How to Grow Lucky Bamboo? Detailed Growing Methods and Precautions
Lucky bamboo is mostly used for home bottle arrangements or potted care, especially the “tower-shaped” form that spread from Taiwan, China, also known as “fortune bamboo,” with high ornamental value. So, what are the growing methods for lucky bamboo?
1. Hydroponic method
1. Handling
Before inserting lucky bamboo to root, note that you should use a small knife to cut a slit at the base of the lucky bamboo, and it should be cut at an angle, so that the cut surface at the base of the lucky bamboo has a larger area of contact with the water, making it easier for the lucky bamboo to survive,
2. Container
The best container for growing lucky bamboo is a glass cup, because a glass cup is transparent and allows you to observe the condition of the lucky bamboo at all times. When adding water, add it up to one third of the bottle. If using tap water, it needs to be left to stand or exposed to the sun for a day in advance.
3. Changing the water
The water for lucky bamboo should be changed about every 3-4 days. Once the lucky bamboo has grown new roots and stems, you can no longer change the water and can only add water to it. Of course, adding nutrient solution is best, as it can supplement nutrients for the lucky bamboo.
2. Soil culture method
1. Land selection
Because lucky bamboo is an ornamental plant that prefers shade and moisture, to accelerate its growth and shorten the production cycle, it is advisable to choose paddy fields with convenient drainage and irrigation and loose, fertile soil for cultivation.
2. Building a shade shed
Building a shade shed means covering with shade netting. Around the paddy field, use wooden posts or cement stakes to build a frame. The wooden posts should be 2.4 m high and buried 0.4 m deep. If calculated at four wooden posts (or cement posts) per 20 sq m, about 30~35 wooden posts are needed per mu, and the top of the shed is tied tightly with iron wire or nylon rope. Then cover with 10 bundles of plastic shade netting per mu (width 1.5 m/100 m, 55 yuan/bundle), cover well for shade, and tie it securely all around with nylon rope to finish.
3. Planting density
When preparing the land, the bed surface height is 15~20 cm, the bed surface width is 120~150 cm, and the bed ditch is 25 cm. Apply 30 loads of decomposed farmyard manure per mu, level thoroughly, then insert the seedlings. The planting spacing is 8×5 cun or 6×5 cun, and more than 15,000~20,000 plants can be planted per mu. Generally, planting should not be too dense. The planting depth is preferably 2.5~3.5 cm (that is, with 4 node positions on the seedling, inserting 2 node positions is enough), maintaining appropriate space to allow ventilation and light penetration.
4. Scientific fertilization
Twenty days after planting, the plants begin to send out new roots, and 30~40 loads of manure water per mu can be poured once. After 30~40 days, depending on the growth of the seedlings, apply a seedling-promoting fertilizer once, generally mainly compound fertilizer, at 15~20 kg per mu, and earth up after application. When the plants grow to 35~45 cm tall, their nutrient needs also increase, and this is the stage when plant growth begins to flourish. Therefore, topdressing at this stage should be heavy: 25~30 kg of compound fertilizer per mu and 10~15 kg of urea are suitable. At the same time, foliar fertilizer can be sprayed in combination, using plant growth regulators such as Xinzhisu or Penshibao, to promote balanced growth, lush leaves and thick stems, and improve stress resistance.
Lucky bamboo is mostly used for home cultivation, generally using the hydroponic method, while the soil culture method is suitable for large-scale planting.