over a century, while the lifespan of each individual reed is typically between five and fifteen years. Bamboos tend to have a relatively shorter indoor lifespan, although they can thrive for many years if cared for properly.

Is bamboo a good oxygenator?

Bamboo is incredibly effective. oxygenator by absorbing a large amount of carbon dioxide and releasing a large amount of pure oxygen as it grows rapidly, so a thriving bamboo plant will not only create a calm and cool aesthetic in your home, but also make your home healthier!

Will my bamboo bloom?

Most species of bamboo flower, although this is very, very rare and usually occurs only once in the life of the plant, after which it usually dies. Some species bloom only once every 120 years! It is highly unlikely that an indoor bamboo plant will ever produce flowers.

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Bamboo care in water

Author: Julia | Comments: 6

In flower shops, unusual plants with green shoots of a spiral or zigzag form are increasingly found. Shoots can be of various heights and have small green leaves. On the price tags, they are called “happy bamboo”, but they have no relationship with the real one, except for the similarity in appearance. In fact, this is a variety of a completely different plant – dracaena.

Content:

• Introduction
• Fundamentals belongs to a different plant family. It blooms very rarely, white flowers with a sweet aroma. An upright stem with green long leaves reaches a height of 2 meters, but in apartments it often grows up to 0.7-1 m. And bamboo became “happy” thanks to Asian culture, in which it is considered a symbol of success and good luck. But the correct name of the plant did not take root and all over the world it is called the bamboo of happiness.

  Growing basics

  Indoor bamboo is unpretentious, but requires fairly simple care. First of all, indirect sunlight, a little coolness and periodic ventilation of the room where it grows.

  In winter, happiness bamboo should be kept at a temperature of at least 12, and preferably 14-16 degrees. The comfortable air temperature in the room for him is about 22 degrees. At temperatures above 35, it dies. Does not require constant spraying, occasionally it is worth wiping the leaves from dust. Pebbles of various sizes or expanded clay are placed at the bottom of a vase with water. As top dressing, special mineral fertilizers for dracaena are used.

  Bamboo is recommended to be fed every three months. If top dressing is carried out regularly, the leaves and stems will retain their green color throughout the life of the bamboo. Yellowed leaves and stems must be cut off, allowed to dry and smeared with soft wax.

  Water for bamboo

  In many apartments and houses, bamboo is grown in water, because its straight or twisted shoots look very impressive in various glass vases. But then you will need to feed it with mineral fertilizers to preserve the green color of the leaves

  The water in the vase with it must be filtered, and preferably distilled, at room temperature. It needs to be updated every 2 weeks.

  You can also use rain or melt water – pour filtered or plain tap water into a plastic bottle and place in the freezer until the water completely turns into ice. Then let the bottle thaw at room temperature. The resulting water becomes softer and more suitable for growing bamboo in it. If the water has acquired an unpleasant odor or a suspicious color earlier than 2 weeks, then you should change it and subsequently change the water in the vase with bamboo more often. If his leaves turn yellow, then the water also needs to be changed.

  A happy place in the apartment

  A vase with bamboo is best placed on the east side of the window or closer to it. You can not leave it on a sunlit windowsill, because the direct rays of the sun burn the leaves. Ideal for bamboo in water is a place in partial shade. If there are no such places in the apartment, then you can place a vase with bamboo on the windowsill or floor, covering the glass with a curtain, blinds or newspaper, protecting the plant from sunburn. When airing the room, cold air should not enter the plant, this negatively affects it.

  Pruning and propagation of bamboo in water

  If the bamboo has grown too large and no longer looks attractive, it should be pruned. It is made with special scissors, above the knots, otherwise the cut will come out ugly.

  Pruning can be carried out annually, trimming long shoots on all sides, if necessary, remove the outer reeds at ground level.

  By removing side shoots from the desired sides, you can model the shape and appearance of the bamboo as you wish. Pruning can also be used to propagate bamboo. In this case, either the upper cuttings are cut off and rooted in water, or the stem is cut into several parts, lubricating the cuts with soft, but not hot wax. Never use yellowed areas of bamboo for propagation. If there are no shoots, then you can cut the top and after such an operation a shoot should grow, if it does not appear, then repeat pinching the stem.

  Conclusion

  Caring for bamboo in water is an opportunity to let your fantasy and imagination come true. From bamboo shoots, you can create various interesting compositions, add decorative stones, red and gold ribbons or talisman figures to them. “Lucky Bamboo” looks great in a transparent vase with colored hydrogel. Do not forget about its purpose – 3 stems for good luck, 5 for prosperity, 7 affect health, and 21 stems will affect all areas of life.