Gwen’s Healing Garden

The #1 Web Site Gardening For The Soil Gardening For The Soul

Did You Know | Environmentally Friendly Gardening Products | Non-toxic Cleaning Products | Indoor Gardening With Foliage Plants

Subscribe to the FREE monthly GHG Newsletter and receive free the E-book A Book Of Quotes: Subscribe here

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ask Gwen

November/December 2006

Bamboo (Dracaena Sanderia)

Question: Bamboo (Dracaena Sanderia)

The bottom leaves on my lucky bamboo plant turn yellow. Do you know what the problem is? What do you do when the plant grows too large?

Answer:

Thanks for your question. The plant called “Lucky Bamboo” is not bamboo at all, rather it is Dracaena Sanderia and it can be poisonous to pets. They are not fussy plants and will do best with moderate levels of indirect light. Lucky Bamboo grows very well in water. Filtered water or rain water will keep your plant healthy longer as it doesn’t like the chemicals present in most tap water. Keep an eye on the water level in your Lucky Bamboo container, and add a little more as it gets down to about half-full; how often will depend on the size of your arrangement and the humidity in your home. Every week or so, pour all the water out and refill the container with fresh water. Yellow leaves at the bottom of the plant can indicate: plant is too dry; harsh chemicals in the water; too much fertilizer; or too much light.

Lucky bamboo may grow to be three feet tall. It likes to be crowded, so don’t be in a hurry to move your arrangement into a bigger pot. When it does get too tall, you can cut off each stalk an inch above one of the nodes (the raised rings that grow around the stalk), and it will re-grow from there. Don’t throw stalks out as you can start new plants easily. After you cut the stalk-tops off, let them dry overnight. Then set these sections in water and wait until you see new roots form. Change the water from time to time just as you do for the original arrangement. Eventually you will see roots emerge, and you can create a new arrangement from these stalks.

Home | Top

For more information or questions about material on this site contact www.gwenshealinggarden.ca/Contact_Form.htm