Find Your Lucky Bamboo’s popularity has significantly grown over the past few years. It is being used as great gift items and part of Feng Shui. However, some don’t know where to begin when taking care of this plant, or what to do if they notice a change. So, we’ve compiled all of your most asked questions and listed them here as a how-to guide on lucky bamboo.
How do I take care of lucky bamboo?
Caring for your lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) can be an easy. You just need to find the right lighting, figure out a watering schedule, and your plant can pretty much take care of itself.
First off, what did your lucky bamboo come to you in, soil or water? It can grow in either. However, it doesn’t like to be switched around. For example, if you received it in water, leave it in water and add some rocks or pebbles if you like, but not necessary.
How To Water Lucky Bamboo
If your lucky bamboo is in only water, it should be kept clean and fresh. Keep your water level consistent; it’s a good idea to make a mark on where you like the water to be, which can be different for everyone. Once you have your water level, make sure you keep an eye on it. Whenever it reaches the halfway mark below your level, fill it back up. Every two weeks change the water with fresh, either distilled or tap water, whatever your plant is used to. Let your water sit out overnight in an open container before mixing it to your current water.
However, if your plant is in soil, the soil should always feel slightly damp. Test it with your finger; if it’s not damp, add a little bit more water.
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Best Lighting For Lucky Bamboo
Your lucky bamboo should be placed in an indoor location with bright, indirect light. They also do well under artificial lighting since too much sun can cause burning.
Remember that there are such things as too much and too little sunlight.
- If there is too much sun, it can cause your leaves to burn.
- If it gets too little sun, you will receive weak growth, stretching and poor coloring.
The solution for too much sun is changing out the water and not fertilizing for a couple of months. Move the plant into a bright area without direct sunlight. Too much sun can cause yellowish leaves and splitting, which can be fixed with trimming them off at an angle.
Now, if you’re bamboo is going through the opposite, you can move it into a brighter area to try to solve the problem, but not into direct sun.
Can I Replant Lucky Bamboo?
The answer is yes. Normally the Dracaena sanderiana family is seen in water, but if you want it in soil you can experiment with one of your stalks. It’s honestly best to leave it alone. However, if you must, here is how you can replant it.
What Type of Container To Use For Lucky Bamboo
Make sure your container has a 2” diameter greater than your bamboo stalks. Wash out the container thoroughly before placing the bamboo in it to kill any bacteria.
Can I use My Own Marbles? As far as beads and marbles go, you can use pretty much anything that does not dissolve to support your bamboo stalks. Just remember to wash them thoroughly.
How to replant Lucky Bamboo From Soil To Water
If you are wanting to take it from soil to water, place it in a container 2” greater than the stalks. Lucky bamboo likes to be crowded, so place them together and go with a container 2” from that size. Next place rocks or stones in the bottom, followed by the stalks and top it off with distilled water. Don’t forget to let the water sit uncovered overnight before using it with your plant.
How To Replant Lucky Bamboo from Water To Soil
Transfer the lucky bamboo from water to soil into a container with a 2” diameter or greater. Place stones in the bottom of the container for drainage. Fill the container with fast draining soil, make a whole with your finger and place the stalks in it and surround them by dirt. Keep the soil very most until the stalk can get used to being planted in soil.
Troubleshooting Lucky Bamboo Problems
Why is my lucky bamboo turning yellow, brown or is droopy?
It is a common problem with the lucky bamboo for the leaves or stalks turning yellow, brown or is slightly droopy.
Several things can cause this:
- It could have gotten too much light
- Over fertilized
- Fungus
- Changing location
- Caused by the container
Ask yourself questions like:
- Have I fertilized lately?
- Has it been moved it to a different location?
- Have I been watering properly?
- Is there a smell coming from the plant?
- Has my lucky bamboo traveled with me recently?
Over fertilizing and too much sun can cause the plant can cause it to turn yellow.
If caught early and you notice just a small amount of yellow, change the water (distilled water) and move to a place with a little less light.
