Find Your 
Why Is Lucky Bamboo Turning Yellow?
February 10th, 2007 | By: Jamie Jamison AdamsGary 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.
Print Story
Email Story
March 2nd, 2007 at 12:13 am
How do you get ride of the spider mites or scales?
March 2nd, 2007 at 9:13 am
Genevieve,
You can get rid of spider mites or scales with an insecticide. If the scale or spider mites are on your house plants look for an insecticide that is permethrin or resmethrin based (example fertilome red spider & mite spray). If it is on a shrub outside you can use the same thing or use a chemical with more strength. You can get these products at your local garden center under several different brands name — fetilome, hi-yeild, bonide etc. The staff at the garden center should be well versed on how to use these products. After you kill the insects, it is important to keep the plant from any stress. Stress from lack of fertilizer or improper watering practices makes the plant more susceptible to insects. Hope this helps. If you need more information don’t hesitate to ask.
Good luck
Jamie
May 14th, 2007 at 5:46 am
Hi I wonder if you could be able to help me, I was given a lovely bamboo arrangement of 8 stalks, end two smaller and getting to the middle gets taller, my bamboo sits in a ceramic pot with pebbles in it !! I went away on vacation, for 2 weeks, placed it in the kitchen sink which was full of water well , when i put the pot in their the water sat one inch away the top of the pot so there was plenty of water to drink while we were away. I remember that it wasn’t in direct sunlight because there were blinds at the window that were turned slightly.
I come back, it looked out, but i noticed about a week later that it was going yellow, and on side is more yellow than the other ( the stalk ) the yellow, is starting from the TOP NOT the BOTTOM…. starting at the tip of the stalk and the yellow is going down…
I love this thing, im upset i’ve done something very wrong, hopeing that it will revive itself if i i pay more attention to it and play with the leaves from time to time!!
please help i dont want to loose the stalk !
May 14th, 2007 at 7:15 am
Bret,
Change the water using distilled water if possible. Usually light and fertilizer are what turn lucky bamboo yellow. Although your blinds may have been turned, at some point in the day direct sunlight may have shone through; move the plant to an area with more a indirect light source. Your well water may have some trace elements that the lucky bamboo doesn’t like; which is why I recommend distilled water. If you change the water, I believe your lucky bamboo will recover.
June 4th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
i have had my lucky plant for years, i decided it needed a new vase. its 3′tall
i put them(3 stalks) in a clear vase with green glass rocks, looks so pretty. now the stalks are turning yellow!! what happened???
thank- you
June 5th, 2007 at 7:47 am
Nina,
Did you fertilize the lucky bamboo when you transplanted it? Did you move it into an area with more light?
If you fertilized it, change the water using distilled water and don’t fertilize for a couple of months.
If you moved it into an area with more light, step it back from the light and then gradually move it towards the light.
If you used tap water the chlorine and fluoride in the water could be the problem.
When using tap water put the water in a container and let it set for 24hrs then pour it in your lucky bamboo container.
June 23rd, 2007 at 11:37 am
Hi,
I had the same issue and noticed that my stem, which was the longest and biggest, was turning yellow, though the leaves looked healthy and green. I immediately took the plant out, and took the pebbles out, and found a key inside lying in it. Don’t know how that happened, but I believe that was what was contaminating the water. Anyway, I washed the pebbles, and washed the roots, and put the lucky bamboo back in, and filled it with filtered water. So hoping it becomes healthy again.
June 29th, 2007 at 8:59 am
I have a lucky bamboo plant in my cube at work, its in a container with pebbles and water. I’ve had it for 2 1/2 years with no problems. We’ve moved to another building recently, where the air conditioning appears to be much colder. My bamboo plant started turning yellow at the stalk and is moving up to the leaves. I don’t see any mold or insects, just some sticky brown syrupy substance on the leaves? Any idea what can be causing this? Is it the colder temp, or is someone watering my plant with Coca-Cola?
June 29th, 2007 at 11:07 am
Tara,
Your lucky bamboo is probably going through transplant shock. Several conditions maybe contributing to this — if you are not using distilled water (the water in the new building may have more flouride or chlorine) — temperature change (yes) — too much fertilizer —
Solutions — change water using distilled water
propagate new lucky bamboo to replace the compromised stalks
time will cure the temperature change
As for the brown sticky substance — usually some form of pathogen (insects or fungus) are the cause. Try this take a moist cloth and wipe off the sticky substance if it reappears get a magnifying glass and take a closer look you will probably find some type of sucking insect.
July 30th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
I bought a three-stalk arrangement of Lucky Bamboo sometime in February, or shortly before that. One stalk at a time, it has turned yellow and gotten mushy, from the the top of the stalk to the bottom. The first stalk died maybe a month or two after I bought it. I changed the amount of light it gets, and how often I add water, and I’ve never used fertilizer. There’s only one stalk left now, and it’s yellow-brown, shriveled, and squishy at the top.
Is there any way I can save it?
July 31st, 2007 at 7:14 am
Tammy,
If the roots have not rotted you can cut the top off and start a new plant with the healthy roots and stem. However, usually a mushy stalk means the roots have rotted and the only way to start a new plant is to cut the top off and root it. In your case the top has been compromised and is not suitable for rooting. If you root any part of the plant be sure to use distilled water instead of tap water.
September 1st, 2007 at 7:58 am
Jamie, thanks for sharing your expertise, I had no idea how to care for my bamboo but now I think I may be able to stop killing my poor arrangements.
