Houseplant · Asparagaceae
Lucky Bamboo
Dracaena sanderiana
Give it clean water and bright, indirect light, and this easygoing Dracaena keeps its green for years.
Bright indirect
Every 7 days
64–75°F · 18–24°C
USDA 10–12
Overview
Lucky bamboo is one of the easiest houseplants you can keep, and one of the most misnamed. It isn't bamboo at all but Dracaena sanderiana, a tropical relative of the corn plant that happens to grow in jointed green stalks. People train those stalks into curls, spirals, and braids, then stand them in a dish of water and pebbles on a desk or windowsill.
What sets it apart is that it will grow in plain water with no soil at all. Anchor the roots in pebbles or marbles, keep the lower stem submerged, and the plant carries on quite happily. It also takes low light better than most, which is why it turns up in offices and rooms a fussier plant would sulk in.
The plant asks for little, but it has one strong opinion: it hates the fluoride and chlorine in ordinary tap water, which burn its leaf tips brown. Sort out the water, give it bright indirect light, and lucky bamboo is close to foolproof.
Care
The short version: bright indirect light, clean water free of fluoride and chlorine, and warm indoor temperatures. Grow it in pebbles and water or in a well-drained mix, change the water weekly, and feed lightly through spring and summer.
Light
Lucky bamboo does best in bright, indirect light, the kind you get a step back from an east or north window. It will hold on in low light and shade better than most houseplants, but hot direct sun scorches the leaves, so keep it off a baking sill.
Water
Grow it in chlorine-free water with pebbles or marbles to anchor the roots, or in a steadily moist mix, keeping the roots and the lower stem submerged. The plant is sensitive to fluoride, chlorine, and salts, so reach for distilled, filtered, or rainwater, or let tap water stand uncovered for a day or two. Change the water weekly to keep it fresh and to keep mosquitoes off.
Soil
If you pot it in soil, use a well-drained, loam-based mix made for indoor or tropical plants. It tolerates a wide pH band from 6.0 to 8.0, and it grows just as well with no soil at all, standing in plain chlorine-free water and pebbles.
Temperature
Keep it in the warm, even range of a normal home, roughly 64°F to 75°F (18°C to 24°C). It's a tropical plant with no tolerance for cold, so bring any outdoor display in well before nights turn chilly.
Humidity
Average indoor humidity suits it, so there's no number to chase. If the air runs very dry, leaf tips may brown a little, but water quality matters far more to this plant than humidity ever will.
Feeding
Feed lightly through the growing season, spring into summer, with a weak liquid houseplant fertilizer. For plants grown in water, feed only about every other month at roughly a quarter of the labeled rate, since they need very little.
Pruning
Trim away any yellowed or damaged stalks and leaves as they appear. To control height, cut a stem back just above a node, which pushes out new shoots, and you can root the pieces you remove as fresh cuttings.
Repotting
Move it to a larger container every 1 to 2 years, or sooner if the roots start to crowd or circle the pot or fill the vase. Slowed growth and a tangle of roots are the signs it's ready for more room, while water-grown displays just need refreshing as they fill out.
Size & spacing
Indoors it reaches about 3 to 5 feet (91 to 152 cm) tall and roughly as wide, though most people keep it far shorter by trimming. Growth is slow, so give it space to fill out over time rather than expecting a quick spread.
Troubleshooting
Lucky bamboo gives plenty of warning when something is off, and the leaves usually tell the story first. Brown tips and yellow stalks are the two complaints you'll meet, and both trace back to water more often than anything else. Match what you see below, then fix the cause rather than just trimming the damage.
A stalk or leaves turning yellow
Yellowing usually points to overwatering or stale water, sometimes paired with too little light. The stems can soften and rot at the base when they sit in old, stagnant water. Pull any yellowing or rotting stalk, refresh the water weekly with only the roots and lower stem submerged, and move the plant into bright indirect light with a weak feed.
Fix:
- Remove yellowing or rotting stalks
- Change the water weekly and keep only roots plus the lower stem submerged
- Provide bright indirect light and a weak fertilizer
Brown, crispy tips on the leaves
This is almost always tip burn from tap water. Lucky bamboo is a Dracaena, and Dracaenas are touchy about the fluoride, chlorine, and salts in municipal water, which collect at the leaf edges and scorch them. Switch to distilled, filtered, or rainwater, or let tap water stand uncovered for a day or two, and keep the plant out of hot direct sun.
Fix:
- Switch to distilled, filtered, or rainwater, or let tap water stand uncovered 1-2 days before use
- Change water-grown plants' water weekly
- Move out of direct sun into bright indirect light
Toxicity
This is a plant to keep away from pets. Lucky bamboo holds saponins, and the ASPCA flags it as toxic to cats and dogs, bringing on vomiting, drooling, and a flat, off-color mood. People are essentially safe, and nobody eats it, though the sap can leave sensitive skin a little irritated, so wash your hands after pruning.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Safe for
People
Cats Moderate
The saponins set off vomiting, sometimes with a little blood, along with drooling and a flat, withdrawn mood. Cats often go off their food, and a larger mouthful can leave the pupils noticeably dilated.
Dogs Moderate
A dog that chews the stalks or leaves tends to drool heavily and vomit, occasionally with traces of blood. Expect a poor appetite and a generally low, sluggish mood afterward.
Horses Caution
The same saponins that bother cats and dogs make this an unwise nibble for a horse, so keep stalks well out of reach. Stomach upset is the likely result if any is eaten.
Rabbits Caution
This is not rabbit food. The saponins can sour a rabbit's sensitive gut, so don't let one graze on a fallen leaf or trimmed stalk.
Livestock Caution
Grazing animals can react to the saponins with digestive upset, though lucky bamboo is an indoor plant they rarely meet. Keep clippings out of any spot where stock might reach them.
Birds Caution
A curious bird that bites into a stalk may get an upset stomach from the saponins, so it's best kept off the menu. Site the plant where pet birds can't pick at it.
People Safe
Lucky bamboo is essentially safe around people, and it isn't something anyone eats. The sap can leave some skin a little irritated, so wash your hands after pruning or repotting.
Sap may cause minor skin irritation in people; wash hands after handling.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
United Kingdom
Animal PoisonLine: 01202 509000 (fee applies)
Australia
Animal Poisons Helpline: 1300 869 738
Varieties
Lucky bamboo isn't sold as a string of named cultivars so much as a single plant dressed up in different ways. These are the two forms you'll actually run across.
Braided / spiral lucky bamboo
These are ordinary Dracaena sanderiana stems coaxed into curls, spirals, or braids while young by turning them toward the light, not a separate cultivar.
Variegated lucky bamboo
These forms carry creamy or gold striping that runs along the strappy green leaves.
How to propagate
Lucky bamboo is simple to multiply, and you already have everything you need to do it. A trimmed stem and a glass of clean water are enough to start a whole new plant.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Spring through summer during active growth · Roots usually form in about 2-3 weeks
Take cuttings in spring or summer while the plant is in active growth. Cut a shoot of new growth from the main stem just above a node, strip off the lowest leaves, and stand the cutting in chlorine-free water until roots appear, which usually takes about 2 to 3 weeks. Once it has rooted, leave it in water or pot it up.
Myths
Lucky bamboo is a kind of bamboo.
Despite the name and the look, it isn't a true bamboo and doesn't belong to the grass family at all. It is Dracaena sanderiana, a Dracaena in the family Asparagaceae, far closer to a corn plant than to the bamboo in a forest.