Indoor Cultivation of Chinese Bamboo : A Step by Step Guide to Grow Lucky Bamboo in Your House

Chinese Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana)a native to Central Africa is a species of flowering plant. The plant is commonly known as "lucky bamboo". It has become the most popular indoor plant in certain parts of India.

Lucky bamboo, is actually not a bamboo as it is a member of the dracaena family, and is a symbol of good fortune. It looks like a bamboo, and is much easier to grow as a houseplant. The Chinese bamboo is the most renewable plant due to its ability to grow at a fast rate, as the moment it gets harvested, it begins to grow. The tallest lucky bamboo ever recorded was 130 feet in Europe.

Facts about Chinese bamboo :

1.Chinese bamboo have a Guinness record in its name A type of the Chinese Bamboo plant has been found as the fastest growing plant ever recorded, in one day the tree can grow up to 35 inches (1.5 inches per hour) .

There is a possibility to see a Bamboo tree growing in front of your eyes.

2. It is very strong. one of the hardest materials in the world, it has strength greater than that of steel, The bamboo is used as bicycle frames because of its unbelievable strength as well because of being light weight.

3. Lucky bamboo is naturally antibacterial The fibers of bamboo is rich in antibacterial properties thus they are used in making clothes.

Bamboo can kill almost all bacteria in 24 hours while cotton can't kill any. Thus clothes made of Chinese Bamboo fiber are less stinky and more clean. Bamboo fiber can also be used as a material for wound dressing because of their antibacterial
properties.

4. Lucky Bamboo is Safe to eat The Bamboo plant can also be eaten by both pandas and people. Mostly people from Asian continent consumes Bamboo even though they don't provide much nutrition, they have a low calorie count. Pandas also consume the bamboo plant, in fact it is their favorite.

5. It can be used as a deodorant It acts as a natural deodorizer such that it is used as fabrics in making diapers. In fact there are a number of products in the market that deodorize harmful smells using the bamboo charcoal.

The bamboo charcoal has the ability of soaking up bad smells and retaining good smells and also they last longer.

Indoor cultivation of Chinese bamboo It is quite easy-to-care- houseplant which grows well in low, indirect light.

Steps to grow the Chinese bamboo:

1. Choose your plant - Get a plant with bright green leaves. If the stems or leaves are yellow or brown, don't use it as the plant is unhealthy. For professional growing, take the stalks and curl them into an intricate design.

2. Decide how you want to grow it - It's quiet easy and clean to grow it hydroponically in water and stones, though it can also be grown in soil.

If you want to grow it hydroponically, the container you are going to use should have enough stones or marbles in the bottom to balance or stabilize it.

The Chinese bamboo requires at least 1-3 inches of water to thrive. For growing it in soil, well-drained and rich potting soil is perfect. It requires to be moist but not soaked. Also, add some small rocks to the bottom of the pot in case of soil too for proper draining.

3. Select the right container - Either Put the bamboo plant in a tall glass vase/ ceramic container or leave it in the container it comes in.

Use a clear container for growing the plant hydroponically and use a regular pot in case of growing it in soil.

Note - Select a pot 1 foot (30 cm) in height as the plant will required to be stabilized at its peak height. For soil, fill the pot up most of the way with your rich soil and make sure it has proper drainage.

4. Choose the right spot -It will grow best best in bright and filtered sunlight. Direct sunlight is harmful for the leaves.

Keep the plant away from the air conditioning or vent as the requires an air temperature between 65ºF - 90ºF.

5. Water - If you are growing it hydroponically, change the water every week. The plant is sensitive to levels of flouride and chlorine, so use water accordingly. For soil, water to keep it moist, do not make it soggy.

6. Fertilize the plant every month - For soil, use organic fertilizers or so for fulfilling the nutrition
requirements.

For hydroponic method, go for liquid fertilizers but keep in mind to dilute it to one tenth proportion as Chinese bamboo doesn't require much fertilizer.

Your lucky bamboo tree will be healthy and thrive with these tips :

1. To control the curl of plant, use a 3 sided box ( a box with a side - cut) .As the plant bends towards the light, change the side the sunlight faces and plant will eventually curve back.

2. Change the spot of plant, according to the season.

3. Add the fertilizer when you add the water.

4. Use bottled water or filtered water to avoid tip burn.

5. Overtime trim the offshoots . Don't throw the trimmings, they can be used to grow a new plant.

6. Check for colour of leaves. Due to excess sunlight and fertilizers leaves may turn yellow or brown.

7. If any part of plant is dying, cut it out.