September 8th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
Jamie,
your responses to previous inquiries of others helped. One question : I had my bamboo at home over the summer and took it back to work. Everything was business as usual until about 3 days ago when the stalk began to turn yellow! I remember that I had added some water to it at my work site. I have now brought it home and rinsed it out, adding distilled water. The stalk is still firm – once it’s yellow, it’s always yellow, right? And I should just go ahead and cut off the yellow parts and make the best of what I have left?? thanks!
September 10th, 2007 at 7:16 am
Nancy,
It depends if the stalk is slightly yellow it may come around. Give it about a week and see if the color changes. If the stalk is completely yellow and starts to soften then you will need to cut it off and start over.
November 1st, 2007 at 6:22 am
Transplanting a bamboo plant to a new pot, office environment. Roots are red? Is this normal. Can I safely trim the roots back?
November 1st, 2007 at 8:41 am
Teresa,
You might have red algae growing on the roots. Algae is a result of too much light or fertilizer. If you can re-pot your lucky bamboo in an opaque container that will help. Before you place the lucky bamboo in a new container wash the plant stalks, container and any rocks you are using and start over with clean water. You can trim the roots back.
You might be interested in the Flower Shop Network newsletter Caring for Lucky Bamboo
December 23rd, 2007 at 8:47 pm
I’ve had my bamboo shoot for 3 years now, and it’s always prospered well. A few months ago, I noticed that the ends of the leaves were turning yellowish, and a friend of mine who’s grown babmboo for years said it was common because I was using tapwater, and that it was fine; he always used tapwater and many of his bamboo plants had their brown tips for years. I didn’t start worrying until about 1/4 of the leaves turned completely brown and curled up. Since then, the rest of both leaves have turned yellow, save for a small patch of green on each, the stalk leading off the main stalk to the leaves is mostly yellow, and the main stalk itself is yellowing. For the past several weeks I have been using nothing but bottled Deer Park water with the shoot.
The stalk itself is still very firm, so I suppose that’s a good sign. Can you suggest anything for me to try? I thought it might be getting too much sun down on the dining room table, so I moved it up to my room where only a slight bit of sun gets in, which I thought would take care of the plant’s need for indirect sunlight. But it is still yellowing. The dining room windows are curtained, but I thought that maybe they were letting in too much light; I guess not. Please help me if you can; it was a gift from my girlfriend and I have grown very fond of it.
December 26th, 2007 at 8:38 am
Rob,
Lets address the issue of leaves turning brown. Two things can cause it to turn brown: 1 – fluoride in the water (tap water often contains fluoride) and 2) air that is too dry.
So, if you change to distilled water and mist the leaves every day or so, then you can elevate the browning. The problem now is that it has gone past browning into yellowing. Yellowing is usually caused by too much light or fertilizer. Unless you recently placed the lucky bamboo in the dining room, I don’t think light was the factor. If you have fertilized the lucky bamboo, then the fertilizer may have caused a problem. I recommend changing the water (check you bottle water – some bottled waters still contain additives) and giving it a few days to adjust. If the stalk continues to yellows cut it off and let it produce new growth. To encourage new growth – cut the stalk about an inch above a node making sure there is green growth only; then wait a few days and begin misting the cut section. Don’t fertilize your lucky bamboo again until you have a full set of healthy leaves.
Keep in mind that when we move plants they go through transplant shock and it takes a little time for them to recover. So try to place your lucky bamboo in it’s permanent home after you cut the yellow off.
January 9th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Hello, i have lucky bamboo stems were growing so well and now these stems were veru taller. then i thought to cut in the middle and cut and try to to grow again put in different vases. with the roots one and cut part of sterms both are going to turning yellow. and without the roots are going to dry from the top too. please accept my reqest and let me know to meke them healty againg.
Thanks
Raj
January 9th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Raj,
I’m not sure why they are turning yellow. When you cut lucky bamboo it is best to put it in fresh distilled water with no fertilizer. If you fertilized them after you cut them then the fertilizer is causing the problem. If you use tap water the fluoride and chlorine could be a problem. Re-cut the lucky bamboo and remove the yellow parts. Stalk with roots – make your cut about an inch above a node (raised ring on stem) and place in container with fresh distilled water. Wait two days and then lightly mist the cut surface every couple of days to encourage new growth. On the lucky bamboo stalks that don’t have roots cut again – make sure there isn’t any yellow. Dip the cut in rooting hormone and let dry overnight. place in a container with fresh distilled water. do not fertilize either for a couple of months. Try not to expose either to direct sunlight – they prefer indirect light. You might want to read Caring for Lucky Bamboo
Good Luck.
May 5th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Hi,
I have lucky bamboo stalks in a glass container with pebbles and water. Their leaves were all dark green but recently some new leaves are growing light green, However it seemes that they dont have any problem and are not yellow, is it normal or should I change the location with less light?
Thanks.
May 5th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Noosha,
Have these new leaves always been light green or just recently? If they have always been light green they may just be young and will eventually turn darker green. However, if the leaves were dark then became green then they may be in the process of turning yellow. In this case there are two reasons that contribute to yellowing leaves – light and fertilizer. If you haven’t fertilized you lucky bamboo, I would try moving it away from the light slightly to see if the leaves become darker. If this doesn’t do the trick and the leaves remain pale but not yellow, try fertilizing the lucky bamboo. Use a water soluble fertilizer at 1/10th the normal strength and give the lucky bamboo a very small amount.
