Looking for a simple but beautiful addition to an indoor water garden? Lucky bamboo is a beautiful plant to enhance an indoor garden display. It’s a house plant that is also said to bring good luck to the home.
Lucky bamboo (or Dracaena Sanderiana) is a low maintenance house plant. It is also said to bring luck to the home through feng shui.
Dracaena plants, also known as Female Dragon plants or Corn plants, are tropical and have their origins in Africa, Southeast Asia and to a lesser degree in Central America.
Dracaena is pronounced, dra-c-na. There are basically two groups of Dracaena, trees, and shrubs. The trees are called dragon trees and are found in arid deserts and such places. The shrubs, being tropical in nature make ideal houseplants and are found in homes, hotels, and offices around the world.
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Lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) is not actually bamboo, though it looks like a tiny version of the larger plant. It is a plant similar to the corn plant. It is marketed as a bamboo and considered to have the lucky properties of the flexible, open bamboo plant.
This curly plant with a striking burst of lush green leaves is a perfect fit for an Asian-inspired table or party. For a party or table centerpiece, purchase many glass containers and a smaller Chinese bamboo for each one.
Fill the container with beach glass, colored marbles, or simply polished rocks. These simple but effective displays can also act as placeholders at the table – attach a name on a red card to each glass vase.
The curly bamboo is a strong and vigorous house plant and brings healthy energy to the home. It is also flexible and open inside – good spiritual teaching to impart to the water gardener.
To bring good luck to the home with indoor bamboo, plant the bamboo in a glass vase with rocks as a base. Add water to the vase and add a red decoration to the plant, such as a red bird or a beautiful ribbon.
This will ensure that the bamboo contains all of the elements of feng shui: wood, earth, water, metal, and fire. The red ribbon represents fire, while the glass is considered metal.
Lucky bamboo comes with a certain number of stalks to bring certain types of luck into the home. Three stalks are for happiness, five for health, and nine is a powerful, general good luck charm.
It is possible to purchase containers made specifically for lucky bamboo, with slots to accommodate a specific lucky number of bamboo plants.
Lucky Chinese bamboo is not so lucky if it is neglected by its owner. Like any indoor water garden that is not aerated, a display containing curly bamboo needs to have its water changed at least once a week so that the bamboo does not rot.
The roots of the bamboo tend to creep down through the rocks, so try not to disturb these when changing the water. Keep the water at about the same level as the stones. Bamboo likes indirect light, so it is a good house plant for a bright room, but not in a window that receives direct sunlight.
Water gardeners who want to bring water plants indoors would do well, to begin with, lucky bamboo. It is a beautiful plant that requires little care and it can be a simple, striking centerpiece at any table.
They prefer bright indirect light and warm temps (75-85 during the day and 60-70 at night). Their soil should be kept moist at all times.
Dracaena plants are easy to grow as houseplants but getting the growing medium right in the first place is most important and is the key to success.
Dracaenas can be easily propagated by either stem cuttings or air layering. To stimulate new growth cut back to within 4-6 inches of pot rim. This technique is especially helpful for older plants.
Dracaenas are not particularly disease prone but are a favorite plant of spider mites. To prevent keep humidity levels up, especially during periods of hot, dry weather or during the winter when homes are centrally heated.
This can easily be accomplished by using humidity trays. All varieties of Dracaenas are toxic to pets, so be sure to keep them out of reach. Here’s a look at the most popular varieties:
Dracaena plants are evergreen with different leaf variations. They are cane plants and have their leaf stems branching out just below the flat top of the stem. One stem may have 3 or 4 leaf stems and these stems can grow up to 2m. The leaves are lance-shaped and can reach 60cm. long by 8cm. wide. Some of the most popular ones include:
Dracaena Decremensis: Known as “Janet Craig”, this variety of Dracaena is prized for its glossy green leaves and tolerance for low lighting. Like Lucky Bamboo, it likes moist but not saturated soil. If the soil is allowed to dry out the leaves will become dull and curl up. Water with filtered water to avoid yellow spots forming on the leaves.
Dracaena Fragrans: Known as “Corn Plant” due to the way its broad striped leaves and growing habit resemble those of corn stalks, Dracaena Fragrans makes an excellent specimen plant. It grows on thick canes that can reach several feet in height while the leaves can grow up to three feet in length.
Dracaena Godseffiana: Known as “Gold Dust”, this variety has a very unique look, unlike any other Dracaena. It is a small, slow-growing shrub with wide oval leaves that look like they’ve had yellow paint sprinkled on them, The yellow spots turn white when the plant matures. Dracaena Godseffiana is a popular plant for terrariums and other small containers and has been proven to remove impurities from the air.
Increasing the stock of dracaena plants is pretty simple. Once the plant has entered its dormant period, November to January, it is safe to cut the main stem at the desired height. Further cut the length of the stem into pieces a few inches long and set these in warm moist compost. After a few weeks, they will root and send up new shoots.
After a few more weeks slice these new shoots away from the old stem, taking a heel with each cutting and set the new cutting in sand-based compost. These will grow into individual plants and as they grow they will develop new stems with individual leaf heads.
Mealybugs and red-spider mite can be an annoyance to dracaena plants and can be eradicated by spraying the entire plant with a suitable insecticide. Stem rot is also a problem with dracaena and is caused by overwatering.
Most dracaena plants enjoy the same indoor conditions so it is a good idea to vary the display by choosing different varieties. Rubber plants, Dumbcane plants, and Swiss Cheese plants also add interest to a dracaena indoor display.
It’s often sold growing in water and will do fine as long as the water is changed every two weeks. Avoid highly fluoridated, softened or chlorinated water, which can cause the leaves to turn yellow. Other causes of yellowing leaves are exposed to direct sunlight or overgrown roots.
Lucky bamboo can also be grown in soil. Use a high-quality potting mix. Some pet stores sell Lucky Bamboos as an aquarium plant but it is not suited to such growing conditions and will eventually rot.
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