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Lucky Bamboo With Pebbles
Ask the Expert: A Few Questions About My Lucky Bamboo
and i been searching on the net to see just how to care for them, and i have been getting ALOT of different things pointed at me..
* I understand that they are hardy plants which dont like to be fussed with to much..
* I know they like destilled water over tap or spring
* I also know that you have clean/change the water and rocks in order for it to stay free of bacteria
My Questions Are However :
1. How often should you give it water? (once a week, 2 times a month?) – im totally confused!!
2. How often should you change/clean the rocks?
3. How much food should you give it, and when?
please let me know! like i said i have been reading alot of things online.. and im not sure what one to follow, please help Janelle
Plant Expert Reply:
I understand your stress. So I will try to give quick and uncomplicated answers.
Lucky Bamboo water requirement: Give it enough water to maintain a consistent water level. For me that means once a week for you it may be longer or shorter. Tip: make a mark where you optimum water level should be – if the water drops 1/4″ below this mark add water. For you I would make the mark right at the lip edge of your pot.
Keeping Lucky Bamboo clean: If you keep all decaying plant material out of your container, you will only need to replace the water every couple of months. The only time I would change or clean the rocks would be if a bacteria or algae conditions was occurring.
Feeding Lucky Bamboo: I personally feed my lucky bamboo twice a year. Lucky bamboo is slow growing and do not respond well to over-fertilization. If you feel that it needs more fertilizer, schedule fertilization once a quarter.
I hope this information helps to remove any confusion you might have about lucky bamboo. Please keep me posted and let me know if you have other questions.
Thank you for all the help, in answering my questions it helped alot. like i said i had a lucky bamboo with 3 stalks, and one of the stalk turned yellow and died on me, lucky for me, i knew to clean the rocks, and remove it from the other 2 it seems the other 2 are doing just fine it seems to have caught bacteria, and when i did clean the rocks i did notice algae in the bottom of the holder, that is the ONLY time i ever changed the water and cleaned rocks in that one, thats why i didnt know if there was a certain amount of time you have to actually do that.
I do have a question, you stated that you should only change the water every so many months, unless bacteria plays a part in it.. that i get, but how do you know when its time to change the water? will it smell or is there any other ways i could tell, its time to do a water change? as for algae, how can you tell there is any in the holder? i mean, i never thought anything was wrong with my plant until i actually seen the stalks go yellow, just looking into my container you would never know there was algae in there because it never came to surface or anything! BOTH of my bamboos were placed on the tv, and way up high so i could not look into it more carefully!
I was instructed to give my plant (the old one) a few drops of feed every time i watered it, which was weekly.. which is possibly why it got sick, i grew more concerned about my new one because i didnt want to see it happen again, that is why im glad i found this site, and finally got all the answers i needed.. hopefully i know what to do, too keep my plant growing healthy and happy.. i will keep you posted! Thanks again for the help
Knowing when to change the water is a bit tricky and will depend on the container the lucky bamboo is in. Clean containers allow sunlight exposure to the water. This can cause algae growth. Opaque containers usually inhibit algae growth. So a clean container may need the water changed once a month, where as an opaque container may not need to be changed for several months. If you are not sure when to change the water, it is ok to do it once a month. Be sure to use distilled water.
I personally believe fertilizer is the root of most lucky bamboo problems. This plant grows slowly and doesn’t seem to need a large amount of nutrients to be healthy. So I like the twice year fertilizer method.
Glad I could help. Keep me posted and let me know if you need anything else.
Hi,
I happened to find this thread about Lucky Bamboo which is great because I had all the same questions regarding when to feed it and water in and all that! Thanks!
I do have another concern though…I received my Lucky Bamboo just a couple of weeks ago as a housewarming gift. However, there are a couple of leaves with this white gooey stuff on it. Does that eventually go away? Is it a natural occurence (similar to tree sap)? Do I need to be worried about it?
Thanks!
Is the gooey stuff seeping from the plant? Or is the gooey stuff just on the leaves and can easily be wiped off? The seeping could be a problem. The other could be something spilled on the plant and have nothing to do with the plant. If the gooey stuff is sticky, check for aphids (a small insect on the back side of the leaves). If it looks more like cotton, check for mealybugs. Send me a picture and I will identify the issue.
HI I DO HAVE ANOTHER SMALL QUESTION ABOUT MY BAMBOO, I NOW ONLY WATER IT EVERY OTHER WEEK, AND IT SEEMS TO DO PRETTY GOOD WITH THAT, HOWEVER, I NEVER REALLY ASKED ABOUT THE FOOD.. SOMEONE SAID ITS BEST TO DO IT AT LEAST 2 TIMES A YEAR, AND JUST WATER IT ON A REGULAR BASES.
WHAT MONTHS WOULD BE BEST TO GIVE IT SOME FOOD?
I would probably feed it in the spring and in the fall. Use a water soluble fertilizer at 1/10th the dilution rate.
OKAY THANK YOU FOR THE HELP..
hi i have a question about propagate the lucky bamboo. when i cut the small shoot with the leaves growing from it. do i HAVE to cut the stock? Or can i just cut the shoots of it? and do i need another separate pot or vase for the lil shoot to grow roots and start another bamboo? is that just called trimming the plant. wat i want to do is start a lil plant nursery and start to sell them to family and dreiends. im trying to start growing my baby one into a twiated one then try a heart shape one but its hard and long work.. thanks
Amanda,
In order to propagate a new lucky bamboo you must have part of the stem to create a new plant. It doesn’t have to be the main stalk, but it must be more that just leaves. This post might help https://www.flowershopnetwork.com/blog/we-are-not-always-lucky-with-lucky-bamboo/
I have a lucky bamboo tree in my home but from 2 days its leef are yellowing
Although o have changed the water and using distilled water for tge same
I have noticed that some fungus is there on its stalk, i am attaching some of the pic of the bamboo tree
Suhail,
To get rid of the fungus, you need to clean the container with hot soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Then wipe the lucky bamboo with a wet cloth and refill the container with water. The yellowing won’t disappear, but should not progress any further. You can also start new lucky bamboo from the old stems if the yellowing is too advanced. Hope this helps.