Most of us know how helpful YouTube tutorials can be; they teach us how to fix things, how to grow things, how to overcome technical problems with the computer/ the sewing machine, how to prevent and treat health issues etc...From this point of view, we live in really blessed times. Unfortunately, there are a lot of awful videos out there. The presenter talks too much or too little, is out of focus, bad diction, doesn't look confident; the rhytm is too slow and monotonous, or too swift, the video leaves us with more questions than answers. Nevertheless, if you're interested in a topic, I suggest that you check all of the YouTube videos (old and new) that deal with your topic of interest, as you never know what little gem of information is 'hidden' in this or that apparently boring/ poor quality tutorial.
I'm very fond of the well- known plant Lucky Bamboo. So far I've got about thirty- five pieces. It's a nice decorative plant, it requires minimal care, it can be grown in water (with some pebbles to stabilize it),it can be offered as a gift (especially that it is said to bring Luck), it can even be prepared and sold at a small profit (high profit - only if it's a special arrangement of stalks).
Most of the YouTube videos about this plant are of no great quality, and yet, I've learnt a lot from them. For instance, I've learnt that in order to keep the plant healthy you have to use distilled water (not tap water which contains chloride), direct sunlight will kill it (fluorescent light, I noticed, makes it grow more rapidly), it can be propagated both through stalk cuttings and through its leaves (it takes a month or so to get results), it can be made to grow into an interesting, spiral or exotic (and quite pricey) arrangement (personally, I like it as an individual upright plant).
I heartily recommend it as a hobby, despite the fact that some claim its leaves have a certain amount of toxicity and should be kept away from cats (?!) and babies . I find this asian plant fascinating and tend to adopt the view that it purifies the air and creates a positive, energetic atmosphere in the room.
What a useful indoor plant this is..... easy to look after and likes indoor lights. As for YT, the videos on this channel have taught me everything I have needed to know about farm life, including canning produce, growing produce, and spinning. You are right about some video presenters being not quite up to the mark, but you are also right in saying that even these presenters have something they can teach me.
That's the beauty of it- that everybody has free access to knowledge, to transparency. We no longer live in the dark, dependant on all kinds of professionals to rescue us from our ignorance. The Internet has truly changed reality.
When my mom was alive, I enjoyed visiting her home where she had a lovely bamboo plant on her dining room table. It became a conversation piece. I also like the bamboo trees I see when I visit the kids and we go to the San Diego Zoo. I learned so much about knee replacement on You Tube. My husband bought a tamale maker and studied a You Tube instructional to learn to use it. He made over 100 tamales. Yikes.
I know from a bloggiefriend of mexican origin that tamale making is quite a big project, and that every family member is expected to help. Kudos to your husband for his achievement!
Hi Duta, I am a first time visitor to your blog and this post was of great interest. I agree with your comments about You Tube videos and Have also learned a lot. I have 2 bamboo plants which were bought as small single stalks. They have really grown so tall and I keep them in a tall vase and have always used tap water. Plus they are on the top shelf of a bookcase near a window. Their growth is really amazing to me. I will watch the video link.
I'm glad tap water works for your bamboo. Because of the chlorine it contains the instruction is to leave it 24 hours in a jar for the chemical to evaporate, and only then to use it.
Hi Duta, I like how you arrange the plants in your home, its so orderly!! Makes me smile and think of the air being purifed with all the green!! Its nice how you tell of soothing outdoor urban spaces in some of your posts, so what I feel in this post, is the soothing space you make inside your home with all the green!!
I have avocado plants, but never had a bamboo plant, though in Japan we often eat the bamboo shoots:))
Hi Shayndel, You feel correctly. I'm looking for soothing ways both outside and inside my home.
"eat the bamboo shoots"?! that's interesting. As far as I know, it's not an edible plant, but maybe with soaking it overnight in water, and then cooking, it may get cleared of poison traces.
Hi Duta, oh, It must be a different variety of Bamboo!! I don`t think you want to try it with the ones you have:)) Just to give you an idea of cooking with bamboo shoots, please see a link here! But please only try it with an edible variety of bamboo, and not with the ones you have!! Sorry if I was unclear, it is surely a different type of bamboo!! https://www.thespruce.com/simmered-bamboo-shoots-takenoko-no-nimono-2031547
Thanks,Shayndel, for the important clarificaton. There are indeed many varieties of bamboo, mine is decorative, not edible. In Asia, they grow also species that are edible and part of the daily diet. In any case, the shoots have to be peeled and cooked.
