Lucky Bamboo
Not a bamboo at all but a dracaena, sold as green canes standing in water or pebbles. Tolerates low light and lives for years in a vase, as long as the water is clean and free of chlorine. Toxic to pets.
Lucky bamboo is the twisted green stalk in a vase of pebbles on every office desk. It is a dracaena from the African rainforest floor, which is why it handles dim rooms so well, and it grows happily in plain water for years.
The two things that kill it are chlorine and fluoride in tap water, which yellow the leaf tips and eventually the canes, and letting the water go stale.
Light
Medium to low indirect light. A north window, an office under ceiling lights, a few feet from any window. Direct sun scorches the leaves and heats the water.
Water
In water: keep the roots covered, change the water weekly, and use filtered, distilled or rain water, or tap water left out overnight. In soil: keep lightly moist, watering when the top inch is dry. It dislikes drying out completely.
Soil and potting
Pebbles and water, or a standard potting mix if you prefer soil, where it grows faster and stronger. Rinse the pebbles and vase at each water change.
Feeding
A single drop of liquid fertiliser in the vase every couple of months, or a quarter-strength feed every eight weeks in soil. It needs very little; too much yellows it.
Propagation
Cut a cane below a node and stand the cutting in water. It roots within a few weeks. The curly shapes come from growers rotating the plant against a light source over months.
In a hot, dry home
Easy here. Dry air and AC do not trouble it. Tap water is the issue everywhere but especially here, where it is hard and treated; use filtered water and it is untroubled.
Lucky Bamboo varieties
Same care, different look. These are the named forms you will see for sale.
- Straight stalks
The standard cut canes, sold singly or in bundles.
- Pyramid
Tiered stalks arranged in a pyramid.
- Twister
Spiralled stalks, trained by rotating the plant toward light as it grows.
Problems and fixes
Yellow leaf tips
Likely cause: Chlorine or fluoride in tap water, or too much fertiliser
Fix: Switch to filtered or rain water. Feed less.
Yellow cane from the bottom up
Likely cause: Rot from stale water, or fertiliser burn
Fix: Cut the healthy top off above the yellow and re-root it in fresh water. The yellow cane cannot be saved.
Algae in the vase
Likely cause: Light on the water
Fix: Change the water, rinse the pebbles, use an opaque vase.
Lucky Bamboo questions
Is lucky bamboo toxic to cats and dogs?
Yes. It is a dracaena and contains saponins that cause vomiting and drooling.
Why is my lucky bamboo turning yellow?
Tap water chemicals or fertiliser, most often. Switch to filtered water and stop feeding. A cane yellow from the base has rotted; cut the green top and re-root it.
Can lucky bamboo live in water forever?
Yes, for years, if you change the water weekly and use filtered water. It grows faster in soil.
Plants with a similar rhythm
Dragon Tree
- Light
- Low to bright indirect
- Water
- Every 10 days
- Pets
- Toxic
Corn Plant
- Light
- Low to bright indirect
- Water
- Every 10 days
- Pets
- Toxic
ZZ Plant
- Light
- Low to bright indirect
- Water
- Every 3 weeks
- Pets
- Toxic
