What are the precautions for growing lucky bamboo?
Lucky bamboo can be shaped into a pagoda form and given as a gift, representing good fortune, wealth, and the congratulatory meaning of prospering in business. When growing it, attention should be paid to controlling the apical and lateral buds so that the lucky bamboo grows well and has greater ornamental value. Do you know what the precautions for growing lucky bamboo are? Let us take a look together below!
Precautions for controlling the apical and lateral buds of lucky bamboo
The branches and leaves of lucky bamboo tend to grow wildly without end. If left untreated, this will affect the ornamental effect. Ways to inhibit excessive growth of branches and leaves include:
1. Control watering. It should be kept in a low-temperature environment below 18°C, and the water needs to be changed frequently to prevent the roots from rotting.
2. Pinching. When the apical bud of each stem segment grows to 1 cm, pull out the tip. That is, use your left hand to steady the bamboo pagoda, and with the thumb and index finger of your right hand carefully pinch the two small leaves at the tip and pull outward with force to extract the central leaf. Be careful not to damage the other small leaves.
Precautions for shaping lucky bamboo
Lucky bamboo has an auspicious meaning. Whether given as a gift or enjoyed yourself, it is a beautiful pleasure, and it can also be shaped according to preference.
1. Pagoda shape: Lucky bamboo grows vigorously, has strong vitality, strong reproductive capacity, and is easy to manage. Based on these characteristics, use mass propagation of new bamboo and cut numerous stems of different lengths to form a pagoda. The upper end of each stem must carry a shoot, and the buds must be retained so that the top of each layer of the pagoda can sprout and grow branches and leaves, thus forming a new living pagoda.
2. Bottle-style bonsai: Cut the tail of lucky bamboo stems to about 20 cm, insert them into a vase or hanging bottle, then add water to a depth of 5 cm, and change the water once every few days. Ordinarily it can be placed on a shaded, ventilated table indoors. It can maintain green leaf color for a long time and has a unique charm.
3. Green pillars: Place two pots of lucky bamboo on both sides of a hall screen. If they are not moved or pruned for a long time and are allowed to grow freely, they can rise straight up and grow to more than 1 m tall, thus forming green pillars.
4. Jungle-style bonsai: After the new bamboo grows, old, weak, and densely packed bamboo can be cut away, and appropriate pruning and shaping can be done to create a jungle style. After the shape is set, peel off the dead lower stalks and old leaves of the bamboo stems, revealing the green, bright, and glossy bamboo nodes. Set off against each other with rocks, this can improve the ornamental effect.
Precautions for growing lucky bamboo
1. Water: In summer, change the water more frequently than in winter. Clean water is needed. Oily water, dirty water, and hard water can all cause root rot.
2. Fertilizing: Do not use chemical fertilizer for water-grown lucky bamboo. It is enough to add a little nutrient solution each month.
3. Light: Lucky bamboo is a shade-loving plant. The light must not be too strong, but it is best if it can receive scattered sunlight. Do not place it next to a television or in places where fans and air conditioners can blow on it, so as to avoid causing the leaves to wither.
4. Temperature: Lucky bamboo grows between 20—35°C. Pay special attention that in winter lucky bamboo is prone to frost damage, which causes it to wither and its leaves to turn yellow, so it must not be placed outdoors.