Find Your Gary asks:
We have a 3 stalk Lucy Banboo plant and it was doing well but in the last two weeks we have ovserved that the biggest and tallest one has start to trun yellow. The leaves are all green and healthly looking. We live outside of Bethlehem PA. The temperature is about 60 degrees. The plant gets indirect day light but it is not in a window.We use only spring water and we water it twice a month.
Is this condition something that I should be worry about.
Jamie’s Reply: Although you use spring water, it may still be heavy in salts. Too much floride, chlorine, or salts can cause the leaves to yellow. Try using distilled water. I would not worry if only one or two leaves at the bottom are turning yellow. Flower Shop Network has an informative newsletter called Caring for Lucky Bamboo. Hope this helps.
Gary responds:
Thank you for getting back to me but the leaves are not the part that is turning yellow but 1 out of tree stalks are turning yellow.
I printed out the newsletter and will read through it. Should I be worried about the stalk turning yellow?
Jamie’s Reply: I am a little concerned. You may have some type of pathogen — insect or fungal. Check for scale or spider mites both are insects. Scale will be a cottony substance or a shell like attachment on the stem or at the base of the leaves. You will need a magnifying glass to see the spider mites — they will be actively crawling around. As for fungal, check for soft tissue any where on the stem especially at the water line. One other thing have you fertilized your lucky bamboo? I will research a little further to see if I can come up with any other possibilities.
Gary Responds:
Thank you for getting back to me.
I will get a magnifying glass and check for spider mites and fungal. No we have not fertilized the luck bamboo but we will. Can you please let us know what and how we should do this.
Jamie’s Reply : Use any standard house plant food at about one-tenth the recommended dilution rate each time you change the water. Make sure you are using a water soluble fertilizer.
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I just realized I posted one picture twice by mistake. This is the third one:
http://s1235.photobucket.com/user/Electricboa/media/Bamboo%203_zpsfzkluqs4.jpg.html?filters%5Buser%5D=120660447&filters%5Brecent%5D=1&sort=1&o=0
Hi Scott,
I can’t be certain without seeing the plant in person, but from looking at your photos, these look like spots where roots would potentially form. Bamboo is very sensitive to its environment, so while the misting of alcohol may have gotten rid of the mold, it may have also made your plant a little unhappy. To help prevent any more mold or fungus, make sure to keep your rocks and pot clean. Use hot soapy water to wash them. You can also wipe down your bamboo with a soapy rag to help rid it of these kinds of things. If the yellowing continues, you may want to consider starting new stalks from the green, healthy part of your existing plant.
I am not sure what happened to my lucky bamboo but another smaller stalk that was in the same vase turned yellow & died about a year ago. I am guessing maybe root rot from looking at the bottom of the stalk. Is this salvageable at all? I am currently using distilled water & cleaned out the vase & rocks about a week ago. I moved it to a new location with less direct sunlight for a few weeks but no recovery. How do I upload my pics of the plant? Please advise.
If the stalk has died and turned completely yellow, there is no way to save it. It needs to be removed from your vase. Change the water frequently to prevent fungal and bacterial infections, and wash the vase as needed. Continue to use distilled water, and give your plant some time to adjust to its new location.
I have a Lucky Bamboo plant that I bought a month ago. It’s in soil and I just noticed a couple of the leaves are dry brown on the ends. I do use tap water and is by a window with indirect sunlight. Can you tell me what I should do? Thanks.
Use distilled water instead of tap water. The chemicals in the tap water are the most likely cause of the browning.