So often I comment about the benefits of the internet. Before it would take us hours and hours, days and days pouring through books, and time spent at libraries trying to find information we needed on whatever it was...nowadays, it's at our fingertips.
Mr. Google is my second-best friend...if not my first best friend! :)
You're absolutely right. Google is our very best friend. The internet has completely changed our life; it has made it better and easier; it has been a constant eye opener.
What a fun post! I just saw a display of Lucky Bamboo at the store a few days ago. I haven't grown any for quite some time, but your post encourages me to give it a try. There were many different ways it was being grown/displayed. I saw it beautifully arranged in circles with stalks held together woven with pretty silver thread. At the moment my Kalankoe plants have taken over my plant table in my dining room. :)
Hi Lois, I'm glad my post made you wish to 'give it a try' with the lucky bamboos. You won't regret it. At the florist store, they're expensive. I buy them on the market.
I saw one too; amazing isn't it? A bicycle frame made of bamboo!! Well, bamboo is tough material, but there are many types of bamboo. The Lucky bamboo belongs to the species of Dracaena (Sanderiana or Braunii).
From your photos, it is evident that you have indeed profited from various YouTube videos about the lucky bamboo! You definitely possess a green thumb, Duta!
Your Bamboo plants are coming along nicely. They look charming stacked up on your dresser. I don't have a green thumb, and most of the indoor plants don't make it, but my roses outside always thrive. Enjoy the bamboos. They remind me of a tropical plant.
Spot on about YouTube, Duta! It's a great thing for tutorials at times. Your Lucky Bamboo plants look very healthy! I started many of the plants several years ago and gave them away. They're easy to grow, graceful and nice looking. A Vietnamese woman I know has huge ones and hangs little ornaments or charms from the branches, very pretty! Now I want to go the nursery and buy some! Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful week!
I like the word 'graceful' in your comment. Graceful is exactly what best describes lucky bamboos. I love them for their grace and I believe they do us good.
You're right Duta, somethings on Youtube aren't good but others are fabulous. I also like bamboo plants and have give them as gifts to many. Yours look really nice.
As a gift, in a small glass or ceramic container - they are very popular with everyone (those giving and those receiving). Who wouldn't appreciate someting that is both decorative and supposed to bring Luck?
I used to have a really green thumb and could grow almost anything. I haven't tried lately, but I do know that the only two plants I can't grow are Ferns and Bamboo plants and I love both dearly! I'll have to come back and watch that video.
I don't know about Ferns, but the Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena braunii or Dracaena sanderiana) is very easy to grow: light, a little water(preferably not tap water), and not in a cold area.
What a useful indoor plant this is..... easy to look after and likes indoor lights. As for YT, the videos on this channel have taught me everything I have needed to know about farm life, including canning produce, growing produce, and spinning. You are right about some video presenters being not quite up to the mark, but you are also right in saying that even these presenters have something they can teach me.
ReplyDeleteDespite my criticism , I appreciate all presenters. I learn something from each and everyone of them.
DeleteI've learned a lot through youtube videos. I've never tried growing bamboo - yours are beautiful
ReplyDeleteThat's the beauty of it- that everybody has free access to knowledge, to transparency. We no longer live in the dark, dependant on all kinds of professionals to rescue us from our ignorance. The Internet has truly changed reality.
DeleteWhen my mom was alive, I enjoyed visiting her home where she had a lovely bamboo plant on her dining room table. It became a conversation piece. I also like the bamboo trees I see when I visit the kids and we go to the San Diego Zoo. I learned so much about knee replacement on You Tube. My husband bought a tamale maker and studied a You Tube instructional to learn to use it. He made over 100 tamales. Yikes.
ReplyDeleteI know from a bloggiefriend of mexican origin that tamale making is quite a big project, and that every family member is expected to help. Kudos to your husband for his achievement!
DeleteHi Duta, I am a first time visitor to your blog and this post was of great interest. I agree with your comments about You Tube videos and Have also learned a lot. I have 2 bamboo plants which were bought as small single stalks. They have really grown so tall and I keep them in a tall vase and have always used tap water. Plus they are on the top shelf of a bookcase near a window. Their growth is really amazing to me. I will watch the video link.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad tap water works for your bamboo. Because of the chlorine it contains the instruction is to leave it 24 hours in a jar for the chemical to evaporate, and only then to use it.
DeleteHi Duta, I like how you arrange the plants in your home, its so orderly!! Makes me smile and think of the air being purifed with all the green!! Its nice how you tell of soothing outdoor urban spaces in some of your posts, so what I feel in this post, is the soothing space you make inside your home with all the green!!
