Propagate your Lucky Bamboo

I love lucky bamboos. I received my three lucky bamboos from my sister for my birthday about three years ago. They have grown so much since. I wanted to cut them shorter, but knew that there must be a certain way to do this. So I went to my old faithful and reliable friend, Mr. Google. I discovered this video on how to propagate bamboo. It was so easy and I couldn't wait for the shoots to grow out again.

What you do:
1.) You choose a stalk for propagating. The stalk of the lucky bamboo plant is the thick, cylindrical base from which the smaller, leafy shoots grow. Select a stalk with at least 1 long, healthy shoot to take your cutting.
2.) Trim the leaves from the shoot. Once you have selected a shoot to cut, remove all of the smaller leaves by plucking them off with your fingers. Leave only the few long, mature leaves at the top of the shoot. Removing the leaves keeps the plant's energy focused on growing new roots rather than supporting the leaves.
3.) Cut the shoot off of the stalk. Use a very sharp knife or a pair of scissors to cut cleanly through the shoot about a half an inch (1 cm) away from where it meets the stalk. The cleaner and straighter the cut, the less likely it will be to succumb to a bacterial infection. It is a good idea to sanitize your blade in rubbing alcohol before making the cut.

• If you want to save the stalk from which you took your cutting, you will need to cut it as well. Cut the stalk about a half an inch (1 cm) below the area where the cut shoot joined it. Garden shears will make cutting through big, woody stalks easier.

4.) Once the stalk is cut, you need to seal the wound with wax to prevent bacterial infection. Melt some candle wax onto the wound until it is completely covered. When placed back in water or soil, the stalk will grow new shoots in a month or so. The source.

This is how it looked after two months:

8 March 2014

8 March 2014

After 6 months:

6 July 2014

6 July 2014

6 July 2014

The stalks that I cut off, I placed in these vases that I received from my sister.  She used a lot of these for flowers at her wedding.  They are from Mr Price.

Who knew plants could be so much fun!  You don't need green fingers with lucky bamboos. Let me know if you going to try it!