Dracaena sanderiana / ‘Lucky Bamboo Stem’
According to Chinese traditions, the significance of lucky bamboo is tied to how many stalks you have. There are different meanings associated with various lucky bamboo arrangements. For example:
- Two stalks represent love.
- Three stalks represent Fu (happiness), Lu (wealth), and Soh (long life).
- Five stalks represent balance, peace, harmony, and power in all areas of your life.
- Six stalks represent good luck and wealth.
- Seven stalks represent good health.
- Eight stalks represent growth.
- Nine stalks represent great luck.
- Ten stalks represent perfection.
- Twenty-one stalks represent a powerful blessing.
Watering
Lucky bamboo is very sensitive to chlorine and other chemicals commonly found in tap water. Tap water is fine to use unless you have hard water (containing a lot of minerals). Because of this, it’s a good idea to water your lucky bamboo only with bottled or distilled water, or tap water that has been left out for 24 hours to allow the chlorine to evaporate. If growing in a water vase filled with pebbles, change the water weekly to avoid any diseases and odors.
Make sure that the water is always completely covering the roots. Add a bit of water every two to seven days as needed. Completely change the water every two to three months or more frequently if you find the water giving off a foul odor.
Light
When it comes to light, lucky bamboo prefers bright, filtered sunlight, such as what is found under a rainforest canopy. Avoid direct sunlight as it will scorch the leaves. They are more tolerant of too little light than too much. If the plant begins to stretch, however, or the green fades, provide more light. Rotate your plant often so that the light reaches the entire plant evenly.
Did you know?
Bamboo is the fastest growing land plant in the world the only thing that grows quicker is giant sea kelp in the ocean
Note: When purchasing plants please consider that each live item is unique and may therefore differ from the images shown, which are for illustration purposes only. Depending on season, some plants may be pruned back to encourage growth and deciduous plants may arrive without leaves. Collections or ‘mixed’ listings for plants will be selected dependant on availability and carefully hand-picked to ensure their quality.