Lucky Bamboo

Visser’s plant of the week is the Lucky Bamboo. Technically, it’s not really a bamboo, but a member of the dracaena family (but don’t let that ruin your fun). It’s a very popular plant, not only because of the Feng Shui association, but also because it is so easy to grow.

This unique plant has a variety of spiritual meanings, based on Feng Shui--the Asian beliefs regarding the balance of elements in life. The ancient Chinese believed that elements of life are wood, water, metal, fire and earth. The lucky bamboo brings the elements of water and wood, and with the red ribbon often tied around the stalks, fire. This is almost guaranteed to bring good energy (Chi) to your home.

The number of stalks also have different meanings: three for happiness, five for wealth or six for health. There are never four stalks since the Chinese word for “four” sounds like death. The plants come in all sizes and designs which only make them more special.

The lucky Bamboo makes a great gift for someone special. Visser’s florist has a variety of bamboo assortments that are sure to bring some Feng Shui to your home.

Care Tips:
The plant needs just a little light (no direct sun), clean water (spring or distilled is best as tap water has a lot of chemicals) and once or twice a year a little fertilizer. In fact, it doesn’t really need soil. It is often grown directly in water, with a few little pebbles to hold it up. A few tips:

• Keep canes submerged in at least 1” of water. Try to maintain the same level of water.
• It prefers bright diffused sunlight, but will grow in most indoor light conditions.
• This is a tropical plant. Place in a moderate to warm temperature location
• If a stock turns yellow, it is going to die. It is probably getting too much sun, or the water is not clean. Change the water (or give it less sun). Also, remove it as soon as possible so it doesn’t affect the other stocks.
• You can make more stalks (but never four) by taking a cutting from the originals. Cut with a sharp knife just below the joint.