Keep Your Bamboo Healthy

Ever bought a lucky bamboo plant only to have it turn brown after a week or two? The most important thing for bamboo is WATER. Yes, it sounds too simple, but watering your bamboo plant is crucial to its overall health. If you make sure your plant has enough water, usually it will be fine. Bamboo is a beautiful plant and can add an Asian twist to any house décor as well as freshness. Lucky bamboo is also said to bring good fortune into the houses in which they dwell. If you're ready to purchase your own bamboo or already have one, here are some simple tips to keeping a beautiful and healthy bamboo buddy.

As mentioned before, keeping your bamboo well hydrated can be the difference between a vibrant, green beauty and a brown, soggy half dead plant. Just remember this: There is no such thing as watering your bamboo too much. Keeping it in a vase or small cup with rocks, gravel, pebbles or something of that sort will keep your bamboo stable. Then fill the container, leaving only a small space between the top of the water and the top of the vase/cup. Keeping your bamboo in water at all times will ensure that he never becomes thirsty.

Lighting is also something to keep in mind when taking care of your plant. Bamboo will become scorched and turn brown or yellow if it is in direct sunlight for too long. My suggestion is to keep your bamboo away from windowsills. Unless you live in a place where it's cloudy all of the time, your bamboo will die because of the hot sun. It's okay for the plant to be on a desk, table or dresser in a room that has natural light coming in as long as the sun is not directly hitting the bamboo. I put my two little bamboo friends on my bedside tables where they are well shaded away from my window.

Changing the water that is in your bamboo's vase can ensure the health of your bamboo. If your plant starts looking a bit yellow and sad, simply change out the water once a week and replace it with new, fresh water. Do not take the bamboo out of its container. Drain the water out without removing your bamboo friend from its home.

Always use plant food when caring for bamboo. After having two of my plants die in the past, I decided to talk to the lady who owned the store where I purchased my bamboo. She told me that bamboo food is almost as important as water to a bamboo. The kind I purchase is in a small plastic container with the label 'Super Green' on it. The contents are a green liquid and it only costs about $0.50 or $1.00 to purchase a bottle. Get a jug of water (about one gallon) from the sink and mix all of the contents of the bamboo food into the container with the water. Then you'll be able to quickly feed and water your bamboo anytime you notice it's getting low. Every few days I add water and food to my plants. Just shake up the jug and pour as much as you want. This is also good for any kind of plant, not just bamboo. You can find many different brands of bamboo/plant food online or in most stores that sell bamboo. I've found that most times I only need one bottle per gallon of water. Start out with one and if that doesn't seem to do the trick you can always add more later to fit your needs.

Some say that spraying the bamboo with a spray bottle once or twice a day helps keep it healthier. I tried this with my plants and saw no difference in the vibrancy in color or health of the plant. However, spraying them and then wiping them down with a paper towel does keep the dust off and helps your new little plant friend to be nice and clean.

If you follow these tips, your bamboo should stay healthy and green. :)