Lucky Bamboo & Pets

Symptoms

• Lucky bamboo contains steroidal saponins that can cause symptoms such as depression, anorexia, hypersalivation, weakness, unsteady gait and vomiting, sometimes with blood. Cats may have dilated pupils. These symptoms may also occur with other species of Dracaena sanderiana. If your pet has ingested lucky bamboo, remove any leftover plant material in your pet's mouth and call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435. Have the age, weight, species and breed of your pet ready. A consultation fee may apply.

Prevention

• To prevent plant poisoning, do not purchase houseplants known to be toxic to pets in your home. Even if you have only nontoxic plants, call your vet if your pet displays any general poisoning symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, abnormal urine or weakness. Cornell University notes that sometimes dogs eat plants to make up for a lack of fiber in their diet. Adding bran flakes or more vegetable fibers to their diet may deter them from nibbling on plants.

Culture

• Lucky bamboo is nearly maintenance-free, growing fine in low light levels in a container with just water and rocks. Adding diluted liquid houseplant fertilizer every few months, as per label recommendations, will help keep the plant from declining over time. Lucky bamboo may only be grown outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10B and 11, as it cannot tolerate temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Costa Farms. The plant prefers temperatures between 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Problems

• Spider mites can build up on lucky bamboo, lowering the plant's ornamental value by covering the plant with webs. They may be washed off the leaves with water. Leaf tip burn may occur if you're watering the plant with tap water that contains fluoride. Use rain water or demineralized water instead. If the plant starts to get leggy or tattered-looking over time, the University of Arkansas recommends cutting the canes down to the size they were when you first bought the plant.