Lucky bamboo plants can be found at many stores from Walmart to Home Depot. But are those places a good choice? How can you tell if the plant is healthy?
We want to help you with a little buying guide and tips. This way you not only learn where you can buy Lucky Bamboo but also get a good plant that will thrive in your home.
Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) is a quite popular house plant in many countries. Many people buy their plants on a whim or get them as a gift, as they are readily available in so many places. But let’s dive deeper into this topic!
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Where to buy Lucky Bamboo
While it is feasible to find healthy plants at places like Lowe’s and Home Depot, typically the best place to buy your lucky bamboo is from a local florist shop.
Local florists & horticultural centers
The plants at florists will often be healthier to start with and have proper care from the shop owner. The same goes for horticultural centers. We are not saying that Lowe’s etc. do a horrible job at taking care of plants but there is a slight difference in profession here.
A florists shop should also be able to advise you how to take proper care of your house plants which regular garden department workers may not be able to do.
Home Depot & Lowe’s
You most likely have a Home Depot & Lowe’s close by. It would surprise me if you don’t. They usually have some Lucky Bamboo for sale. They source their plants from different centers and your store may not have them. However, you can order them online, if you want.
Should you buy Lucky Bamboo online?
Sometimes it happens that you are unable to get your plant locally. The good news is there are various places you can order them online. Two of those places are Lowe’s & Home Depot as mentioned above.
I haven’t had to order my plant online, but even if you’ve got a plant that was less than optimally healthy, lucky bamboo does spring back well and is rather hardy. In addition, you can return the plant if it’s no good.
Even Amazon offers plenty of options. Just make sure you buy from a seller that has plants in the US so that you don’t have to wait forever. Also thoroughly check the reviews. I have noticed that some indicate a completely different product in the reviews (or have fake reviews).
Picking out your Dracaena sanderiana
If you get to pick out your Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) plant in person you should know a few things to look out for. Some of these things may also be important when receiving your plant. This way you can see if it’s healthy or not.
You want to get the healthiest plant that you can. In some cases, unhealthy or poorly rooted plants are shipped from growers to the stores and in other cases the stores neglect the plants or don’t properly care for them.
Stalks & leaves
If the stalks have a cut-off look, then this is as tall as they will grow. Although sprouts or leaves will continue to grow off of the stalk. With proper care, they can still reach a good height.
Also be aware of the various designs that lucky bamboo can come in. It’s much easier to buy them already spiraled or in a heart shape than try and do this yourself at home later. However, if you do want to give it a try, read this article for the heart shape or this for pruning & shaping Lucky Bamboo.
When you go to pick out your plant in person, examine the color of the stalks and leaves. Yellowing indicates that the plant is unhealthy or not being properly cared for. Bright green robust leaves, on the other hand, are a good sign that the plant is, or was healthy in the near past.
Roots
It’s a good idea to check out the roots as well. Most lucky bamboo comes in water and the plant can be simply picked up out of the water. The plant should have a good amount of roots that are long and a dark orange color. If you detect whitish, new root shoots then you can tell that the plant was happy enough to continue growing in its previous home (or maybe even in the store). So, this is an especially good sign.
If you need to learn about re-potting your plant or lucky bamboo care you can check out our lucky bamboo plant page.
