I don’t know anybody who doesn’t want to bring good luck and good fortune into their homes. With Feng Shui highly influencing the western world, there has been quite a large demand for indoor plants that do bring good luck.
With the proper placement and arrangement, you can surely attract good luck to your home by having one of these plants: Lucky Bamboo, Money Tree, Jade Plant, Peace Lilies, and the Rubber Plant. These plants are low maintenance and would thrive well in your home.
What is Feng Shui?
The practice of Feng Shui dates back to approximately 60 centuries ago. This method was used to influence or attract positive energy or chi into your home. In fact, Feng Shui is used for buildings, gardens, rooms, or even outdoor spaces.
Having the right houseplants in your home can greatly influence good fortune into your home. By knowing which ones to pick and placing them properly in the appropriate areas you are sure to bring good luck in the start of the new year.
Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena braunii)
The Lucky Bamboo, like most indoor plants, is quite easy to care for. Keep them in a bright area, but do not expose them directly to sunlight, direct exposure will cause the leaves to burn. Just the right amount of exposure (approximately 4 to 6 hours) will do just fine.
There are two variants of the Lucky Bamboo based on their habitat:
Soil
The soil itself must be kept moist, not too dry and definitely not soggy. Soggy soil will cause roots to rot and eventually kill your plant. In order to know if your soil needs to be watered, insert your finger about an inch deep.
If it feels dry, add water. The pot of your lucky bamboo must also have good drainage in order to avoid collecting stagnant water. Essentially, you would need to water your Lucky Bamboo weekly and mist them every two days or so to keep them healthy.
Water
For the aquatic version of the Lucky Bamboo, you would not need to fuss much about maintenance and such, however, following these tips can sure prolong its life. The water in the vase must be at least a couple of inches high, enough to cover all the roots.
Anytime it gets lower, you would need to add more to keep it at a constant level. Change the water entirely every couple of weeks to avoid any mold. The Lucky Bamboo is quite sensitive to salts and possibly other chemicals that may be found in tap water, so it is best to use distilled water or clean rain water for your plant.
Fertilization for this plant isn’t entirely necessary. In fact, the leaves turn yellow if there an abundance of fertilizers in the soil. The Lucky Bamboo does well on water alone, and as long as it’s healthy that way, adding more chemicals to your plant’s base should be avoided.
It is said that the Lucky Bamboo brings peaceful energy as well as ultimate wisdom. In order to harness these positive vibrations, you must have at least five stalks to represent all five Feng Shui elements that are essential for a harmonious universe: earth, fire, wood, water, and metal. You may also choose one of these distinct arrangements based on your preference:
- Love and Marriage (2 Stalks)
- Happiness (3 Stalks)
- Good Health (5 Stalks)
- Wealth and Abundance (8 Stalks)
- Good Fortune (9 Stalks)
For western homes, the most appropriate place to put your Lucky Bamboo is at the mid or upper left areas of your home.
Money Tree (Pachira aquatica)
Native to South America, these plants thrive in shady freshwater swamps. Being quite adaptable to low-lit spaces and lots of water, this houseplant has the potential of growing up to 8 feet indoors given that the living conditions are really good.
Given that the Money Tree is a semi-aquatic plant, water is definitely essential to its growth. You would need to give your plant a deep soaking at least once a week in normal weather conditions. During summertime, you may need to add 2 deep soak sessions. If you noticed that the leaves have dropped, this is an indication that you may not be watering it enough. Make sure that the soil is evenly moist.
Although truly a forest plant, it grows best in dark shaded areas. It prefers indirect sunlight, but would need a balanced amount. Rotating your plant every now and then will allow it to get a balanced amount of light it needs.
The Money Tree is essentially used to attract the energy of prosperity and wealth. In order to acquire this energy, it must be place strategically on any of these three areas:
- Wealth Area
The wealth area in classical Feng Shui is the southeast corner of your home or office. This is the most ideal place to position your Money Tree in. - Health Area
Wood objects like plants are excellent Feng Shui cure that are to be placed in the east area of you home. Placing your Money Tree here attracts good health. - Fame & Reputation Area
Choosing wood imagery like plants can attract fame into your life. The Money Tree can be placed in the south area to attract good fortune in this particular aspect of your life.
Never place your Money Tree in the bathroom. It is said to bring bad luck.
Jade Plant (Crassula ovata)
According to classic Feng Shui, plants that have rounded leaves attract or influence good fortune in general. This plant is traditionally given as gifts to new business and is often placed near the entrance in order to bring in prosperity.
Jade plants are closely related to succulents, which makes them fairly easy to care for. They’re resilient, grow well indoors, and live long.
These plants need approximately 4 hours of direct sunlight each day, which means they do great by window sills facing the south. They grow best in cooler temperatures but can survive summer as long as they are watered well. Like the Lucky Bamboo, it is quite sensitive to chemicals in tap water. It is best to use distilled or filtered water at least once a week or as needed.
In Feng Shui, the rounded leaves seem to activate financial fortune – since it symbolizes coins. Here are a few key spaces to keep your Jade Plant:
- Next to the cash register of your shop to attract more business.
- At the entrance of your business or home to attract more wealth and prosperity in general.
- Set on the southeast corner of the office or your desk to influence good fortune in work.
- On the dining room table, reflected in a mirror to “double” your good fortune
Never place your Jade plant in your bedroom since the yang energy will contradict the attraction of wealth. And most especially, never place them in the bathroom where water is flushed or drained out. It is said this will also drain away your good fortune.
Peace Lilies (Spathiphyllum spp.)
The Peace Lily is native to tropical America. This plant is a perennial type with stems and leaves directly emerging from the soil. The name “Peace Lily” came from the beautiful white flowers it has that seem to resemble white flags, which known for peace.
Taking care of your Peace Lily is quite easy since it absolutely loves the indoor environment. It prefers indirect sunlight with evenly moist soil. They do not take in much water, which means you don’t have to water them every single day.
In order to remove any salt build up in the soil, you would need to take your plant out and flush the soil with water. Keep the foliage clean by wiping the leaves every now and then with a damp cloth. It attracts a lot of dust and may trigger allergies if not done.
In Feng Shui, the Peace Lily symbolizes prosperity, tranquility, and purification. It can be placed in your home to promote a balance in all the energies present bringing you good fortune amid possible bad vibrations.
Peace Lilies are also one of the plants that gives off the most oxygen.
Perhaps it’s all those fresh breaths you’ll be taking that make Peace Lilies lucky?
Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica)
This plant has gained popularity over the years due to its low maintenance care and tree-like looks. Interior decorators have been putting these plants in dozens of homes to promote greenery within the space. Little did they know; the rubber plant also attracts wealth and prosperity due to its large rounded leaves.
Rubber plants do not do well in overly wet soil. They would prefer a well aerated potting soil. This can be made with peat, pine bark, and perlite.
They love bright light, but direct sunlight may be too harsh for them. Keep your rubber plant in a well-lit area.
Once the leaves start to lose luster and fall off, this is a sign that they are not getting enough light. Do not use cold tap water to water your rubber plant. Allow the water to reach room temperature. This allows the chlorine to evaporate and by then it is ready to use.
The best place to put your rubber plant, according to Feng Shui experts, is right in front of your hallway leading to the rest of your home. This attracts prosperity, wealth, and good luck within your family.
It can never hurt to have a variety of plants around your home to attract good energy into your life. Aside from the scientifically proven benefits of having these plants around, good luck and good fortune is definitely enough benefit to inspire you to start your own indoor garden.