Gardening 101: Lucky Bamboo

Lucky Bamboo, Dracaena sanderiana: “Feng Shui Friend”

If you are someone who hopes for peace, prosperity, longevity, luck, beauty, good energy, or graciousness (and most of us probably fall into at least one of those categories), adding a lucky bamboo plant to your home may help. It’s also a fuss-free houseplant that requires virtually no care. Read on for everything you need to know about this feng shui-friendly plant.

Above: Lucky bamboo does well in sunny (but not too bright) windows. Ikea sells the plants in selected stores; in UK stores, a Dracaena Spiral is £1.50.

Lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana, also called Dracaena braunii) is not a true bamboo. It’s a member of the Dracaena family (rather than the Poaceae family to which bamboo belongs). Yet it shares physical similarities.

Above:  Five bare-root stalks of Lucky Bamboo are $15 from Plantnseeds via Etsy.

Lucky bamboo has red roots; slender, pointed leaves; and cylindrical, hollow green stems that are sometimes curled or encouraged into shapes. It is native to Africa, not Asia.

Above: The stalks look strikingly similar to bamboo. Photograph by Gabriel Caparó.

Cheat Sheet

• When considering a container for your lucky bamboo, stick to glass: Translucent containers prevent excessive algae growth in the pebbles, and allow the full stalks to be seen.
• According to the tenets of feng shui, it’s important to place your plant in exactly the right spot. For example, for positive energy, choose the Southeast corner; to signify family, place three lucky bamboo stalks in the eastern portion of your home.
• To encourage lucky bamboo to curl, try rotating the plant slightly every once in a while. The stalk will grow towards the light, resulting in different growth directions.

Keep It Alive

• Lucky bamboo grows best in pebbles or small stones, not dirt, to keep it upright, and at least an inch of water. Distilled or bottled water, rather than tap, is ideal.
• Keep your bamboo in a warm, sunny place, ideally one that stays between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. A not-too-bright windowsill is ideal.
• Bamboo grows quickly; prune excessive growth to keep it trim.

Above: Lucky bamboo grows best in pebbles or rocks to keep it upright and stabilized. Photograph by Grant Guarino.

Above: Set on a windowsill with other houseplants (like bonsai), lucky bamboo creates a calming vignette. Photograph by Glasseyes View.

And, when selecting your plant, consider the number of stalks: Feng shui experts say that a grouping of five stalks attracts wealth; seven attracts healthfulness; while just two promote love and relationships.

For more easy-to-care-for, good-vibes houseplants, see our posts:

• Gardening 101: Philodendron.
• Gardening 101: Sansevieria.
• Gardening 101: Monstera.

Finally, get more ideas on how to successfully plant, grow, and care for bamboo with our Bamboo: A Field Guide.

Finally, get more ideas on how to plant, grow, and care for various houseplants with our Houseplants: A Field Guide.

Additionally, get more ideas on how to plant, grow and care for various grasses with our Grasses: A Field Guide.