If it is worse than that, but there is still green up top, just cut off the bottom and place it in a new container with fresh water. Also, stay away from fertilizing it for a while as well.
However, if you’re whole plant is yellow, it will continue to die and there is little you can do.
Notice how you are watering your bamboo. Again, maintain a constant water level and make sure your water sits out overnight before you mix it in with the plant. Too much fluoride, chlorine or salts can cause the leaves to yellow.
If you see insects or signs of fungus, that can be the cause of your yellowing plant. A brown, cottony substance is an indicator of spider mites or cottony scale problem. If this occurs, you will need to spray it with insecticide. However, if you notice that it’s still there after sprayed, you may need to wash the stalks and remove the infected stalks.
If you have smells coming from the water, plant or in the container, this can be the cause of a fungus or algae. Consider going with opaque containers since clear containers can cause algae with the light shining through them onto the water. Don’t forget to wash the container, rocks and stalks before putting them in as well.
Traveling can also put your lucky bamboo in shock, which can cause the yellowing of the plant, just give it a few days.
Root Problems With Lucky Bamboo
You can come in contact with several issues involving your lucky bamboo’s roots. Trimming, tangles, root rot, fungus and other issues can occur.
What do you do if your lucky bamboo’s roots have root rot? You will need to cut off the healthy tops and re-grow them. Whenever you are cutting, be sure to cut off an inch above one of the nodes, which are the raised ridges that grow around the stalk. Dip the cut ends into a rooting hormone, (which can be found at your local garden center) let dry and place them in water. Now, what if you notice that your lucky bamboo has acquired fungus on its roots? Well, you follow the same process as if your bamboo has root rot.
What if your roots are tangled? If you notice that your roots are tangled, it won’t hurt to trim them up a bit. You can also try untangling them yourself. Just run your fingers through the roots just like you would through hair to untangle it. If you want to cut them, cut as far as possible away from the stalk to ensure that it has plenty of root to sustain it. So, if you need to trim your roots for any reason, just trim from the end.
What if my lucky bamboo is too tall, how can I provide support?
The best way to provide support to your bamboo stalks is to start a new plant. These plants can be pretty flimsy, and the best way to stabilize it is to trim the top off the plant. Bamboo stalks will eventually grow to be too tall, therefore. You can trim it off and start a new plant. Just cut 1″ above the node and place it in water that has set overnight. You can use a rooting hormone found at a local garden center to encourage faster rooting.
How do I propagate my lucky bamboo?
The easiest way to do this is to cut 6” off the top of the plant, or an inch above the nod, which are the raised things that grow out of the stock to start a new one. Take the top that you cut off, dip it into rooting hormone and let it dry overnight. Then set the stalk in one or two inches of water and in a week or two you’ll have root. Continue to grow the plant the way you have been, in water or soil.
Lucky bamboo plants are great for any house. Just remember that it needs the right attention.
Thanks I will try it
Hi, I’ve had a bamboo for 6 years now. But for the last couple of years my bamboo stopped growing leaves and remains with only one, how can I get it to grow leaves again? Thank you.
Karen,
It might be time to top the plant and start some need stalks. This will encourage the existing plant to produce new leaves.
Hi..i have propagated my bamboo because it turns to yellow. Small green leaves grown in those stalks so I cut and placed it in water. To my surprise those leaves started to show pretty large roots within 1 month so I placed them in soil this time. These leaves with large roots were too short how long will it take to grow larger with stalks.
Sarmi,
Lucky bamboo has a slow growth rate, so it might take quite a while for the plant to achieve any significant growth.
Hi there…
A co-worker asked me watch her bamboo plant while she is out on maternity leave. It is a beautiful plant with one stalk and was standing straight up. I have it in indirect sunlight. After a day or so it is hanging its head. The leaves look fine. I think it is in a bit of shock from being in a different location. Will its hanging head straighten up?
Hi Christine,
Yes, the browning as well as the drooping should stop.
