Dracaena sanderiana - Lucky bamboo - Star Nursery

Lucky Bamboo 

Dracaena sanderiana 

Star-Tip 1048 

Gardening Tips for successful and beautiful Landscapes and Gardens 

You should know that the plant we call “Lucky Bamboo” is not bamboo at all; it’s Dracaena. 

It only looks like bamboo. Lucky Bamboo a plant often recommended by Feng Shui 

masters, is known as 'fu gui zhu' in Chinese. Fu means rich, gui noble, and zhu bamboo. 

Lucky Bamboo is popular in Taiwan since it is believed that it can bring good luck. 

As millions of "lucky" consumers around the world have discovered, Lucky Bamboo makes 

the perfect house or office plant, needing little care but an inch of water and little direct 

sunlight to keep it happy and thriving. Bright indirect light to Light shade work just fine. 

Imported from Taiwan, 

Lucky Bamboo is extremely 

hardy. 

New plants 

are often in decorative pots 

You may want larger 

plants in soil 

They will grow indoors for 

years with very little care, 

requiring only an inch or 

two of water. To get new 

plants, you can break off a 

stem and re-plant it in 

water. Then by changing the 

water every three days, it 

will quickly root and can 

then be passed on to a 

friend 

Because Lucky Bamboo grows so well in water, you can even grow it in a water fountain! 

You’ll need a fountain with a not-too-shallow bowl, so the root end of the stalks is in about 

2” of water. Use pebbles or marbles to hold the stalks in place. 

BRINGING YOUR LUCKY BAMBOO HOME 

Moving can be a little stressful, even for resilient Lucky Bamboo. To help it adjust to its new 

environment, place it near a window where it will be close to – but not directly in – bright 

light. Unless the water level is very low (or the soil is dry, if your plant is in soil) don’t 

water for two to three days. Allow the plant to adjust before giving it fresh water. If you 

plan to keep the plant somewhere rather dark, move it farther from the window for a 

couple of days before moving it to it’s final location. 

Tip 1048 Lucky Bamboo.doc Page 1 of 4

WHERE TO KEEP IT 

Lucky Bamboo can be poisonous to pets. If you have pets in the house, especially pets who 

like to chew on plants, you’ll want to keep it where these pets won’t get at it. This may 

mean getting a smaller plant that will fit on a high shelf, rather than splurging on a large 

arrangement for your living room coffee table. 

It is a very easy plant to have almost anywhere in the house from shady to bright rooms. 

The canes when old lose the smooth light green surface and begin to develop an attractive 

light brown paper like 'bark'. 

Other practical considerations include making sure the plants will not be in much direct 

sunlight, and that they won’t get too dry or too cold. In other words, avoid putting your 

Lucky Bamboo arrangement right in front of the heating or A/C vent or on your sunniest 

windowsill. While need to avoid these extremes, Lucky Bamboo will do fine just about 

anywhere else. Since Lucky Bamboo can tolerate a wide range of living conditions, you 

have a lot of flexibility about where to display it. 

CARING FOR YOUR LUCKY BAMBOO 

Like any other plant, Lucky Bamboo does need some light. It of course needs water, and 

nutrients to survive. It will do better with little attention than if you fuss over it, however. 

This plant likes to be admired but not pampered. Here are some guidelines to help you give 

it the best care: 

Light & Temperature: Lucky Bamboo will do best with moderate levels of indirect light. 

Sustained direct sunlight is too strong. It will tolerate low level light more easily than too 

much light. If you want your Lucky Bamboo to grow, however, it will need to be at the 

higher end of its light-range. It may survive very low light, but it won’t put out new leaves 

or get any taller. Lucky Bamboo prefers room temperatures at 65-70 o . 

Water: Lucky Bamboo grows very well hydroponically with its roots submerged in water, 

but it doesn’t like the chemicals – chlorine and fluoride, to name just two – present in most 

tap water, or salts that are quite high in Las Vegas water. Filtered water or rain water will 

keep your Lucky Bamboo healthy longer. If you don’t have a water filtration system, plan 

ahead and run tap water into a container the day before you water your Lucky Bamboo 

plants, and let it sit out, uncovered, at least overnight or for 24 hours to allow the 

chemicals to disperse. If you use distilled or reverse osmosis water, use a small amount of 

Dr. Q’s Plant tonic to reinstate the necessary minerals for plant health. 

Keep an eye on the water level in your Lucky Bamboo container, and add a little more as it 

gets lower; how often will depend on the size of your arrangement and the humidity in your 

home. Keep the water level at approximately an inch from the base of the canes. Every 

week or so, pour all the water out and refill the container with fresh water. 

If you happen to have a fresh water aquarium in your home, save some of the dirty 

aquarium water when you clean it, and use that to water your Lucky Bamboo. Your fish 

may be sensitive to all the microscopic stuff that builds up in the water, but your Lucky 

Bamboo will love it! DO NOT USE SALT WATER! 


HUMIDITY: Routine misting of your Lucky Bamboo may be necessary if you live in a dry 

climate. Read troubleshooting tips for symptoms of dryness. 

