How to care for lucky bamboo

Jessica Damiano | Garden Detective

January 24, 2008

I was just given a bamboo plant and do not know how to take care of it. Your help would be greatly appreciated. -- Barbara Barci, West Babylon

Bamboo - also known as Lucky Bamboo - is a popular houseplant often given as a gift to bestow good fortune, according to Chinese tradition. It's also a component of feng shui principles. Technically, these houseplants - usually several stalks tied together with string or ribbon - aren't bamboos at all. They're Dracaena sanderiana, relatives of the lily and native to West Africa. They go by the common name bamboo for reasons unknown.

Bamboo is an easy houseplant to grow, and it requires little care. Just remove the string to keep it from choking the plant as it grows and be sure it gets plenty of indirect sunlight. Direct sunlight can cause yellowing of the stalks.

If your plant came in a pot filled with tiny pebbles, simply replenish the water as it evaporates, keeping it at about an inch from the base of the stalks. Change the water completely from time to time to keep it clean. If it's planted in soil, water it when the soil surface becomes dry. Using chlorinated, fluorinated tap water might cause the stalks to turn yellow, so let the water sit in a cup overnight at room temperature before watering. This will allow the chemicals to dissipate. You can use spring water instead, if you prefer. And keep the bamboo away from pets; it's toxic.

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I read your article on Jan. 3 about Christmas cactus. I have one and your article certainly interested me. The only months you failed to mention were January to April. Can you tell me the care of this plant during that time period? I get maybe two buds - in fact, right now there are only two buds on the plant. I was excited about the buds, but when I saw the dozens of blooms in the picture in the paper, my excitement certainly deflated. Help.

Lou Grottano, Wantagh

I received several e-mails just like yours, Lou, with readers wondering how to care for their Christmas cactuses from January to April. That's when the plant is resting, so it doesn't require much care at all aside from some infrequent watering to keep it from drying out completely. It would be best to house it at about 55 degrees during this period, starting when the blossoms fade in January until April, when you should pick up the watering again.

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