In the meantime make sure it is getting adequate light – bright filtered light no direct light. Make sure you keep the water level the same. When you add water use distilled water or tap water that has been exposed to air in an open container for 24 hours. Click the link to read about more about Caring For Lucky Bamboo. https://www.flowershopnetwork.com/blog/caring-for-lucky-bamboo/
Hi!
I just bought some bamboo, and the stalks are already yellow. I’m giving it bottled water and it is not in direct sunlight at any given time, I cleaned the vase and rocks, and changed the water. I bought it about a week ago and drove it to my house, 3 hrs away. I think it’s just shock? How long until it should start to look better? Are orange roots normal?
Thanks so much!
Whitney,
Yes it is probably in shock. Lucky bamboo stalks that begin to turn yellow find it difficult to recover, but don’t give up. It sounds like you are taking good care of your plant. Mark the place where the yellow and the healthy green touch. Wait a few days if the yellow continues you will probably need to cut the top off and start a new plant. Click the link below to read Caring For Lucky Bamboo, it has a section in it that will tell you how to do this. If you have any other questions please let me know. https://www.flowershopnetwork.com/blog/flower-plant-care/plant-care/caring-for-lucky-bamboo-dracaena-sanderiana/
Does it matter how deep the water is? I had a 4 foot tall plant in about 6 inches of water. I moved it to a class container with 12 inches of water and a goldfish, and it turned yellow and died very fast. My wife is convinced I drowned it. I think it was just shock. We never fertilize our plants, and I though having the natural fertilizer from a fish take would do it good. Where did I go wrong?
Chris,
For lucky bamboo the roots should always be covered with water and the water should be changed every couple of weeks. You do not need to go higher than the root line, but it won’t hurt the plant to be deeper in water. The stalk will simply send out roots higher with deeper water. Also, lucky bamboo is sensitive to the salts and chemicals in tap water so distilled water or rainwater should be used. I don’t believe your plant died due to the water level. I think it probably was shock. Lucky bamboo doesn’t require much fertilizer and can survive in pure water for quite a while so I don’t believe that was the problem either. Sorry to hear about your plant!
Hello,
I’m a college student from (sunny) Texas who switched dorms recently from a north-facing window to an east-facing window. When I did, my lucky bamboo switched from pointing its leaves almost straight upwards (at maybe an 80 degree angle to the horizon) to pointing them down towards the ground (at about a -45 degree angle). So I think, based on your article, it’s probably too bright in the room for the plant. Should maybe I move the plant further from the window, or close the blinds more? (Currently I just crack them open upwards, so that it’s bright in the room but the plant doesn’t receive any direct sunlight.) Thank you so much in advance for any advice!!
Alex,
Yes I think you are right. I would move the plant further from the window to make sure that it isn’t getting too much sunlight. Lucky bamboo will do fine in artificial light. Hopefully this helps! Let me know if your lucky bamboo leaves perk back up.
What do i do if the bamboo has a little white thing growing and roots
Kim,
Could you send me a picture of the plant? Is the white thing a cotton like substance? My email is rachel.brantley@flowershopnetwork.com
Hiii..I have a lucky bamboo but itstems are turning white…..
Pardosh,
There are many reasons why your lucky bamboo stems are turning pale. Several things can cause this. Too much light, over fertilized, fungus, changing location, or the actual container could all potentially be the problem. As yourself questions like:
Have I fertilized lately?
Has it been moved it to a different location?
Have I been watering properly?
Is there a smell coming from the plant?
Has my lucky bamboo traveled with me recently?
Take a look at this article. It will provide you with more helpful information about how to care for lucky bamboo. Hope this helps!
Hey there, thanks for the article! I actually cut off the top of my bamboo plant because one stalk was getting too long. It looked good, though, so I stuck it in a vase and placed it by a window. It wasn’t dying, and I wondered why, and looked to see little roots were starting to grow at the bottom! So glad to know this can happen now, because to be honest, this is the only plant so far that has survived me! I’m going to fill my home with these little guys now, lol! Again, great article. :)
Nicole,
That is great news! We love hearing success stories.. Have fun growing your lucky bamboo and thank you for your comment :)
My boss has 4 stalks which was given to him as a gift… he has no idea what 4 means can I add stalks to change chi/energy
Hi Antoine,
Yes you can add stalks and it will change the energy. Here is an article that explains the meaning behind lucky bamboo numbers. I would not suggest 4 stalks.