NUTRIENTS: Lucky Bamboo is pretty hardy, but it needs modest amounts of macro and 

micro nutrients occasionally. If it gets spindly and pale, try moving it a little closer to a light 

source and give it several drops of Plant Tonic. However, if it turns yellow shortly after you 

bring it home that’s often a sign it was over-fertilized before you purchased it. Change the 

water immediately, and don’t fertilize at all for several months. 

The best time to feed your Lucky Bamboo is when you change the water. Just add a couple 

of drops of Plant Tonic to the water you use to refill the container. If your Lucky Bamboo is 

growing in soil, you can use a stronger solution (1/2 teaspoon diluted in a quart of good 

water). 

Don’t feed every time you change the water! Every 2 months—or longer-- is often enough. 

Water-grown plants do not need to be fed as frequently as soil-grown plants, and feeding 

too much or too frequently is more harmful to plants than not feeding enough! Lucky 

Bamboo is naturally a very slow-growing plant, so don’t assume it needs to be fed just 

because it doesn’t seem to be growing. 

SHAPING YOUR PLANT Lucky Bamboo stalks are naturally straight. If you want curls, you 

have to encourage them by manipulating the plant’s position relative to its light source. 

You’ll want to place your plant where there is not much overall light, but with a strong light 

source from one side (avoid too much direct sunlight!). 

Try cutting the end and one side from a cardboard box, and set it over the entire thing so 

the open side is toward a window and the other three sides and top are shaded. After a 

while, you’ll notice that the stalks are starting to turn or bend toward the light. Once a 

definite bend to the stalk can be seen, turn the plant slightly by rotating the pot an inch or 

so. The plant will keep growing toward the light, and if you keep rotating the pot from time 

to time eventually you will have a spiraling stalk. Be patient, this process can take time. 

TROUBLESHOOTING 

In case your plant needs some extra attention here are some signs of trouble and what you 

should do if you see them: 

- Leaf tips turning brown: fluoride or salts in the water, or the air is too dry. Try switching 

to distilled or filtered water if you’ve been using tap water. If you’ve been using fertilizer a 

little too often, change the water and skip the plant food for several months. Low humidity 

can also cause the leaf tips to turn brown; remember that this is a tropical plant, so it likes 

high humidity. Don’t over water the plant (if in soil); it’s the leaf tips that are drying out, 

not the roots. Fill a plastic squirt-bottle with water and mist the leaves every day to keep 

them healthy. 

- Leaves turning yellow: too much light or too much fertilizer. Change the water 

immediately, move the container further from the light, and don’t feed at all for several 

months. 


- Stalks turning yellow from the bottom: too much fertilizer. Change the water and don’t 

feed, and there’s a chance the plant may recover. You can also cut off the stalks above the 

yellow part and root the tops. If one stalk turns yellow and the others look fine, just 

remove that one from the arrangement. 

- Stalks turn brown or mushy: the roots have rotted, probably from overfeeding, or from 

over-watering soil-grown plants. You CAN NOT save the bottom, but you can cut off 

healthy tops and restart them. 

- Insects or larvae in the water, or white sticky-looking stuff on the stalks: remove the 

stalks from the container and soak them in soapy water (Dove is fine, a few drops is 

enough), then wipe each stalk and rinse well. Wash out the container and the rocks or 

marbles, and then replace the stalks and add fresh water. 

- Algae growing in the water: too much light and/or fertilizer. An opaque container is better 

if you are using plant food. Wash everything (plant stalks, container, rocks) and start over 

with clean water. Keep glass containers away from bright locations. 

IF THE STALKS GET TOO TALL 

Your Lucky bamboo may grow to be three feet tall. It likes to be crowded, so don’t be in a 

hurry to move your arrangement into a bigger pot. Lucky Bamboo grows tall rather than 

wide. When it does get too tall, you can cut off each stalk an inch above one of the nodes 

(the rings around the stalk), and it will restart from there. Lightly misting the tops of the 

stalks with water can encourage new growth – but wait a few days before doing this, so the 

cut surface can dry out first. 

POTTING UP 

Although Lucky Bamboo grows well in water, you may decide you’d like to grow yours in 

soil. If your Lucky Bamboo has been growing in water for a long time, it may not survive 

the transition to soil unless you keep it quite moist until the roots have adapted. Use a soil 

mixture that drains well. Make sure the pot has holes in the bottom, and use rocks or 

similar media in the bottom to assure uniform drainage. If the soil does not drain well, the 

roots can rot and the plant will suffer or die. Use a container that’s no more than about 2” 

larger than the stalk group. 

Lucky Bamboo grown in soil should be keep slightly moist, not soaking wet. Don’t allow it 

to dry out completely. Use a moisture meter to determine when to water, don’t let the 

surface fool you. Often the soil will still be damp a half-inch or so below the surface. 

© 2009, Star Nursery, Inc. Copy Provided courtesy of Star Nursery 

www.StarNursery.com

Dracaena sanderiana - Lucky bamboo - Star Nursery

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