How to Look After a Japanese Lucky Bamboo

Japanese lucky bamboo is a low-maintenance plant.

Japanese lucky bamboo is not a real bamboo plant. It sells in garden shops as lucky bamboo, ribbon plant or by its scientific name, Dracaena sanderiana. Thought to bring good fortune, it is a suitable plant for homes and offices because it is so easy to maintain, generally only growing in water and pebbles, though it can also grow in soil. With proper care, Japanese lucky bamboo can grow between 1 and 3 inches every year.

Things You'll Need

• Flower pot or vase
• Pebbles
• Distilled water

Instructions

1. Place the plant in a pot or vase that is about 2 inches bigger in diameter than the plant. Your pot should have a drain hole if you are planting in soil.

2. Cover the base of the plant with pebbles to hold it upright in the pot, or fill the pot with soil.

3. Pour distilled water to a height of 1 inch above the pebbles or until the soil is saturated. Maintain the water level as it drops.

4. Place the plant in a room no cooler than 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep it away from air conditioning and heaters.

5. Change the water (if you planted your lucky bamboo in pebbles and water), and rinse the plant, pebbles and pot once a week to prevent the plant from rotting and the pebbles and pot from developing algae.

Tips & Warnings

• Lucky bamboo requires minimal sunlight. As long as the plant receives a little light from a nearby window, it will grow well.

• Distilled water does not contain the chemicals that tap water often has and is healthier for the plant.

• If you notice a foul odor coming from the plant, discard it. Once the plant rots to that extent, it is too late to save it.

References

• University of Illinois Extension: Plant Palette - Dracaena
• Emily Compost: Dracaena Sanderiana