A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 New Lucky Bamboo

I have just bought a Lucky Bamboo, and I would like to know all the tips to keep it healty.

I have read that you place them in water to root them, but then take them out and place them in soil once rooted. Mine is rooted with about 1-1.5" roots.

What else do I need to do? It is quite a large piece, should I cut it in half? How do I pot it? I'll try to post some pictures at the end.

The top part. I think this was mass grown, and I have a middle shoot, it was cut on the top and bottom.


This is how tall it is. It's about 2 milk crates tall (if you have any).


I hope you can see it and let me know. I have tried to take pictures of it, but it seems to be shy in front of the camera. I appear to have taken a picture of every plant -but- my Lucky Bamboo. Please let me know what I should do!! Thanks a ton and a half!

I have a pot of lucky bamboo and it is in a lava like rock and I just keep it full of water and it is doing great. I've had it for about a year or so.....

It doesn't die after a year or so? I read that they will grow fine in water, but will die off after around a year. Great that yours is working, maybe I'll just leave mine in water.

i've got some that i've had for about 3 years now. it's still in the same container with the same rocks that it came in.

i got another bunch a year ago...that, too is still in water (when i got it, it was in a small ceramic container with no rocks because they tied a bunch of pieces together and they fit the diameter of the pot perfectly.). i did move it to a larger pot.

i'm still debating on whether to move any of it to soil...both sets are doing just fine as they are so i don't know if i want to mess around with something that's working!

they need bright indirect light and you will have to make sure you keep the water level up if you're going to leave it in water only.

you can cut your stalk in half or even in thirds (since it's such a long piece) and then, just stick the additional pieces in water and they'll start roots on the end that's in the water and the other end will soon sprout some leaves.

I still have the tag from mine. Here is what it says:

Keep medium moist at all times. Can do well in standing water. Your Bamboo Garden will grow in most indoor light conditions, but perfers low light. Fertilize very little. Use only 10% of label requirements and fertilize no more than once every three months. Remove pale or yellow stems from your arrangement. This will not affect the look or quality of other bamboo stems.

Mine is in a ceramic vase like pot which has as I said before lava like rocks in it. I just top off the container with water about once a week. More when it is dry in the winter or summer. The leaves on mine are now as tall as or taller than the actually bamboo pieces.

Cool, thanks so much guys (and gals), I think I will leave it in water. Much easier and better to show off!

I've had mine for about a year and half and I've just cut it into half and placed both parts in water. Will keep you posted.

I had mine about 6 months, in plain water and the container it came in, all tied up.. Do not put it in the sun....I have southern exposure, Only on the refrigerator.

So far so good.. Why pot them if they can just like in water?????????
Cheaper.

dodge

Wrong............Northern exposure..

dodge

I transplanted mine to soil and it had a rough time. a couple of the lower leaves dies on each stalk. not to bad. only one stalk acutually died.

good let us know if it parts in death..

Hope not

dodge

I have noticed some brown spots forming on the stem. Is this normal?

newto the pot

I dont even look at mine till water time.

They do have brownies on the at places.

Try not to worry..

dodge

Seen the brown spots before... sometimes they just heal themselves, others the entire stalk goes. You've kinda got to wait it out and see.

Also, putting them in soil can be disastrous. Depends on the type of bamboo.... clumpers are okay outside after some time to acclimate (though our weather changes in zone 7 might be funky for some- there are different hardiness levels between species) but if you get the other kind (and I don't know about the lucky stuff) it can take over your garden because it spreads underground easily.

Good luck!

Thanks, I don't have to worry!

Snapdragon

I heard that story before..Roots clear to china..ha ha.

That is outdoor type.....
The indoor type isnt that way.
Newtothe pot, should not worry.

:p :p
dodge

I keep mine in water...I bought my first cane 3 yrs. ago and it's still doing great....in fact it looks healthier than the newer ones.

I noticed several people wrote about just "topping up" the water...I would recommend that you actually change the water monthly, at the very least. I change my water about every week & a half. plants grown in water that isn't changed often are likely to develop fungal infections.. I've never bought one with the roots below rocks for that reason. I keep my canes in a transparent green glass vase that is tall enough to hold them upright, it should be a clear (uncolored) or transparent (colored) glass or plastic vase if it's tall, so some light can penetrate the glass to the whole length of the cane. I use distilled water usually (they don't like chlorinated/flouridated water), but alternate occasionally with tap-water (that has stood for about 12 hrs., to let the chlorine evaporate) so it can get some minerals. Maybe monthly, put just 1 drop of liquid fertilizer (like Miracle Grow) in a cup of water, and give it to the plant (not the whole cup, just enough to cover the roots).Fertilizer in plain water is absorbed more than fertilizer in soil, hence the tiny dosage. When the roots get long enough that it's difficult to take the canes in and out of the container without squeezing the roots, give it a root-pruning.
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Karamy

Karamy

SOunds good to me.

Dodge

Originally (when I first bought the stalk) I had it in a small candle jar. I read up on them, and got a larger glass (clear) vase, and filled it with stones. If I could find my camera, I would take a picture, but I can't. Its a pretty tall stalk, a little over 2' tall. I think I want to buy a couple more stalks (it was a loner) to cut up and make more stalks. Thanks for the info everyone, it has really helped me! Keep up the good work! (and any hints)