Do you want to take care of lucky bamboo easily at home? Add the cleanest houseplant to your family. Many people know it as a plant of wealth and keep at least one vase in their house to attract abundance and health. This plant has been an important element in Feng Shui culture for about 5,000 years and symbolizes good luck, happiness, and prosperity. lucky bamboo care is very easy and you can keep them in water and soil. In other words, this plant can live in a pot full of water or a pot filled with suitable soil, and it depends on whether you want to keep bamboo in the soil or a pot full of water.
take your time and read article about 17 Feng Shui Plants for Wealth.
You must be wondering how these delicate bamboos become strong and tall bamboos? Why is the size of the bamboo in the pot so different from the bamboo in nature? How bamboo survives and is resistant in any condition? And thousands of other questions about lucky bamboo care. We will answer them in the rest of the article.
Bamboo is trendy among people interested in houseplants and is widely used for the interior design of minimal and simple houses. Almost everyone who wants a stylish and formal office uses a long vase with bamboo branches to decorate their workplace.
Bamboo after the Hiroshima incident
lucky bamboo care is straightforward, and you don’t need to make ant effort to keep it. After all, bamboo was the only plant that started sprouting and growing after the Hiroshima atomic accident in 1945! This exciting incident reminds us of the strength of endurance of bamboo, which can even survive an atomic bomb with its particular and precise creation method.
Introduction of bamboo
The scientific name of this plant is dracaena sanderiana, also called Ribbon Plant-Lucky Bamboo. It belongs to the Draecenaceae family, native to Cameroon and West Africa. In many places, it is known as the plant of luck, and contrary to what is thought, it is not a member of the reed family. This plant has narrow stems and compact bushes that reach a height of more than 1.5 meters.
The bamboo plant consists of four parts: the inner surface (with a soft cover), the diaphragm (connecting the parts of the stem), the middle and the upper cover, which is very hard and slow-breaking, and the diaphragm is completely compact, and water does not penetrate it.
Due to its tall height, the bamboo plant is often known as the bamboo tree, despite the fact that this plant is not a tree and is in the group of herbaceous plants. Bamboo, which belongs to the grass, wheat, and fodder family, is the tallest herbaceous plant in the world.
The similarities between Bambusa vulgaris and lucky bamboo
- Type of texture and plant species
- The appearance and shape of the leaves
- being empty inside them (being like a straw)
The differences between Bambusa vulgaris and lucky bamboo
- Size and height
- Plant diameter
- Color variety
- Adaptability to different environmental conditions
What does bamboo symbolize?
As it was found in the section introducing the names of the bamboo plant, this plant symbolizes good luck. It has a lot of positive energy, and by being placed in any environment, it strengthens the sense of peace in it. Bamboo wood is very durable and strong.
That is why some herbalists consider it a symbol of strength and steadfastness (this symbol is less commonly used). Others believe this beautiful and desirable plant symbolizes health, wealth, and luck. Therefore, the bamboo plant has a special place in Feng Shui culture. In any case, what can be seen is that the care of the bamboo grass plant creates a good and positive feeling in the general public.
The symbol of the number of bamboo shoots
- A branch: It symbolizes uniqueness and an unhindered flow of energy.
- Two Branches: Symbolizes good luck in love and is the best number to give as a gift to your partner.
- Three branches: It symbolizes continued growth, birth, and family.
- Four branches: a symbol for death! So don’t give 4 bamboo as a gift to anyone.
- Five branches: It symbolizes prosperity, longevity, luck, happiness, and prosperity.
- Six branches: It symbolizes getting wealth through luck and opportunities and can be an excellent gift for the workplace.
- Seven branches: It is a symbol of health and personal growth.
- Eight branches: It symbolizes endless energy and abundant blessings.
- Nine branches: It is a symbol of success and recognition.
The right conditions for keeping bamboo at home
By following these vital points, you can keep bamboo in average soil, jelly soil, or water for up to 8 or even 10 years;
- Never place the bamboo pot in direct sunlight for a long time.
- If you keep bamboo in a water pot, you should change the water in the pot every 15 to 30 days.
- If using jelly soil, wash it before use to prevent diseases.
- Use weekly watering on the leaves, so the plant easily absorbs the water it needs.
- In cold seasons, avoid placing the pot in front of the wind and cold.
