"The Chinese identify themselves with the bamboo as a symbol of strength and fortitude. The resilient bamboo proves that it can withstand the turmoil of a storm, and survive unscathed."

Dracena sanderiana is native to Cameroon in West Africa and Congo in central Africa. The species, unlike the real bamboo, grows only three feet tall, and thrives under the canopy of large trees in the rain forests. The stems are slender and finger sized. As a house plant, it is mostly grown as a hydroponic plant, that is, in water. You often find the lucky bamboo in houses and in offices, in a decorative container, with rock, stones, or marbles to keep the stems upright.

The Chinese art of Feng Shui has contributed immensely to the popularity of the lucky bamboo. Because the Dracaena stems look like the bamboo and because they are verdant green in color, the associations with good fortune, growth, and positive energy are abundant.

The lucky bamboo is also a low-maintenance plant. Grow it in any part of the house or office where there is diffused lighting and the lucky bamboo should be fine. The trick is to keep the water in the plant container clean and fresh at all times. Every now and then - two months or so - the water can be fortified with a diluted houseplant liquid fertilizer. Instead of chlorinated or fluoridated water, it is important to use distilled, bottled, or spring water. If that is not possible, simply keep some tap water in a bowl and let stay overnight to disperse the chemical.

All in all, if you want the look of bamboo around the house or office, the lucky bamboo is a viable, inexpensive, and low-maintenance option.

Read More: Lucky Bamboo Growing and Care Tips

You see lucky bamboo everywhere these days. These cute little arrangements in their exotic containers are stalks of Dracaena sanderiana, a plant native to the equatorial West African region. They are not bamboo.

So, why is it called the "lucky bamboo"? Most likely, because cuttings of the Dracaena look like the bamboo and the Chinese have for centuries associated the bamboo with good fortune, fortitude, and resilience.

The lucky bamboo arrangement is a perfect coming together of the five essential elements of Feng Shui - earth, wood, water, metal, and fire. The rocks or pebbles in the plant container symbolize earth. The vertical stalks symbolize wood. The bamboo stalks are generally placed in water. Metal is found as small ornaments or coins in the container. And fire is any color of red, pink, burgundy, or maroon that can be added.

Place this lucky bamboo arrangement in any spot in your house or office to enhance the good energy, to revitalize the bad, and to bring growth into your life. So, the Feng Shui enthusiasts believe.

You can also customize your lucky bamboo arrangement to bring different kinds of luck to your life.

• Two stalks symbolize love.
   
• Three stalks symbolize happiness - Fu (happiness), Lu (wealth), and Soh (longevity).
   
• Five stalks symbolize wealth.
   
• Seven stalks also symbolize wealth and happiness.
   
• Eight brings growth.
   
• Nine symbolizes general good fortune.
   
• Ten represents completion and perfection.
   
•  21 brings abundant blessings.

Read More: Lucky Bamboo Meaning

The lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) is quite the rage of the modern world. Not just because it looks like the bamboo and is associated with good fortune. But also because it is low maintenance and is relatively easy to grow. Place the stems in water; keep them out of direct sunlight; clean the water every two weeks or so, and voila! Your lucky bamboo is a happy camper. Occasionally add a diluted liquid fertilizer to energize.

To propagate your lucky bamboo, here are some easy tips. Cut the bottom to the preferred length. It will root again in about two months in warm weather. You can also clean cut the bamboo stalks from the top. Usually the top two or three joints will sprout again in three months in the summer.

You can even create your own shaped bamboo stems. This process is a little tricky and takes an average of 1.5 years for a single curl. Lay the stems on a long table, cover three sides in the dark, and leave one side exposed to the light. The stems will grow naturally towards the light. Rotate the stems periodically. And in time, you will begin to see the curl.

And with a collection of stems, you can create as many shapes in as many numbers as you wish.

Read More: Growing Lucky Bamboo

The lucky bamboo, which is not really a bamboo, but a Dracaena (a tropical plant commonly grown for indoor use), has quite taken the modern world by storm. It is popular because of its close resemblance to bamboo, its associations with good fortune, and its low-maintenance requirements.

All this plant requires is that you place the stems in water, keep them out of direct sunlight, clean the water every two weeks or so, and occasionally add a diluted liquid fertilizer to energize. A simple enough recipe to care for a plant that is so aesthetically pleasing.