June 5th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Hello there,
In December, I bought my boyfriend’s mom some “lucky bamboo” as Christmas present as well as a house-warming present. The bamboo stalks have been holding up great until recently. One stalk out of five has recently started to die :(. I have the same recurring problem as alot of other people have had…the stalk is going yellow from the top down and has grown very mushy in the yellowish areas. I haven’t read very many promising posts… but I guess the bamboo is giving me some hope as the leaves are still quite green.
From what I understand, my boyfriend’s mom waters the plant with tap water, doesn’t fertilize it and leaves it in the same area with indirect sunlight. Do you have any ideas of what could be causing this yellowing in just one stalk?
As well, is there a possibility that this yellowing could be transferred to other stalks?
Any help you can provide would be great,
Thanks so much!!
ps. I wish I had known i could attach an image of my bamboo plant!! …Then I would’ve taken a picture.
June 6th, 2008 at 7:44 am
Carmina,
It is a good idea to remove the yellow stalk from the others, just in case the problem tries to spread. Fluoride can be a problem for lucky bamboo and tap water usually contains fluoride. Unlike the chlorine it doesn’t evaporate but it usually causes brown leaf tips not yellow. Do I understand that only the stalk is yellow and not the leaves? This would indicate a fertilizer or chemical problem. So it could be the tap water.
I would remove the yellow stalk. If you are able to cut off the healthy part of the lucky bamboo and start a new one do this separately from the other stalks. Take and clean the container and the stalks that are still healthy. This way we can eliminate any bacteria that might be a problem. To do this take a wash cloth with a little soapy water and wipe the stalks. Set them aside and wash the container with the soapy water, rinse throughly and fill with distilled or filtered water if possible. Then place the stalks in the container and proceed as normal.
You can still send me a photo if you would like. You can upload it in the comments imapge upload feature or email them to me at jadams@flowershopnetwork.com.
Good Luck.
June 18th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
on these blogs i’ve read the leaves turning yellow. I have experienced the stalk turning yellow but the leaves are still green. What to do ? I mixed straight bamboo with the curved stalks and one of the curved stalks turned yellow the store i bought it from told me to insert small holes into the stalk to allow more water to be absorbed by the plant with a needle and it didn’t change anything so i cut the stalk up til the top where it was still green now i have a 2nd one turning yellow should i throw away both yellow stalks? is one yellow stalk infecting the other ones? please advise thank you so much
June 18th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Joanne,
The lucky bamboo stalk usually turn yellow and die because of a fertilizer issue and sometimes as a result of fungal or insect damage. I don’t quite understand the advise you got about inserting small holes into the stalk. This is not a good idea. How long did you have the lucky bamboo before it started turning yellow? I suspect that the bamboo was given too much fertilizer prior to you purchasing it. Unfortunately once fertilizer damage occurs there is little you can do. Try changing the water replacing it with distilled water. Take the stems that are yellow and cut the green tops off and start new plants. Read Caring for Lucky Bamboo, it will have propagation instruction at the bottom of the page. The yellow stalks are not infecting each per say. But they may have all been exposed to too much fertilizer. Please keep me posted and let me know if you need further advise.
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:01 am
They told me to use bottled water so i\’ve been using Deer Park bottled water not distilled water. My straight bamboo i\’ve had for over 6 months and they are beautiful. I just got the curvy bamboo about 4 weeks ago and the 1 stalk turned yellow after only 2 weeks and the 2nd one turned yellow a few days after the first one started turning yellow. I had them in two separate containers and mixed them into one now i\’ve separated the yellow from the green bamboo and the green bamboo is still hanging in there but the yellow one is still sprouting green leaves but the stalk won\’t change back to green. Should i switch from bottled water to distilled water? thanks Jamie
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:48 am
Joanne,
Lucky bamboo is sensitive to salts, chlorine and fluoride. Your bottled water can contain salts and fluoride so you might want to use distilled bottled water instead. However, I doubt that water is the problem since you have your other Lucky bamboo for 6 months without any problems. It is my thought that the lucky bamboo was over fertilized before you got it. I would take the lucky bamboo with the yellow stalk and the green leaves and cut the yellow stalk off and root the top of the lucky bamboo. You can create curly lucky bamboo with your straight stalks or by manipulating the piece you cut off the top of the yellow stem. Keep me posted. Oh and always clean you containers and change the water when your lucky bamboo has decay issues.
June 24th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Thank you so much for all your prompt responses I’ll try to cut off the yellow and root the top of the lucky bamboo
June 27th, 2008 at 7:02 am
I need help I have had my bamboo for years and I put it in the window I have now learned that was a mistake two of my stalks already died and the big one is wilting in the middle can i cut it off and save some of or not. Thank You
June 27th, 2008 at 7:57 am
Brandy,
You can start new plants from your stalk. First have you removed the lucky bamboo from the window and changed the water? If not this will need to be done. You can try to create new plants from both the top and the stem.
Just follow these directions.
New Lucky Bamboo can be created through vegetative propagation. Begin by finding a node – the raised rings that grow around the stalk – make a cut about an inch above the node. You will now have a top and a bottom. Leave the bottom in the original container. The bottom will have no leaves and after a few days will need to be lightly misted every few days to encourage new growth. The tops will have all of the leaves. Take the top and dip the cut end in rooting hormone. Let it dry overnight before placing the top in the original container or a new container.
Just remember that you will need to cut only healthy tissue and remove any bad sections.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:40 am
Hi Jamie. I’ve read some great bits of info. on here, and I really appreciate your advice. I have a beautiful bamboo plant that was the centerpiece on the head table at my wedding. It has about 10 stalks, 2 of which are heart-shaped.