- When the bamboo loses its order and leaves, it becomes crowded; carefully prune it.
In the following, we will discuss more about lucky bamboo care and its keeping conditions.
Suitable light for bamboo keeping
Although bamboo is native to Asia and tropical climates, it does not like direct sunlight. When you place the bamboo vase in direct sunlight, the leaves start to curl from the inside and try to disappear from the sunlight. The bamboo plant needs indirect and filtered light to grow; if you place this plant in front of direct light, its leaves will burn. To have such light, try to put the plant at a distance of 3 to 4 meters from the southern window covered with a curtain to have filtered indirect light. One of the leading causes of the burning and yellowing of bamboo leaves is the same direct light that can ruin your sweet plant.
lucky bamboo watering
in lucky bamboo care You pay attention the water you use, watering it and the conations in which you can keep this plant in water. you can plant this plant separately in the soil, but the best way to keep bamboo in water is to do this; you should not put the whole stem in water; it is enough to put only 3 to 5 lower branches of the plant in water.
First, boil the water and place it in an environment for 24 hours to keep it at the same temperature as the storage place, and then add it to the plant pot. Put tap water aside for 24 hours to remove all its different substances, including chlorine, because tap water contains chlorine and fluoride, which are harmful to bamboo. Try to change the plant’s water every two weeks because, during this time, the plant will absorb all the salts and need new salts for growth. You may agree more with keeping bamboo flowers in water because, in addition to having a unique beauty in glass vases, for those who remember when and how much water is suitable for their vases, it reduces the chance of the plant getting damaged.
Bamboo needs oxygen to grow, and excess water collects oxygen. Jelly soil is another option for keeping this lucky plant. You can use jelly soil to keep bamboo, but first, you must root the plant in water and then transfer it to the soil.
But if you prefer this plant to be in the soil, pay attention to lucky bamboo watering buy rich soil with excellent drainage and keep the soil moist all the time. What we mean by keeping the soil moist is that when the plant’s soil becomes dry, water it again. Therefore, avoid excessive watering and water-logging of the soil because this will cause the roots to rot and your plant to die.
Temperature and humidity requirements of bamboo
The best temperature for lucky bamboo care is 64-72 degrees ; note that the bamboo plant does not like temperature changes and loves constant temperature. In summer and winter, avoid placing bamboo in front of the air conditioner, near the heater, and next to the entrance door, where there is a possibility of the wind blowing. Choose a permanent place in your home or office for bamboo and keep it there forever. By taking good care of bamboo, you can have this resistant plant in your home for many years and use its good energy.
Bamboo can quickly grow in the standard humidity of the building. For better growth, you can use dusting on its leaves and provide more humidity for the plant.
Fertilizing bamboo
Like other indoor plants, this plant needs nutrition to grow, and you can use complete fertilizer and special drops for this plant in the market once a month. Dissolve the fertilizer in water and give it to the plant.
Should we prune bamboo?
pruning is one of the most important and at the same time pleasurable part of lucky bamboo care. Because bamboo may become too heavy over time and lose its usual shape. Generally, cutting the main branch of the plant to prune the plant is the wrong action; instead, it is better to cut the branches that have branched from the main branch. For this purpose, cut the side stem until 1 to 2 inch remains. To protect the cut part, cover it with paraffin to prevent the entry of bacteria.
If you want to change the plant’s overall shape, you can cut the side branch from its end. A bronze-colored wound is created at the cut site, from which a new stem may grow, and this means that there is a chance for you to change the overall shape of the plant. We recommend not throwing away the cut stems after pruning bamboo, as you can use them as cuttings for new plant growth.
As a final note on bamboo pruning, if you need to cut the main stem for any reason, be aware that new branches will grow from below the cut.
Is bamboo poisonous?
Bamboo is one of the poisonous plants, and it is toxic to pets like dogs or cats. If animals eat this plant, it may cause diarrhea, heartache, watery mouth, weakness, or dilated pupils.
How poisonous is bamboo ?
HCN causes bitterness in bamboo shoots, which limits their edible value. The acute lethal dose of cyanide for humans is 0.5–3.5 mg/kg; approximately 25–175 mg of cyanide from bamboo shoots produces a lethal dose for an adult male.
How do we know that we are allergic to bamboo?