Hi so I have a plant with 8 stalks lined in a row. Should I keep them tied w the wire or will that hurt the way they grow?
Kay,
While the wire will hold the bamboo together, it will eventually damage the plant. As the bamboo grows, the wire will cut into the stalks and can result in disease. It’s best to remove the wire so the plant can grow safely.
I just got one but the colouring seems off. I think it’s because I moved it. Is it still a good idea for me to arrange it like curly lucky bamboo?
Hannah,
Yes, traveling can cause lucky bamboo to go into shock and will cause discoloring. Do not use wire to curl your lucky bamboo. Any lucky bamboo with a spiral shape was create by manipulating the lucky bamboo exposure to light. Here is how to create the curls:
Find a cardboard box big enough to fit over the lucky bamboo with a little room. Cut the bottom and one side of the box off. Place the cardboard box over the lucky bamboo this will create shade on the top and three sides of the lucky bamboo. Face the open side of the box towards your light source. The lucky bamboo will begin to grow towards the light creating a bend. When you notice a definite bend rotate the container about an inch – the lucky bamboo will begin to grow towards the light again creating a new bend. Continue this process until you achieve the curl you want.
Hope this helps!
My bamboo has grown well
Where am I suppose to trim my plant
Sarah,
Use a pair of sterile clippers and start trimming around the bottom of the plant and work your way to the top. Cut off any completely yellow leaves. You will want to trim the shoots coming from the joints in the main stalk. Clip new growths 1-2 inches from the stalk. Trimming your lucky bamboo plant will encourage future growth. Hope this helps.
Hi. My coworker gave me a bamboo plant. h gave it to me because he said it was dying. The leaves are yellow with brown tips but the stems are still green except one which is a little yellowish. The water had algae growing on top the rocks and he was using regular tap water. I have it now 3 weeks and I have been watering it filtered water, cleaned the top part of the rocks where the algae was growing. I see that it is starting to grow new leaves and the plant seems greener bur there are still quite a few yellow leaves in it. Am I doing this right? Is there something else I should be doing to make sure that it doesn’t die and grows healthy? Or is this a lost cause?
Mayra,
If the stems are still green your bamboo plant should be fine. It sounds like you are taking good care of the plant. Since you are seeing new growth I would say continue what you are doing and you should see the plant come back to full health. You could also trim any leaves that are completely yellow. Hope this helps!
I had my lucky bamboo for about 1 year now. Its been growing great. I woke up this morning and the stem is soft on one of them and it looks like it snapped and broke. The leaves are fine. I had to use tooth picks and tape to support it. What sould i do? Should i just cut it below the break?
Anette,
Yes, if the stem is soft then I would suggest cutting it off below the break. Any part of lucky bamboo that is yellow or mushy is gone. Hope this information helps.
My grandmother kept a bamboo plant but I don’t know how often she would care for it. It looks healthy and all, but the water has little green stuff in it. Could I take it out and replant it in fresher water without it dying?
Alexandria,
Yes, it’s important to clean the inside of the container because algae will build up over time. Also as the plant gets larger the roots will begin to fill up the pot. Usually lucky bamboo needs to be re-potted every three to five years. You can either give the roots a trim or repot the plant. Here is a great article that explains how to change the water and clean out your bamboo pot: Lucky Bamboo 101. Hope this information helps!
Hi Rachel,
You might have already talked about this: I’ve had my bamboo for years now and it started to turn yellow, I was reading your recommendations on cutting it if the top is green but in this case it’s quite the opposite. My bamboo is turning yellow from the top down and it is progressing, I’m going to change the water to filtered water but I wasn’t sure if I should cut the top or if this is it :(. Thanks!