Unfortunately, our cat loves to eat bamboo, so we have to keep the plant in our den with the door closed so the cat can’t get in. We rarely use this room, and lately I am noticing some of the bamboo leaves are turning light green/yellowish. I use only distilled water. I have also tried moving the plant various distances from the window to see if the light was affecting it, but the leaves still seem to be getting yellow.
I am wondering if being in a closed-off room is affecting the plant? I know plants need carbon dioxide, so is it possible that the bamboo is not getting enough fresh CO2 circulation? Would that cause yellowing of the leaves?
I would appreciate your feedback. This plant has a lot of sentimental value and I don’t want to lose it! Thanks!
July 29th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Janae,
Chances are the damage occurred before you got it. Do this Change your water one more time and clean the container. Place the Lucky bamboo about six feet away from the window if the blind is open about 1 foot if the blind is closed. As long as you heat and cool the room the sir quailty should be ok. However the humidity wont be sufficient for the lucky bamboo. Mist the air in the room around the lucky bamboo every three days. Don’t do anything else to the lucky bamboo for at least two weeks — this means don’t move it; don’t change the water; don’t fertilize it. ghe only thing you need to do during this time period is mist it or add water if needed. The yellow should stop spreading in about a week. Good Luck.
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:30 pm
I recently purchased a set of 3 bamboo to go with a stalk I had for close to 6 years. The stalk I had for the 6 years was normally just kept in a glass with plenty of water. When I got the new bamboo I decided to put them together and shortly after the one I had forever started to turn yellow from the bottom up. It seems to of stopped about 3 segments from the top and the leaves and the top segments are doing well and are firm but the others segments are turning yellow and mushy and is turning brown near the rocks. I just hope its not to late to save the stalk I have had for 6 years.
October 6th, 2008 at 7:25 am
Chris,
Did you have the rocks before or after you brought he new lucky bamboo stalk home? If you added them after you got the new stalk, you will need to clan the rocks and the container. They may have something the lucky bamboo doesn’t like. Be sure to fill the container with distilled water before you place the lucky bamboo back in the container.
Now the only way to save the older piece of lucky bamboo is to re-root it. Start by cutting off the yellow part of the stalk. You should now be left with a healthy piece of lucky bamboo. Dip the stalk in rooting hormone (you can find it at your local nursery & garden center) and let it dry overnight. Now place the stalk in the container with the distilled water. In a couple of weeks new roots should form. Don’t fertilize for a couple of months. Please keep me posted.
October 27th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
My lucky bamboo is yellowing from the top it is curly. Can I cut off the yellowed part. If I do will it grow back in the curly formation?
October 28th, 2008 at 7:42 am
Jessica,
You can trim off the yellow top from your lucky bamboo. However it will not grow back curly. Spiral or curly lucky bamboo is created by manipulating the lucky bamboo stalks. If you want your lucky bamboo to be curly you will have to manipulate the plant to do so. Read the post about curling (spiral) lucky bamboo. It will give you the steps to manipulate the lucky bamboo stems.
November 7th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
I have a stalk of curly, lucky bamboo with leaves near the top which I love! The top of the stem is yellow and a little mushy though. The leaves, however, are still green and the segment it is on is starting to turn yellow. Is there any way I can save it with the leaves too? It is in a container with rocks and I was changing the water every week. I\’ve had it for a few months (with the rocks) and only recently has it turned yellow. I have never fertilized it. Last week, I put distilled water in it and removed it further from the light, but there doesn\’t seem to be much of a change. Can I cut off the yellow, mushy part and try to save the leaves and half yellow segment? If so, what do I do about the exposed, cut edge then? Thank you!!
November 10th, 2008 at 8:16 am
Tessa,
You need to cut the yellow parts out. If the leaves have healthy green stalk attached to them you can cut the yellow part off and the green stalk will form new roots. However if the yellow goes to the base of the leaves there is no way to save the leaves. However the green stalk with the roots will form new leaves. In my reply to Brandy I detail how to remove the yellow and start new plants. Good luck and If have any other questions please let me know.
December 6th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
I’ve had my lucky bamboo for over 2 years and it’s been quite healthy. Just recently I’ve noticed one stalk going yellow – but only on one side of the stalk! I wouldn’t describe it as mushy by any means, but it is a bit less firm in the yellow areas than the green ones.
I have not changed anything in how I care for it. For example I’ve used the same kind of water since I got it and I’ve never given it any fertilizer. I’ve never exposed it to direct sunlight. It’s going yellow from the bottom, but only on the one side. The leaves, other stalks, and even the top of the stalk in question are all still nice and green.
The only thing I can think is possibly a draft, but any draft from the window wouldn’t blow directly on the plant, the way it’s positioned. We’ve had a couple of cold nights but we’ve had similar cold nights in years past and the bamboo didn’t turn yellow until just now.
What could be causing this and is there anything I can do to save/salvage the plant?
December 7th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Katie,
For the time being move the stalk that is turning yellow to a separate container. When you move the stalk examine it closely. Does it have a sticky substance or unusual bumps on the stalk. If it does it may have an infestation of scale, aphids or spider mites. This can be taken care of with an insecticide or by wash it with a light solution of soapy water.
A temperature change could cause stress in the plant. If this is so the plant would more than likely turn a brown or black.
One possibility is the need for fertilizer. If the stalk is more of a pale yellowing but still firm it might need a very week solution of water soluble fertilizer.