Due to its natural habitat in the wet forests, the lucky bamboo needs to be kept moist all the time. Distilled or spring water is preferable because of the danger of chlorination or fluoridation. If you must use tap water, let it stand in a container overnight so as to allow the chemicals to disperse.

When replenishing the water in the container, keep the same water level. The water line is where the roots form; raising the water level encourages the lucky bamboo to grow more roots and can result in overcrowding.

If a stem starts turning yellow, throw it out. Trying to save one stalk can damage the remaining stalks. If a stem turns brown or mushy from the bottom, the roots are dying out. You probably can’t save the bottom, but you can cut the healthy tops and regrow them.

Your lucky bamboo will also thrive in a soil mixture as long as this soil holds a lot of water. However, remember to not keep the soil soaking wet. Don’t let the surface of the soil mislead you. Even if the surface is dry, the soil can still be damp a half-inch below the surface. They say that if you stick your finger into the soil and if it feels dry a half-inch in, it is okay to water.

Since neither water nor soil contains the vitamins, mineral, and hormones found in its natural habitat, a drop of dilute liquid fertilizer is recommended each time the water is refreshed, or changed. However, take care to not overfeed the plant water. There is no soil in the container; so, the roots may be prone to burning if the solution is too strong.

Keep Out of Direct Sunlight

Your lucky bamboo must also be kept out of direct sunlight. Why? This plant grows naturally under a canopy of wet tropical rain forests in Africa and is accustomed to diffused lighting. The more indirect the sunlight, the better. Burning or browning on the tips of the leaves is an indication that your lucky bamboo may be receiving too much sunlight. Too little sunlight is also detrimental. The leaves turn yellow and unhealthy, the stems long and thin. Keep the lucky bamboo in an indoor location with bright, diffused lighting and normal temperatures.

Use Plenty of Water

As sufficient water is important to the lucky bamboo, make sure that the plant does not dry out. If transporting your Dracaena from one place to another, wrap a wet paper towel around the roots, and place the bottom in a plastic bag.

Read More: Lucky Bamboo Care Tips

Lucky Bamboo Arrangements

Lucky bamboo arrangement is depends on your creativity. Normally lucky bamboo comes as two, three, five, seven, eight, nine, ten and twenty one stalk pots. It also comes in three length categories of small, medium and tall. Different stalk count and height symbolize different meanings. Few of most popular lucky bamboo arrangements are given below:

Large Trellis, Large Zaizan and Little Cute Arrangements

Black Forest, Three Tire Tower and Flirtatious Arrangements

Medium Trellis, Small Gold Tree Pillar and Small Tree Pear Arrangements

Read More: Lucky Bamboo Arrangements

The fast-paced and materialistic world that we live in today craves balance and harmony. The ancient science of Feng Shui offers our restless souls some degree of balance amidst this chaos. And the lucky bamboo, or Dracaena sanderiana, is an important element of this science.

Feng Shui enthusiasts value the lucky bamboo for its influence on life energy, growth, vitality, and physical activity. The bamboo can thrive in any part of the house or office. It is believed to revitalize stagnant energy and enhance the positive flow of energy (or chi). If you place it where chi does circulate, it helps keep it flowing freely and permanently. Place it near a person with health problems, and its energizing qualities are believed to revitalize. Or, place it in a dark spot in the house that requires light. The lucky bamboo is believed to energize the spot.

What does the ancient science of Feng Shui teach us?

That we can live in harmony with our environment by aesthetically combining earth, water, wood, metal, and fire. The lucky bamboo is valued as a perfect representative of these five elements:

• Earth: Rock, pebble, sand, and clay are substitutes for earth. The color brown also symbolizes earth. All these may be found in the lucky bamboo container.
  
   
• Wood: The lucky bamboo with its vertical stems represents wood, as does its verdant color. Wood, in Feng Shui, represents the beginning of life. Just as spring ushers new beginnings, wood is believed to originate new life cycles.
  
   
• Water: Water is essential to life. It is always present in the lucky bamboo container. Sometimes a blue pot, also representing water, may be used.
  
   
• Fire: Red, burgundy, maroon, or pink all symbolize fire - the element that eradicates the old, and enables growth of the new. The plant container and any adornments could include one or more of the colors that symbolize fire.
  
   
• Metal: Feng Shui coins may be added to the lucky bamboo arrangement, as a symbol of material wealth. Little ornaments and figurines of metal or metallic coloring also represent metal. Gold, silver, brass, bronze, and copper colors may be used as substitutes.

Read More: Feng Shui Tips for Lucky Bamboo

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