Growing lucky bamboo (dracaena sanderiana)?

Question

I just got two sticks of lucky bamboo, about 6" in height. I read on the web that the lucky bamboos you buy in stores will not grow any taller. However, I'm a little confused about propagating them by cutting the stalk. Could someone offer me a detailed explanation as to how to do this? I've read a few things online and I'm still confused, so please don't copy and paste, give me your own personal experience with it. If I cut the stalk and replant it (I think that's what the sites are telling me to do), will this grow taller? Also, how long does it take to grow? Does anyone have pictures of their lucky bamboo over time?

Basically, I just want to know how to get a taller plant from the small plant that I bought.

If it matters, I have mine in a small glass fish bowl with glass pebbles/marbles and water by a window that does not get direct sunlight.

Thank you in advance for your help!!

Answer 1

Hello.  The canes of the 6" lucky bamboo will never grow any longer.  However, it is the shoot that will grow longer.  You may cut off the shoot from your existing cane and plant this.  Leave at least one node of the shoot on your old cane so that new plants can grow from them.  The portion of the shoot that you cut, stick it into the soil or in a shallow container with water, preventing the leaves from submerged in water.   This cutting will form roots.  It will however take some time for it to grow since the roots have to form and then there is some sort of a lag period before the plant starts growing fast.  By the way, are you using plain water?  Your plant may be lacking food.  Put in a little fertilizer into the water.  I you have compost, get some and dissolve it in water or collect some of the drippings after a rain then add a few drops into your water such that it does not discolor it much.  Too much may cause algae especially if your plant is in a sunny place.