If you could send me some pictures at jadams@flowershopnetwork.com, I might be able to determine what is going on. I think we have a good chance that the stalk can be saved.
December 17th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Jamie,
About a year ago, I bought a lucky bamboo for my father, and until recently, it was doing wonderfully. About a week ago one of the salks started turning yellow, and we haven’t been able to figure out why. We’ve changed the lighting, it’s been getting the same water that we always have used (tap), and we have never fertilized it. I was wondering if maybe we have to change the pot it’s in? or if there is an underlying issue? I haven’t seen any kind of parisite on it, and it isn’t mushy, just yellow so far.
any idea what could be causing this?
December 17th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Pam,
Although you have always used tap water, it may be the problem. Tap water from city systems contains fluoride and chlorine. Usually the percentage rate at which these chemicals are add to the water system is the same. However, occasionally the percentage can change slightly. It only takes a slight change for these two chemicals to cause a problem with the lucky bamboo stalks. Fluoride especially can cause problems with dracaena as a whole. Lucky bamboo is a species of dracaena. When fluoride is a problem it usually presents itself by turning the leaves yellow, but it can also turn the stalks yellow. I would recommend changing the water and cleaning the container. If you must use tap water place it in an open container for 24hours before your use it.
In case bacteria is the problem, cleaning the container with soapy water and rinse it thoroughly should help the situation. I would segregate the yellow stalks from the healthy ones if possible. If there is some underlying disease that we don’t know about this should keep it from spreading.
One other thing to check is temperature. A drastic change in temperature can also cause a problem with this nature. Check air flow patterns. If the plant is in the direct line of exterior door opens or heat/air vents this could be a problem and the plant should be moved.
Good luck and please keep me posted.
February 28th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
My lucky bamboo is getting yellow from de bottom to the top. I noticed something was wrong because it smells awful. The leaves still green; the roots are dark; the stem is mushy. I took it off from the pot, that I cleaned it, and clean the pebbles too, but I didn\’t return it there, I put it into a glass of water, then I took it off again. I did this yesterday. What can I do to keep it alive?
March 1st, 2009 at 11:14 am
Lily,
You have to get rid of the mushy stem. Start a new plant from the green top. Follow the procedure I gave Brandy above. Since it turned yellow from the bottom up, I would just discard the part attached to the roots. You would need a healthy green section attached to the roots in order to save them. Once you cut the healthy green top off and it starts to root follow these practices:
Keep in bright light but not direct light.
Keep 2 to 3 inches of water in container at all times. Replenish water with distilled water.
Wait a couple of months before you fertilize and then only with a very diluted solution.
Good luck and keep me posted.
March 1st, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Thank you very much! I will try right now recommendation and keep in touch…
March 6th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
I have three stalks of lucky bamboo that has been thriving in my room for two and a half years. I’ve always used tap water on it, but I let the water sit before using it, and I’ve never used any fertilizer. About a month ago, I took the bamboo out and washed the container, and it was fine for about two weeks after that. Then, the shortest stalk started turning yellow from the top down. The leaves stayed green until just a few days ago, when they started turning yellowish, too. I’ve been washing some scum off of the bamboo for awhile now, but it’s on all three of them, and the other two haven’t seemed to be bothered by it.
I moved the yellowing one into a separate container two days ago, but I haven’t noticed any difference. The yellowing of the stalk has reached to about a centimetre above the roots, where it’s still healthy green. The stalk isn’t soft by any means, but it still looks unhealthy.
I’ve read through a bunch of the previous comments, and I checked for spider mites, which don’t seem to be present. Could it be the water? Or a problem with the light, or some kind of disease? Do you think I can fix it? I could send you a picture if you’d like.
March 9th, 2009 at 8:26 am
Maria,
Since you have been using the same water all along I doubt that water is the issue. I don’t usually talk about nutrient deficiency in lucky bamboo, but in your case we might take a look at a calcium deficiency or even a trace element deficiency like manganese. Try using a very diluted amount of water soluble African violet fertilizer. Schultz has one that has trace elements. Unfortunately correcting a calcium deficiency is harder. I don’t know of any fertilizer with water soluble calcium. Check with your local garden center (not a discount store like Walmart or Lowes) but a real nursery & garden center. They might know of a fertilizer that you can use.
March 9th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
I will try looking for a fertilizer for it. In the meantime, I’ve noticed that the top of the stalk is becoming more brownish and wrinkling, and the leaves are yellowing more. Can it still be saved, or is it too far gone to help it?
March 10th, 2009 at 7:52 am
Maria,
If the stalk is getting really soft and wrinkled, I would cut off the brown part. The green stalk will put out new leaves once the brown has been trimmed off. If you are not sure how or where to cut it. Take a picture and upload it here. Then I can tell you how and where to trim it.
April 9th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
Hi,
I recently left my plant in the car overnight during a particularly cold evening…definitely under 30 degrees. Now the leaves are droopy and the stems are turning brown! I just re-potted it with fresh water (I added a tiny bit of Miracle Grow) and I also added a bit of soil under the rocks it was always in before. I know that they don’t normally grow in soil, but I also know that soil helps roots absorb nutrients, so I figure why not try? It’s been a week and nothing is improving. Does anyone have any suggestions? If I cut off a green stalk and put it in water, will it root? I’ve attached a photo but I’m not sure if it’ll be clear enough.
Thanks!
