How To Transplant Your Lucky Bamboo

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If you love plants as much as I do, check out my post on 20 different plants + how to take care of them.

If you don’t already have a lucky bamboo, I would highly recommend getting one. Amazon has a bunch of great options. My favorite is this one:

I love watching my bamboo turn into green, leafy trees, so this one specifically is a great option for that.

They’re super easy to take care of, and so aesthetically pleasing! They come in all different sizes and grow patterns, so you can definitely find one that fits your growing preference.

Lucky bamboo are also rumored to bring happiness and prosperity to the owner of the plant. I like to believe this is true, and I try to keep this in mind every time I water my bamboo or plant a new one! What I like most about these plants is how easy it is to take care of them, and how easy it is to propagate/transplant new ones! Here’s a step-by-step guide on the easiest way to transplant a lucky bamboo. You’re going to need a non-draining pot, clean sand, pebbles/rocks, filtered water, and your bamboo!

1. Fill your pot with sand

Fill your pot with 1-2 inches of clean sand. You can get sand anywhere you’d like, but make sure that it’s clean. I once propagated a little baby bamboo into a pot with unclean soil/sand from my backyard, and the bacteria in it caused a nasty black algae to grow. It smelled super gross, and it rotted up the plant over time. After this experience, I didn’t want to risk it happening again, so I just bought a bag of sand on Amazon. Beach sand would work just as well.

TIP: to sterilize sand, pour onto a baking sheet and bake in the oven anywhere from 180°F-350° for an hour or two. Be sure to let it cool before handling!

2. Place a few pebbles on top and add a little bit of water

I wanted this plant to look really nice, so instead of grabbing rocks from my backyard like I normally would, I bought a bag of decorative pebbles on Amazon. You can use whatever rocks or pebbles you’d like, but again, make sure that they’re clean. Wash them and sterilize in the oven if you have to.

Use your bamboo plant as a bit of a gauge as to how many rocks you put in at first. Don’t put too many in, or your plant will be too tall and won’t stay upright. Just put enough in to give the roots of your plant something to hang on to. After that, fill it to the top of the rocks with a little bit of filtered water, and tap it on a hard surface gently to remove air bubbles. It’s easier to do this now, rather than after you’re finished planting and filling everything in.

3. Move your plant!

When removing your bamboo from its old pot, dump out or use a syringe to remove as much water as you can before-hand.

Then, tenderly grab the base of the bamboo stalk(s), turn it on its side above a colander or bowl in the sink, and gently pour the rocks out (discard or wash them if there’s a lot of algae build-up). Gently wiggle the roots out of the remaining rocks, and remove any sand or rocks that are stuck. Rinse the base of the plant under lukewarm water, using your fingers to VERY gently clean the roots and bottoms of the stalks.

Now you can transfer your bamboo to the new pot!

4. Fill in the rest of the rocks, fill up with water, and voilà!

The rest is pretty simple – hold your bamboo in place while you fill in the rest of the rocks, making sure the plant is in the center, and steady. Then fill up with filtered water and you’re done!

Put your newly potted friend on a shelf or window sill with lots of indirect light, and watch him grow! Direct sunlight will burn the leaves, turning them a translucent shade of green, or yellow. Don’t forget to add fresh filtered water when it gets low, and do routine water changes around 1-2 times a month (like a fish tank). A drop of plant fertilizer can be used once every other month for optimal plant happiness.

If you see any yellowing or wilting leaves, go ahead and trim those off. You want your plant to focus its energy on adjusting to the transplant and growing new leaves and roots, instead of trying to send nutrients to it’s dying leaf.

Enjoy the aesthetic of your newly potted lucky bamboo, and enjoy the luck and prosperity it will bring you as you continue to nurture and care for it. 😉

The Sill – Plants Make People Happy!

Thanks for reading, and let me know if you have any questions or comments!! Follow my Pinterest for more great inspiration and ideas, and my Twitter to get in contact with me + see my blog updates!