Lucky Bamboo Care Tips: A Houseplant That Grows In Water

3 twisted stalks of lucky bamboo & an arrangement of lucky bamboo sit on a table.

Are you a beginning houseplant gardener? Here’s a great one to get started with because it’s easy as pie to keep looking good and sure to become a topic of conversation as you’re busy showing it off. I’d like to introduce you to Lucky Bamboo, a plant which grows in water, and give you a few care tips to make sure yours stays as healthy as can be.

First off, Lucky Bamboo isn’t a bamboo at all. The canes, stalks or stems (whatever you prefer to call them) resemble the canes of a bamboo plant. It’s a dracaena, Dracaena sanderiana or braunii to be exact.

Lucky Bamboo has been a part of Chinese culture for thousands of years but has really skyrocketed into popularity in the past 15 years and is now commonly found in many parts of the world.

This is a plant which goes both ways: it grows for the long haul in both water and/or soil.

Lucky Bamboo is found in many different forms and arrangements.

The number of stalks has different meanings as do the various forms like trellis, tree, spiral, etc. This isn’t something I know a lot of about, but I do know that you should avoid an arrangement using 4 stems.

It’s bad luck in Chinese culture and who needs that? 3 stems is a favorite number because it represents happiness, long life and wealth. Yes, please!

a clear glass vase holds 3 twisted stalks of lucky bamboo

This arrangement sits in my guest room & hopefully bestows my guests with good luck & fortune.

an arrangement of lucky bamboo tied with gold foil ties grows in a low white dish

The color of the ties have meaning too. This 1 of mine has gold ties which represents abundance.

Lucky Bamboo Care Tips

Light

Lucky Bamboo does great in bright light. It’ll tolerate lower light levels just fine but it won’t grow much. Be sure to avoid putting it in direct, hot sun as it’ll burn baby burn. You may need to rotate your plant so it gets light evenly on all sides. Right now mine sits in a north window sill but I’ll need to move it as the weather heats up because the glass gets hot here in the Arizona desert when those summer days roll around.

Water

There is a bit of mixed opinion regarding this. Some people never change water, some change it frequently & others every now & then. I fall into the every now & then category as I change the water about every 2 months.

I make sure the water completely covers the roots in both of my arrangements so I add a bit of water as needed, every 2-7 days depending on the temps. If the water is smelling bad, then change it!

Lucky Bamboo and Watering

If your tap water is hard (containing a lot of minerals), then you’ll need to use distilled or purified water. All dracaenas are prone to tipping so if yours is starting to show a lot of brown tips or a build of white in the vase or dish, don’t use tap water.

I use purified water now for mine (it costs about a dollar a gallon & lasts for at least 2 months) & I’ve already seen a difference.

nell waters a small lucky bamboo arrangement in a low white dish with distilled water

Topping the dish off with purified water3

Container Size

If your Lucky Bamboo arrangement is growing in a low dish or bowl, them make sure it has at least 1″ of space all the way around so the roots can spread out a bit.

My lucky bamboo, which has been growing in the low white dish for 3 years now, is going to need a larger vessel soon as the roots are starting to get crowded. The much smaller spiral stems are in a glass vase proportionate to their height. I only keep about 3″ of water in the vase, just enough to make sure the roots are fully submerged.

an arrangement of lucky bamboo with twisted stalks grows in rocks & water in a low dish

Lucky Bamboo grows just fine & looks great in pebbles, rocks or glass chips. Just make sure those roots stay covered with water.

Fertilizer

I’ve never fertilized mine, but if you feel the need, there’s 1 called Super Green which is specially formulated for Lucky Bamboo growing in water.5

Pests

Mine has never gotten any. Like all dracaenas, Lucky Bamboo is subject to an infestation of spider mites, especially in the fall &/or winter when the heat comes on. Also, keep your eye open for thrips, scale & mealy bugs.

What NOT To Do with Your Lucky Bamboo

– Do not place your Lucky Bamboo in direct sun.

– Do not use tap water if your water is hard. Your Lucky Bamboo will do much better with distilled or purified water.

-Do not let your Lucky Bamboo dry out – keep the roots covered with water at all times.

-Do not keep the water levels too high – just covering the roots is fine.

-Do not place your Lucky Bamboo near a heating or cooling vent. Also, keep it away from any cold drafts.

-Do not let dust collect on the leaves because the pores need to breath. Periodically clean the leaves with a brush, damp rag &/or spray off with water.

an elaborate pyramid shaped lucky bamboo arrangement grows in a low dish

I saw this beautiful arrangement in a shop near Pasadena. The assortment of Lucky Bamboo was impressive!

Lucky Bamboo is not only 1 of the easiest houseplants to grow but it’s as fascinating and interesting as a plant gets. If you’re a beginning gardener, be sure to give this 1 a try. I’ve been gardening for over 55 years and I love this plant. And hey, don’t we all need a little luck brought into our homes?!!

Happy gardening,