ReplyDeleteI have avocado plants, but never had a bamboo plant, though in Japan we often eat the bamboo shoots:))
Hi Shayndel, You feel correctly. I'm looking for soothing ways both outside and inside my home.
Delete"eat the bamboo shoots"?! that's interesting. As far as I know, it's not an edible plant, but maybe with soaking it overnight in water, and then cooking, it may get cleared of poison traces.
Hi Duta, oh, It must be a different variety of Bamboo!! I don`t think you want to try it with the ones you have:)) Just to give you an idea of cooking with bamboo shoots, please see a link here! But please only try it with an edible variety of bamboo, and not with the ones you have!! Sorry if I was unclear, it is surely a different type of bamboo!!
Deletehttps://www.thespruce.com/simmered-bamboo-shoots-takenoko-no-nimono-2031547
Thanks,Shayndel, for the important clarificaton. There are indeed many varieties of bamboo, mine is decorative, not edible. In Asia, they grow also species that are edible and part of the daily diet. In any case, the shoots have to be peeled and cooked.
DeleteSo often I comment about the benefits of the internet. Before it would take us hours and hours, days and days pouring through books, and time spent at libraries trying to find information we needed on whatever it was...nowadays, it's at our fingertips.
ReplyDeleteMr. Google is my second-best friend...if not my first best friend! :)
You're absolutely right. Google is our very best friend. The internet has completely changed our life; it has made it better and easier; it has been a constant eye opener.
DeleteThey are beautiful! I've had them, not recently, however. You are right, lots to be learned out there.
ReplyDeleteYes, they are. The more you keep them, the more rewarding they are in terms of beauty and good energy around.
DeleteWhat a fun post! I just saw a display of Lucky Bamboo at the store a few days ago. I haven't grown any for quite some time, but your post encourages me to give it a try. There were many different ways it was being grown/displayed. I saw it beautifully arranged in circles with stalks held together woven with pretty silver thread. At the moment my Kalankoe plants have taken over my plant table in my dining room. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Lois, I'm glad my post made you wish to 'give it a try' with the lucky bamboos. You won't regret it. At the florist store, they're expensive. I buy them on the market.
DeleteAlways liked bamboo. There are various things that can be made from it. Recently I saw a bicycle where the frame is made from Bamboo !!
ReplyDeleteI saw one too; amazing isn't it? A bicycle frame made of bamboo!! Well, bamboo is tough material, but there are many types of bamboo. The Lucky bamboo belongs to the species of Dracaena (Sanderiana or Braunii).
DeleteFrom your photos, it is evident that you have indeed profited from various YouTube videos about the lucky bamboo! You definitely possess a green thumb, Duta!
ReplyDeletePoppy
Indeed. And I'm grateful to the internet for opening my eyes to so much beauty one can find in one, modest plant.
DeleteYour Bamboo plants are coming along nicely. They look charming stacked up on your dresser. I don't have a green thumb, and most of the indoor plants don't make it, but my roses outside always thrive. Enjoy the bamboos. They remind me of a tropical plant.
ReplyDelete~Sheri
Thank you. If you follow instructions carefully, you usually get that "green thumb".
DeleteSpot on about YouTube, Duta! It's a great thing for tutorials at times. Your Lucky Bamboo plants look very healthy! I started many of the plants several years ago and gave them away. They're easy to grow, graceful and nice looking. A Vietnamese woman I know has huge ones and hangs little ornaments or charms from the branches, very pretty! Now I want to go the nursery and buy some! Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteI like the word 'graceful' in your comment. Graceful is exactly what best describes lucky bamboos. I love them for their grace and I believe they do us good.
DeleteYou're right Duta, somethings on Youtube aren't good but others are fabulous. I also like bamboo plants and have give them as gifts to many. Yours look really nice.
ReplyDeleteAs a gift, in a small glass or ceramic container - they are very popular with everyone (those giving and those receiving). Who wouldn't appreciate someting that is both decorative and supposed to bring Luck?
DeleteLooks like I should get me this plant! Really pretty too
ReplyDeleteYes, you should. It'll add distinction to your home; besides, it is said to bring Luck.
DeleteI used to have a really green thumb and could grow almost anything. I haven't tried lately, but I do know that the only two plants I can't grow are Ferns and Bamboo plants and I love both dearly! I'll have to come back and watch that video.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about Ferns, but the Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena braunii or Dracaena sanderiana) is very easy to grow: light, a little water(preferably not tap water), and not in a cold area.
Delete