What is Lucky Bamboo

Walk into any store that sells plants and flowers and you will most likely spot a beautiful Lucky bamboo bent around or intermingled with other lucky bamboos in a clear glass vase with rocks in it or some sort of interesting display.

The plant is very popular all over the world. What most people don’t know is that this cool looking bamboo plant is not a bamboo at all.

It is from a lily plant family. The real name of the lucky bamboo is Dracaena Sanderiana and is part of the Dracaena family.

Some other popular nicknames for the lucky bamboo are Belgian Evergreen, Ribbon Plant and Ribbon Dracaena. Lucky Bamboo sounds like the best choice to me for a nickname.

Dracaena Sanderiana is mainly found in Cameroon which is in the equator and tropical area of West Africa. The plant is an upright shrub which can grow as high as 5’ and the stalk never getting any bigger than 2’ in diameter.

It is interesting how the plant is marketed as a lucky bamboo but not related at all to bamboo.

Lucky Bamboo or Dracaena Sanderiana is extremely easy to take care of and grow. The plant is usually sold in a container filled with water but it will grow better if you plant it in soil.

If you do keep it in water make sure to change the water 100% at least every two weeks. Don’t use water directly from the tap if it contains fluoride or chlorine, the plant won’t last long using that type of water.

Use filtered water coming from a bottle or if you have a filtering system at home such as reverse osmosis etc.

Some people even use water from fresh water aquariums with great success. Do not put the plant in direct sunlight, the sun will burn the leaves and or cause them to turn yellow.

Indirect bright light is best with a temperature somewhere in the range of 18 to 28 Celsius.

If the leaves are getting brown or yellow edges you need to make sure it is not in the direct sunlight and if the water you are using is filtered.

Many Dracaena Sanderianas can be purchased with the stem twisted and curled sometimes many of them twisted the same way causing an interesting display to view.

You can also achieve this look if you have some patience. If you slowly rotate the plants container every so often after you notice growth you can easily achieve a twisted lucky bamboo of your own.

Try not to place the plant where a cool breeze from an air conditioner might blow on it. Away from windows that open is also a good idea.

Fertilizer can be used and you can actually purchase lucky bamboo fertilizer.

Adhere to the instructions on the bottle of fertilizer for the best results.

One thing I can’t forget to mention is that the inside of the leaves are mildly toxic if consumed so keep your display out of reach of your young children and pets for safety.

When looking at lucky bamboo in the stores you will notice that they are sometimes grouped together in 3’s, 5’s and other mixes.

The meanings of the number or plants or stalks grouped together are as follows. Two together are for love & marriage, three together are for happiness, five together are for health, eight is wealth and nine together is the luckiest of combinations and stands for good fortune and happiness together.

If you are a gift giver that enjoys giving plants consider gifting a Lucky Bamboo. The hardiness of this plants makes it a sure fire winner even for the worst gardeners. All you have to do is explain how much water to provide for the plant and the fact that most Lucky Bamboo come with a see through container there is no way someone can mess up taking care of the plant. It is also easy for you to take a visual of the plant when visiting to make sure you don't need to step in and show the plant some love.