Hi Angela,
I hate to hear about your Lucky Bamboo! Often Lucky Bamboo will turn yellow for a couple of different reasons, either too much light or too much fertilizer. Since it is turning yellow from the top down, it may be getting too much light. You may try moving it slightly away from its current light source. If the yellow stalks are mushy, you should cut this part off of your lucky bamboo. For more helpful tips on how to go about cutting away the yellow parts of your bamboo, check out this article https://www.flowershopnetwork.com/blog/we-are-not-always-lucky-with-lucky-bamboo/. Hope this helps!
I got a bamboo plant but accidentally the leaf shoot us broken from the stalk.What to do now? Will the plant die?
Hi Rhea,
If it is only one of the leaf shoots that is broken from the stalk, your lucky bamboo should be fine. You will probably want to trim the leaf where it was broken to encourage new growth. Hope this helps!
Hi,
I’ve had my bamboo for several years now. It hasn’t moved recently, it is not in direct sunlight, I water it with distilled water, and I haven’t used fertilizer in ages, and all seven stalks are green and firm so it isn’t any of the usual bamboo health culprits.
The tips of all of the leaves are slowly turning brown and crispy, and I’ve had to cut off several leaves that turned entirely yellow almost overnight. At the base of the stalks, where I usually keep the water level, about half an inch above the rocks, there’s a really strange crusty kind of substance on the stalks. I didn’t pay it much attention when it was orange-brown and flaked off easily, but now it’s whiteish on some of the stalks, black between others, and is hard. It also has tiny little bumps on the side that faces away from the sun that are black or white on top. Also, about halfway up, one of the stalks has some very small bumpy white spots with black edges.
I realize now, in typing it all up, that my poor plant must be very ill. I just haven’t known where to ask for help.
Dear Plant Expert, do you have any ideas about what this weird stuff might be, or any suggestions for a course of action?
How long will bamboo live after I cut it down ?
I’m going to use bamboo to create fishing attractors to sink in lake. I’m going to cut bamboo down and deliver to river so I need to know if it will last for a couple of weeks till I submerge it into lake.
Hi Nicole,
Sorry for the delay in response! It sounds like your lucky bamboo could possibly have a fungus. Is there any way you can send me some photos? This will help me better determine what is going on with your lucky bamboo. If you are unable to attach them here, you can email them to me at jamie.woods@flowershopnetwork.com.
Darrell,
I’m not certain how long the bamboo will live after being cut. To propagate new bamboo, you would place the shoots into water until roots start to grow. You might try this while you are waiting.
Jamie,
I bought a new 1 foot lucky plant a few months ago with several stocks. I keep it watered weekly. Today I noticed the leafs were sagging & the stocks look wrinkly. I checked the water & it was dry as a bone. I think one of the kids may have knocked it over & spilled the water out. My wife let another one run dry & it never recovered. I tried babying the thing for years it is now down to 1 stock & a pail green color. Im not sure what to do with mine so I filled it up with distilled water & 3 drops of green fertilizer. Do you think I will need to cut the roots off & reroot? Today it is still dark green.
Hi Garrett,
Hopefully you caught it in time before too much damage was done! I would give it some time to recover, but if it doesn’t seem to improve, you may want to go ahead and start a new stalk. You can do this by cutting the roots off and re-rooting, or you can also start new plants by cutting off part of the stalk. For tips on propagating your bamboo, check out this article: Turn Your Lucky Bamboo Top Into A New Plant.
I recently transferred my luck bambooto a bigger pot. Since then, the top end of one stalk has turned yellow and wrinkled, but the rest of the stalk isgreen. I’ve also noticed that the other stalks are turning pale green and becoming wrinkled as well. Is plant my dying? Is there anything I can do to help my plant recover?
Hello,
My bamboo (in soil) suddenly dried up and the stalk is flat and looks to have blisters on it, a small part has even turned brown.