Mild reactions include watery eyes, sneezing, congestion, and runny nose. But in the worst case, the allergic reaction caused by the bamboo plant can exacerbate eczema or even a severe asthma attack.
How to propagate bamboo
Bamboo is generally propagated by cuttings. The first step for this is to choose a healthy cutting. Choosing a cutting with at least one leaf or more is better. Then remove the extra leaves from the plant to see the growth node of the plant. Under normal conditions, the plant does not need growth hormone and can take root by itself and quickly. But if you have had unsuccessful experiences, you can use growth hormone as an auxiliary force.
After choosing the cutting, there are 2 ways in front of you to root the cutting:
Rooting bamboo in water: this method is more common and better. For this purpose, put the cut stem with at least one leaf in distilled water. After some time, new and red roots of the plant start to grow from the bottom of the stem. Keep the water as clean as possible. You can transfer the plant roots to a beautiful pot or soil as soon as they are formed.
Bamboo rooting in the soil: Bamboo can also root well in the soil. To do this, gently place the plant in fresh soil and ensure that at least one node is inside the soil. Then move the pot to a relatively warm place with adequate light and keep the soil moist.
Bamboo in Feng Shui
According to the Chinese, this bamboo plant is auspicious and lucky and has been used to attract abundance and wealth since long ago in East Asia. Later, this flower became one of the most popular apartment flowers due to its beautiful appearance and very easy maintenance method, and it has a special place in the decor industry. In the science of Feng Shui, it is believed that if this flower is in a home, it will bring good luck. The bamboo plant can also bring wealth, and luck. So if you want to have a peaceful life full of wealth and bring good luck, this flower may come in handy.
Bamboo pest and disease
Pests that attack bamboo generally include fungi, aphids, and mites. It is the fungi’s fault if you see signs of brown spots on the plant. For treatment, you need to remove the deformed part, keep the stem and leaves dry and change the plant’s location to have better airflow.
Aphids are also white insects that are easily seen by the eye, and you have to clean them from the surface of the plant with the help of an alcohol wipe. Mites are not interested in bamboo by themselves and usually migrate to this plant from other plants. You can eliminate these insects by combining water and detergents.
What is the cause of bamboo leaves turning yellow?
Lucky Bamboo Turning Yellow can happen because of placing the plant in direct light or water salinity, chlorine, or fluoride. Check the problem and take action to fix it. Of course, other deficiencies, such as calcium and potassium, can cause this problem. Be sure to use special bamboo drops that are antibacterial.
Reasons for bamboo leaves to fall
If the leaves of your plant are small or do not open, it is due to a lack of light and nutrients, immediately move the plant to a place with a lot of indirect sunlight and change its water. Be sure to boil the water you use to change the plant and let it cool, wash the bamboo flowerpot and then pour the water into it.
Why does bamboo not give new leaves?
Cold can reduce plant growth and move the plant to a warm place.
What is the cause of the browning of bamboo leaves?
This problem can be caused by water pollution and lack of humidity. Spraying water on bamboo leaves increases the moisture and changes the plant’s water.
What is the cause of bamboo stem rotting?
In this situation, your plant is affected by fungus, so remove the plant from the water as soon as possible, cut the infected area above the rot, put the plant in the fungicide solution, and then put it in the water.
Why are there burnt spots on bamboo leaves?
Placing the bamboo flowerpot in direct sunlight and watering it in the hot afternoon will cause such a problem. Of course, if the plant suffers stem rot and the stem turns yellow due to the destruction of the vessels and the inability of the stem to absorb water, it threatens the death of the flower and plant. So, it would be best to cut the stem above the coverage area so that the healthy vessels can be seen and the cut surface is white and healthy.
Yellowing of water soon is also a sign of plant disease and needs to be examined.
Note: Avoid moving the bamboo plant inside the building because the plant will get used to its location after a while. Shifting may cause stress to the plant and yellowing of the leaves.
Summary of lucky bamboo care
In this article, we tried to examine the right conditions for lucky bamboo care and some helpful information about this plant. Bamboo is one of the most beautiful evergreen plants, which can make your decoration happy and energetic with its positive energy. Caring for this beautiful plant is not difficult and can be done by the general public. It is enough to provide suitable environmental conditions for the bamboo pot to make this beautiful plant a permanent guest of your home.
If you have questions or tips about bamboo care, post them in the comment section.