I'm not sure what is going on in the rest of the world, but in Israel lucky bamboo seems to be taking over the country! I even saw it for sale at the dollar store! That being said, one of the luckiest things about this plant is that unless you are downright cruel and deprive it of water altogether, it is pretty hard to kill. Great news for those of you who wish your thumbs were just a bit greener!
Lucky bamboo lives in water and grows very slowly, let me rephrase that, verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry slowly, your hair probably grows faster! I bought these five tall stalks at the shuk about 6 months ago as bare rootless specimens and this is where we are holding......despite being encouraged with a song here and there! Nonetheless, I've been enjoying their sculptural quality and my four year old has even learned to sing "lucky....... you're so lucky" which is what I've been singing to the plant now and again.
Lucky bamboo isn't actually bamboo, it's a member of the dracaena plant family. (I'll admit to being a little disappointed when I found this out.) Lucky bamboo can grow well in low light so it would be perfect for adding a little life to any dark corner. The typical glass container and stones doesn't stay looking clean very long, so to avoid an extra headache, think about using something opaque and unusual, like how about a tall teapot for example? Or make a grouping of single short lucky bamboo stalks in vintage teacups......and use marbles or glass rocks to anchor them. If you have your heart set on huge glass vase filled with tall stalks, and you have a great place out of reach of little hands, then go for it, it could be really lovely.
Should you decide to add some lucky bamboo to your life, I wish you all the best, just don't forget to check the water level now and then, or your luck just might run out!
Note: Lucky bamboo apparently doesn't love chlorinated water, so it is preferable to refill your container with water that has been sitting out for 24 hours, giving a chance for the chlorine to evaporate.
Also, I read that lucky bamboo is mildly toxic (most plants probably are!) so keep it out of reach of small hungry children!