Anita
Attached Image: plant.jpg
April 10th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Cold temperatures cause lucky bamboo to deteriorate rather rapidly. The damage that has occur doesn’t usually go away. The first thing you need to do is access the depth of damage. Is the browning advancing or is it the same as it was shortly after it appeared. If it is advancing the only choice is to start new plants.
I took a glance at your picture and it looks as if only one stem is really damaged. Simply remove the brown leaves off the other stems.
You will need to start a new plant from the damaged stem. To do this you will need rooting hormone (you can get this at your local garden center or nursery), a sharp knife and a new container. Find a node that is in a green section of the plant. The node is the raised ring on the stem of the lucky bamboo. About an inch above the node make your cut. Dip the cut end in the rooting hormone and let it dry. Fill your new container with about 2 to 3inches of water. Place the lucky bamboo cutting in the new container. Remove the brown stem from the original container and throw it away. In a few weeks your cutting will develop new roots.
One other thing if your plant didn’t have soil in it originally, it doesn’t need the soil now. You might want to clean your container and replace it with fresh water and no soil. Be sure to use distilled water or at least let the chlorine evaporate from the tap water before you use it. I recommend that you don’t fertilze the lucky bamboo for at least two months. Good luck and keep me posted.
April 11th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
I see a lot of comments about the stalk turning yellow, but none of them really fit my situation.
One of the three stalks (all in the same vase for over a year) has started turning yellow on one side from what I assume is the top down. It’s all the way at the top of the stalk, which isn’t mushy but has started to wrinkle. The yellow spot has also started to wrap around the stalk so its all going to be yellow soon. one of the top nodes has also developed a black patch slightly larger in diameter than a pencil eraser. The roots of all the stalks are still healthy, as are the leaves and stems. The infected plant is slightly lighter green on top, but only if you look closely. Two of the stalks (including the infected one) have thumb sized brown spots at the water line, dark brown rings with light brown indented (slightly) spaces. The kind of resemble nodes only instead of a ring its a spot under the lowest node (I hope that makes some sense). The not-yellow stalk has black spots on this area, but may be the healthiest of the three.
I do not and have not fertilized my plants the year or so I’ve had them, and they are planted in a vase with rocks. They’ve always gotten filtered water, and when I noticed this problem with the one stalk, I rinsed the roots and rocks before refilling with more filtered water. To cut the stalk to replant, i would have to cut it in half vertically (which I don’t think will work). Is there anything I can do but wait and see?
Sorry, I know there’s a lot of similar things posted.
April 12th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
I think you problem is fungal or bacterial. You need to get the infected stem out of the container or it will infect the other stems. Wash your container and rocks with soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Then place the healthy stems back in the container. If there is any healthy green tissue above the roots, you can start a new plant. You only need a few inches to start a new plant. However if the yellow goes all the way to the roots, the stalk is too damaged to save.
Why did this occur? It is hard to say. At some point the lucky bamboo may have been stressed. When a plant becomes stress then things that naturally occur in the environment will become a problem. Since this started on one side, I would look at an over-exposure of light to that side. Of course it could be as simple as a weak spot in the stem from the beginning.
If you are not sure that we have made the right diagnosis, send me a picture of the stem. Try to take an up close shot of the infected area. This way I can verify that it is not an insect problem.
Good luck and keep me posted.
April 17th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
I have had a bamboo plant that I have had for at least 5-6 years. I got it at a flower show with my dad and has been great. I love it and has required little maintenance. I always have watered it with just plain water and never fertilized it or anything. I recently decided that the leaves were dull and bought that plant shine stuff. I now am noticing that the tips of the leaves are turning yellow/brown and traveling up. The stalks and everything else are green but the leaves seem to be a little more droopier than ever in the past. Do you think this plant shine stuff is killing my plant? What can I do so save this plant?? HELP!!!!
April 20th, 2009 at 7:34 am
Anna,
Lucky bamboo is very sensitive to many chemicals. So, it would surprise me if the leaf shine was causing a problem. I would take a wet washcloth and wipe all of the leaves off. Then watch the stems very closely for then next few weeks. If the stem starts to show signs of damage, you may need to start new pants. I would do this as a last result only. Good luck and keep me posted.
April 24th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
I have had a lucky bamboo plant for 3 years, in the same place, in the same container and using the same well water as I have for the last three years. It is turning yellow from the bottom up. It is now 3/4 the way up the stalk. What can I do to save my plant that was given to my fiance and I as a house warming gift!!!!!
April 26th, 2009 at 5:52 am
The yellow is farther up…. the leaves are still green as could be. What can I do??
April 27th, 2009 at 7:57 am
If the plant is yellow from the bottom up, I would start a new stem using the top that is green. Find a place on the stem where there is absolutely no yellowing. Then look for a node in that section. A node is the raised ring on the lucky bamboo stalk. Cut it off about an inch above this node. Then dip the cut end with the green leaves in rooting hormone. Let the rooting powder dry on the stem and then place in water. I would remove the yellow stalk and clean the container with soapy water and refill the container. Place all the healthy stalks back in the container including the one that you are trying to root. Good luck and keep me posted.
April 28th, 2009 at 4:48 am
My bamboo stalk is starting to turn a tannish-brownish-yellowish on one side. It’s only on that side, and if you turn it around you’ll only see a green plant. I’ve been using tap water, which might be the problem. The plant doesn’t get that much sunlight because it’s on a ledge quite a bit away from the window. The portion that is tan was not facing the sun. Do I have to cut off the tan part even though it’s only on one side? What can I do to make my plant better. I’m switching to distilled water today. I’ve never given my plant fertilizer so I don’t think that’s the problem. Please help. Thanks!
