How to Grow a Spiral Bamboo

Spiral bamboo, or lucky bamboo, isn't a true bamboo but a variety of Dracaena. The stems and leaves resemble bamboo, which earns the plant its common name. Spiral bamboo is an easy-maintenance houseplant that is thought to bring luck into the home. The stems usually grow straight, but it can be trained into a spiral pattern as it grows by using careful light management, since the stems always grow toward the light source. The plant is displayed after it develops the desired height and spiral pattern.

Pot
Soil
Box
Pencil
Soluble fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Place a lucky bamboo plant that is 6 to 8 inches tall in a pot with a diameter of 5 to 6 inches at the same depth it was growing previously. Water the soil with distilled water until it is evenly moist.
- 2
  Select a cardboard box wide enough to set over the the pot and 12 to 16 inches tall. Poke holes in one side of the box with a pencil, spacing the holes about 1 inch apart.
- 3
  Place the pot in a brightly lit window. Set the box over the top of the plant, with the holes facing the light source.
- 4
  Check the soil moisture in the pot every three to five days. Add distilled water when the soil begins to dry out.
- 5
  Apply a balanced soluble fertilizer monthly in the amount recommended on the package for your plant size.
- 6
  Rotate the plant a quarter turn in the box every 30 to 45 days. Turning exposes a new part of the plant toward the light, resulting in spiraling.

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