Lucky Bamboo - (Dracaena sanderana)

Does anyone know anything about this plant. I know it is not really bamboo, but a cousin of the corn plant. I want to know what kind of stuff it likes to grow in and its' lighting requirements. I read an article on this plant in relation to feng shui. The article led me to believe that it grows just in water that is changed every week or two. I did a search but couldn't really find anything. Any info is appreciated
Thanks
Jan

Jan--I have one of those plants and my sister had like 6 of them (we Asians like them, I guess). This plant is actually a dracaena, I think. It is one of the easiest, lowest maintenance plants ever. They grow in regular tap water, no fertilizer needed. It's usually potted in a low, wide ceramic pot with small pebbles to hold them up and tied together with red ribbons or gold twisty ties.

It doesn't need much sun light either. I have mine in the bathroom without windows and it does fine. I actually don't even bother with the pebbles--just stuck them in a ceramic container with just water and refill when the water gets low. Don't even have to change water that often--once every 6 months will do. And when it grows too long, you can actually cut it into smaller plants, seal the wound, and stick it back in water, and it'll form new roots. Kinda like a Plenarium, I guess.

Your draceana sounds very interesting..would you be interested in trading with me so I can acquire some..email me if i can talk you into it.
Sandy

Thanks for the info. I had heard they were easy, but I didn't believe they were THAT easy. Thanks for restoring my faith in my local newspaper's garden section.
jan

Hi, Ive been doing much research (trying to) & have some experiments on the balcony. But after 2 years I have failed to see one flower or produce seeds. I know its easy to propogate by cuttings, but Im more interested in what this plant grows to full size & what it looks like in its natural habitat??

Hi All,
Just wondering can i cut the lucky bamboo to make more stalks to make it not look so lonely? LOL paid $5 for one stalk in the hopes of cutting to make some little ones to make an arrangement of some type.

I have one that has grown too tall....would love to to cut it up...how do you seal the wound?

these plants are everywhere in the UK right now even in DIY stores.

Mark

I would love to have a small section if you don't mind, for SASE.Please E-mail me.
Thanks
All My Best
CoCo

I have three, purchased last October, just in water about 8 feet from the nearest window. Recently I bought 5 in a clump which are in water in the kitchen window and growing rapidly.

I sent stem cuttings home with my brother last fall but haven't heard how his have done; now may be the time to find out. (I believe cut pieces of the stems placed in water will start to grow.)

I have read everything I can on these bamboo plants (actually not bamboo at all).. Mine are growing so slowly, Im curious to see what a mature plants looks like - apparently its like a tree... It takes forever from cuttings, I am wondering if anyone has seen this plant flower or even seed.

I was given a pot as a gift last year. I found they do better if not watered with tap water. I use distilled water and add a VERY weak solutoin of fertilizer(Miracle grow or similar). They are doing very well in a north facing window.

I read somewhere they will grow very well in soil. Has anyone tried this?

I found this on the web...http://www.pdma-nurseries.com/Dracaena%20sanderana%20ws.htm
Looks pretty neat in the bottom picture.

This message was edited Monday, Jan 20th 9:21 PM

I have ten of these and they are in tap water in a glass sitting in a window with a lot of sunshine. I also have one that is the corkscrew bamboo which is about 36" tall and twists around at the top leafy part. That one is also sitting in 3/4" of water and all have been doing well for over a year now. No flowers or seed from any yet, but quite an exotic arrangement for the window. I have the 36" one in one of those glass spaghetti containers and the smaller ones (about 6-8") are just in a water glass. Threw out the pebble idea as it was a nuisance. I change the water once a week.

Is there a difference in the Lucky bamboo and the Curly bamboo???

I don't think so molly, I got all of them on e-bay and the only difference was the price. The contorted bamboo is much taller and curls at the top, which makes it interesting to look at, but the leaf etc are all the same as the straight ones.

I was just wondering because I had bought 3 pieces of Lucky bamboo several several months ago and I really wanted the curly kind, but this was all they had. It seems to be doing fine and has grown quiet a bit since I got it but no curls yet. Guess it has to be pretty tall before it starts to curl huh?? I guess it will curl...wont it??

I don't know. The way I understand it is there is a particular variety that curls. It is very slow growing - the smaller ones I have will not grow any larger in the stem, only the leafy part will continue to grow and may eventually be removed from the stem and rooted into a new plant. The curly one I have (about 30" in height) hasn't grown much at all in a year's time (nor have the straight 6-8" ones). After a year of having them, my experience tells me that what you see is what you get. They don't change much over a long period of time. I haven't tried removing any of the leaves and starting another, but may at some point in time. I'll have to take a pic and post. I do know, they are extremely easy to maintain and hard to do any damage to them.

Here's a picture of mine. The tall one is the corkscrew and the shorter ones I don't believe will ever contort.

I heard or read somewhere that you do the curling process yourself by rotating the plant turning it toward the light as it grows. You use something to curl it around to get that shape. Don't know where I heard that and it could be wrong! Please don't quote me!!!

Sounds like an idea elena, but the smaller ones haven't changed in size since I got them except for the leaves. The stem is what is curled and at the rate these grow could take the rest of my life to get another curl LOL!

Ya know being as the tall one in the back is soo tall before it curled, it kinda makes me think that it is possible that mine will curl one of these days!
The curly ones that I have seen around here have alot more curls to them, and in fact they go from one curl right into another curl almost like a corkscrew kinda.
Keeping my fingers crossed that mine will someday curl too!

I think I read somewhere that they are curled around something as they grow, like a braided Hibiscus or Ficus tree. Nature has to have a little help to do this.

Yeah Azalea. That is what I think. You just keep turning the foliage toward the light and it makes it curl. I give mine fertilizer in the water and they grow faster. (The Chinese man I bought mine from told me to do that.) I have plans to put mine in dirt this spring. I am tired of the water dealie. I have had mine for 3 years already and I suspect if I plant them in dirt they will really take off and grow normally. I think we are subjecting them to really unnatural conditions by keeping them in the water jars.

This message was edited Monday, Jul 14th 1:43 PM

I have a lucky bamboo which is getting quite large for its pot. It is now 24" tall and is throwing out shoots from below the stones in the pot. I feed it with distilled water and a very very weak solution of Miracle-gro. Has anyone had experience of repotting these? I am afraid that very shortly it will get top heavy for the pot.

This message was edited Monday, Jul 14th 2:01 PM

I don't the answer, RTilley, but your plant is beautiful and SO healthy! Guess I'll start the same treatment for mine.

Mine looks just like that picture and I am going to pot the shoots just as soon as I can get the time to do so.

Hmmm...this is the Lucky Bamboo I posted about earlier,plus some more info.
http://davesgarden.com/t/373239/lucky+bamboo

Further to my message of July 14 2003 I repotted my lucky bamboo in a larger pot using potting soil. Ihad to break the original pot to get it out. It is now over 5 feet tall and I will have to repot it again. Has anyone had experiance of lucky bamboo of this size if so I would like to hear of your experiences and what shoud I do with mine. Thank you