April 28th, 2009 at 8:14 am
I am concerned that you have a fungus on your lucky bamboo called Collectotrichum dracaenophilum. It usually causes raised brown patches on the stem that have a naroon colored border. The only way to get rid of this fungus is cut off the infected parts. This usually means you have to root a top that hasn’t been effected or allow the rooted part to make new leaves.
I am attaching a picture of what lucky bamboo looks like when it has been infected with Collectotrichum dracaenophilum. I found the picture at http://www.sepdn.org/DesktopModules/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=3103
Attached Image: lucky-bamboo-with-collectotrichum-dracaenophilum.jpg
April 28th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
I looked at your picture and I have a high feeling that isn’t the problem. Even though the brown area of the stalk is firm, the outside is sort of wrinkly. The other side is not as dark of a green as the other stalks I have. If you could help me identify and instruct me on how to fix the problem it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Attached Image: Set60_125LRes.jpg
April 29th, 2009 at 9:17 am
Now that I see the plant it looks more like a water issue. Your tap water may contain too much chlorine, fluoride or salts. Empty the container and fill with distilled water. The yellowing should stop and the plant should recover. The yellowish part might not turn back to green. However as long as it doesn’t become mushy, it will be ok.
It might need slightly more light as well. Rotate the plant every so often so that all sides get some light.
May 4th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Hi,
I just wanted to send an update about the plants I left in the car during a cold night. Unfortunately, I was not able to save the oldest plant. There were two pieces of stalk that were about 3 inches long and still green. I tried using the root hormone, but I ended up with soft yellow stalks that somehow had perfectly healthy looking roots! Thanks for trying to help me save my plant!
Anita
May 5th, 2009 at 2:58 am
Hi there, I just wanted to get some quick advice about my plant… I have had no problems with it but I left it at work and the lady at my desk said she watered it and after being away for a few weeks I came back to see it like this. Have uploaded a picture for you as I have no idea what to do. I hear you say something about tap water but my plant never had a problem before so why now? Anyway the yellow is slightly soft but not really and as you can see the rest of the plants happy! What should I do? as they are formed in 2 love hearts ID rather not just take the yellowed one out. It hasn’t been repotted since I got it but yeah I just want to know if there is anyway I can heal whats happened to it? And keep it from getting worse! At work it didn’t get really any light and no fertilizer for months. Just gave it a dose then.
Attached Image: bamboo.jpg
May 5th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Lack of light could be causing the problem. However, your helpful office mate may have add more water that you usually do and it might have been a high chlorine day. Tap water can vary in the amount of chlorine and fluoride that you receive from day to day. If you fertilized before the yellowing occurred, the concentrate was too strong.
Whatever the cause the real issue here is what to do. Once the plant starts to go soft, the damage is beyond repair. For the health of your lucky bamboo, any soft or mushy part of the stem needs to be removed. If your stems are yellow but not soft, you can give them a wait and see approach. I can’t tell if the lucky bamboo is in water or soil. If it is in water, I would clean the container and add new distilled water. Once you remove the damaged part of the lucky bamboo the other healthy stems will do fine.
May 5th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Hi there, my lucky bamboo is in soil. It has these pebbles on the top which are kind of stuck so they dont fall out. I didnt fertilise before the yellowing so I think its something to do with the office maybe? The fertilise happened as soon as I bought it home!
May 5th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Ok. This is a little easier. You plant has a water stress issue. Your co-worker either over-watered or under-watered the lucky bamboo. That is neither here nor there. Resume your normal water regime and the stalk should start to improve. If you used a very light solution of fertilizer you should be fine. If you used a strong solution, the plant will have to work it out. You can dilute the fertilizer by adding more water to the soil if it is dry. Good luck and keep me posted.
May 10th, 2009 at 5:39 am
Hi Jamie,
My poor beloved bamboo of six years seems to be in poor health, I’m hoping you might be able to give me some advice!
It is single stemmed but very tall and abundant in roots. I’ve never trimmed or fertilised it and have only ever used tap water, which apparently might contain chlorine but no fluoride, and every so often wash its vase with soapy water. It has been in the same spot for years, indoors, and has never really had any trouble until lately.
There are two things of concern; a large dark brown mark on the inside of the stalk, towards the first bend which is around 10x20mm in size (looks a lot larger in the photo than it actually is, I tried to get a closeup!) that is soft to the touch and almost lined in texture like the trunk of a tree. Also the leaves are starting to brown and curl at the ends.
I’ve attached a photo of the bamboo, and I’ll follow it by one of the mark and of the roots, I’d be really grateful for any advice you could give!
Megan.
Attached Image: P1000016.jpg
May 10th, 2009 at 5:45 am
…the whole bamboo…
Attached Image: P1000007.jpg
May 10th, 2009 at 5:53 am
… and finally, the frightful mark!
Attached Image: P1000017.jpg
May 11th, 2009 at 8:40 am
It looks as if you have a fungal lesion on your lucky bamboo stem. This will only continue to get bigger and compromise the plant. I am attaching a picture to show you where to to make your cuts to remove the lesion. The upper part will no longer have roots and the lower part will no longer have leaves. However, that is not a problem. When you cut the top of the lucky bamboo off dip the cut end in rooting hormone (you can pick some up at your local garden center and nursery). Let the powder dry on the stalk for at at least a couple hours and them insert the end of the stalks in water. Leave the bottom in the container it is in and wait a day or two and then start misting the cut. You should start to see new roots and leaves in a couple of weeks.