I’ve babied it by keeping the soil damp and pruning yellow leaves for a month or so but it didn’t seem to be making any progress; in fact it seems to be getting worse. There are some leaves that are yellow on the edges but there aren’t many left so I don’t want to pick them off. I’m worried because it’s a small plant (a cutoff from a previous one which had died a year ago) so I’m scared to take the top off to replant, partially because there’s no stalk that isn’t flat and dry except for the base.
I can provide pictures, I just want to know if Mr Sprout can be saved 😫
Hello,
Thank you for this post, so informative! I hope you can help me… I have a lucky bamboo plant kept in water that has thrived for 10 yrs now. The three oldest stalks are over 6 ft tall, so I had been wanting to move it to a taller vase and add some long sticks to support it (tying it to a nearby floor lamp was our temporary solution these past few years). So 2 months ago, I moved it from its 18″ glass vase to a 36″ glass vase, moving the old water with it to avoid too much sudden change. I also purchased very tall brown sticks from Ikea and loosely attached the bamboo stalks to them with twist ties. Within a few weeks, we noticed the water was COMPLETELY black. Probably dye from the Ikea sticks — I had no idea, they just looked like natural brown twigs! :( Since the plant is so tall and the roots are enmeshed in one massive clump, we decided to change the water by bringing it outside, laying the plant and vase on their side to drain the water, and then frantically searched for natural sticks in our yard to replace the parts of the Ikea sticks that would be submerged (didn’t want to have to do this every week if more dye/chemicals leaked out). We replaced the bottom of every Ikea stick with a natural stick, rinsed the massive root ball gently under a lukewarm tap, then put it all back in a clean vase with fresh tap water. It’s been a few more weeks, and the water got a little dark again. There is also a murky film on the water’s surface and white crust along the vase’s sides. Many leaves are turning yellow. We didn’t want to drag it outside again in the New Jersey winter, so we put the vase in our shower stall and gave it a 45 minute “shower” in hopes of clearing out the bad water that way. I am now seeing on your page that I should use distilled water (our plant is used to getting tap water, but in small amounts added to old water over all these years). So I will set out some tap water to use in a couple days. Meanwhile, what else can I do to save my plant? Are the natural sticks in the vase a bad idea that could be introducing rot and disease? What can I use that is safe to support 6+ feet of thin bamboo stalks? Kicking myself for trying to make things better when my bamboo was happily hunched over before. We think of this plant as our first baby, really don’t want it to die! I can take photos if it would help. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Sarah,
You will need to cut the yellow part of your stalk off. This part is damaged and can’t be repaired. Yellowing of lucky bamboo is usually caused by overfertilization or fluoride, chlorine or salts in your water. Always use distilled water when watering your plant, or allow tap water to sit for 24 hours before using it.
Your bamboo is also probably experiencing some shock from being tranferred. It should improve in a couple of weeks. Make sure you repotted your roots at the same soil level, also.
Sorry for the delay in response. Please send pictures to jamie.woods@flowershopnetwork.com, and I will see if I can help you save Mr. Sprout!
Thanks for your reply. The other stalks started turning yellow/mushy from the base, so I ended up cutting everything to try to save the plant. They’re all now sitting in water in hopes of sprouting new roots. If new roots do grow in, which soil should I use to repot them? I used Miracle-Gro potting soil when I transferred my lucky bamboo and that seemed to accelerate the yellowing/rotting of the stalks.
I would definitely recommend NOT using the Miracle-Gro potting soil. Over-fertilization often causes lucky bamboo to turn yellow and die, so this may be what caused your problem to start with. Lucky bamboo actually does not have to be planted in soil, unless you absolutely want it to be. It will thrive very well in a container with rocks or pebbles and water. You just want to keep your water at a consistent level and make sure to use distilled water or tap water that has set out uncovered for 24 hours to allow the chemicals to evaporate. If you do decide to keep your bamboo in soil, use a potting soil mix that does not have any ferilizer. You also want to make sure the plant has good drainage. Keep the soil moist, but not soggy.