How to Care for a Water Lucky Bamboo

Lucky bamboo, sometimes called water lucky bamboo, is a member of the lily family and is not actually a bamboo at all. The lucky bamboo is said to bring fortune to the building it's planted in, as well as to bring in the wood and water elements from a feng shui standpoint. It's relatively easy to grow and only requires a vase, water and the right kind of fertilizer.

Things You'll Need

• Vase
• Water soluble fertilizer
• Knife
• Spray bottle

Instructions

1. Place the water lucky bamboo in a vase with no watering holes on the bottom. Fill the vase with one inch of water and maintain this water level at all times. Every week, empty the vase of all water and pour in a fresh inch of water.

2. Place the vase in an area that provides high amounts of indirect sunlight. Be careful not to let it get too hot, as lucky bamboo thrives in temperatures from 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Add small amounts of water-soluble fertilizer to the vase once every three to four days. Adding increased amounts of fertilizer will encourage growth, and should only be done when planning to repot the plant in a larger container.

4. Combat yellowing leaves by reducing the amount of sunlight the water lucky bamboo is receiving, and changing the quality of water it is in. Water with too much salt or fluoride has negative effects on the plant. Replace it with filtered, distilled, or spring water.

5. Take cuttings from the water lucky bamboo by using a knife to cut through a stalk, just beneath a joint. These cuttings can be placed in new vases and grown normally. Use a spray bottle filled with water to mist the new cutting and promote the growth of buds.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure you have the proper number of stalks. According to Chinese legend, three stalks represent happiness, five stalks mean wealth, six stalks stand for health, but four stalks indicate unhappiness or failure.