It’s time to get lucky… Here’s how you can propagate Lucky Bamboo Plants at home!

Now a days it is a very common to see little bamboo stems growing in water baths. They can be placed on desks, on coffee tables or on shelves for decorative purposes. They can be found in various shapes, sizes or can be molded into different looks like braided bamboo sticks. They are very easy to train and grow. It is a common belief that this plant brings good luck in your lives if it is gifted to you. Even the number of stalks have specific meaning to them. For instance, two stalks area sign of love, three stalks bring luck, happiness and wealth whereas five stalks represent prosperity in health and so on.

Another interesting fact about these plants is that although they look very similar to bamboos, but they are not mini versions of actual bamboo trees. They are a type of Dracaena (Scientific name: Dracaena sanderiana), which are similar to succulents. So, their care, maintenance and propagation should be done accordingly.

How to propagate lucky bamboos?

They are fairly easy to propagate through stem cuttings. Just follow these few simple steps –

• Take a clean sharp blade or knife and cut its stem in one fine go.
• Make sure that the cutting is from the main stalk and has at least one leaf joint.
• Trim all the excess leaves to expose the nodes
• The naked cutting should be placed in filtered water or preferably in distilled water.
• Keep on replacing the water after the interval of 4 – 5 days and keep the container clean.
• You will see small red hairy roots appearing beneath the surface of water after 3 to 4 weeks or 30 days.
• After the roots have emerged, transfer the cuttings into a pot. Fill it with water or with some colourful pebbles or a pot of soil.
• If you want your plant to be bushier, trim the extra shoots which are growing from the main stem or stalk with the help of sterile blades. This will help in generation of new growth in a much faster pace.

These stalks can live upto 2 to 3 years if grown in clean, good quality water. Replace the water regularly and clean the container if it looks muddy or stained.

You can even place the plant in rich soil rather than keeping them in water. Lucky bamboo plants in potted soil tend to survive a few more years.

So gift your loved ones with some lucky bamboo stalks to shower blessings and good luck upon them.

Written by
Antra Thada