September 16th, 2009 at 8:59 am
I recently had to replant my bamboo, it has been turning yellow since the roots started surfacing in the smaller container. I transplanted it in a vase with water marbles, they use tap water but I guess I could use bottled water with them. I have it close to my window at work but it never gets direct sunlight. I have had it for several years. Should I put it in something else or will it bounce back?
Thanks
September 16th, 2009 at 9:19 am
Was it yellow before you transplanted it? If so the new container with clean water should take care of the problem. If the yellowing occurred after the transplant, the tap water may have had too much chlorine or fluoride. In this case, as along as the yellowing is not increasing you should be ok. If the yellowing is spreading, replace the water with distilled water. One other thing are the marbles approved for use with fish or plants. If not they could be emitting a chemical that the lucky bamboo doesn’t like.
September 16th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
The booth where they were sold had the bamboo displayed that’s why I stopped & bought them. You soak the marbles in water and they expand, after a month they shrink and you re-soak them with fresh water. I don’t think they have chemicals in them the rep told me I could add regular plant food if I neede to and they can be put in any plants even if they are in soil.
It was yellowing before, I assumed it was because it was out growing the shorter container and the roots were coming out of the top.
Attached Image: ATT00127.jpg
September 16th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
If the yellowing isn’t progressing let it be. I think it will over come the problem. It is hard to tell from the picture but you may have too many marbles and not enough water.
September 16th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
The marbles shrink as they release the water. There is only a little water at the bottom of the container. The marbles are the size of seed beads before they are soaked in water. Can not enough water turn it yellow? If the marbles don’t work what can I replant it in? The original container was VERY small and only had a small amount of dirt with rocks. For the most part it was filled with the roots.
Attached Image: ATT00137.jpg
September 17th, 2009 at 7:41 am
The lucky bamboo was originally in dirt. That explains alot. The transfer from dirt to water is probably the reason it i s turning yellow. It might take a few weeks for the lucky bamboo to recover from the transition. As long as the yellow is no longer spreading, don’t worry. Just continue with the care as if it had always been in water.
October 7th, 2009 at 9:03 am
Hi!
I bought three lucky bamboos about 4 months ago and the top of the stem on one of them has turned yellow in the past few weeks and is now turning a light brown. Also, I think the leaves on the others are starting to turn yellow as well.
The roots seem to be a dark yellow as well. I am a total novice with plants and I must say even the little bamboos seem to be a challenge for me…
I have been using tap water but I never let it sit for 24 hours before changing the water… I’ll try this but I’m still a bit worried about the outcome.
Last thing, how do you clean the pot? I mean, the roots are all entangled with the little stone… Won’t it break them to remove the bamboos from the pot?
I’ll add some pictures in a moment.
Thanks!
First picture: The bamboos
Attached Image: P1010265.jpg
October 7th, 2009 at 9:08 am
Second picture: The top of the yellow stem.
Attached Image: P1010266.jpg
October 7th, 2009 at 9:11 am
Third picture: The roots
Attached Image: P1010268.jpg
October 7th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Your lucky bamboo has been exposed to too much light or maybe too much fertilizer. Since the yellowing is from the top down, I would say too much light. The part that is yellow will not recover. But all hope is not lost. You need to cut the yellow tops off and let the plant form new ones. To find out how to do this read the post We are not always lucky with lucky bamboo. In the post I detail how and where to make the cut and how to care for it.
As for the roots the color doesn’t look abnormal from the picture. If the roots look more orange than yellow or cream then we have a problem. Should you need to clean the container, you will gently pour out the water and carefully remove the stalks and the pebbles. If a few roots are broken during this process, the plant will still be ok. What you don’t want is to pop all or the major roots off of the stem. Once you have separated the roots from the pebbles you can wash the container and the pebbles. Then you can place the stalks back in the container and gently place the pebbles around them and fill with water.
Good luck and keep me posted on your plants.
October 8th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Thanks for this fast response! Like I said, I don’t really know my way much with plants and I was getting anxious.
I will post back my results!
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:03 pm
I\’m worried my dad bought me 2 3 inch lucky bamboo stalks for my 22nd b-day i just turned 25 yesterday nothing other than my brothers cat has happened to them. I\’ve moved twice this year the last time over 4 1/2 months ago I\’ve never fertilized and have always used city tap water. Light and temp has pretty much stayed the same as well. All of a sudden 1 stalk stared turning yellow today its the whole stalk. This only took 2 weeks. What do i do? Must save! Very sentimental about it. Help!
November 4th, 2009 at 8:35 am
Naomi,
Your city water system maybe adding more chlorine than usual to the water. Remove the stalk that is turning yellow. It will probably die, but you can place it in a container to itself to see if it will recover. Buy a jug of distilled water, empty the water in the lucky bamboo container and refill with the distilled water. Hopefully this will keep the other two stalks from turning yellow. If they start to turn, you will need to start new plants. Good Luck.
November 9th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
I have had a straight stalk and a curly stalk for about 6 months now…no major issues, I have been using tap water, but again, haven’t had an issue.
I left for 2 weeks, and came back to find the curly stalk yellow from the top halfway down. It was extremely squishy and almost moldy(?). After reading a few posts here it sounded like the best option was to cut the bad part off and let the stalk regrow, which is very upsetting since this is my only curly stalk :(.
Anyhow, as I was cutting it off I noticed some strange crusty red growths underneath where the leaves overlap. It looked very odd and made me suspect some kind of fungal infection. After cutting the stalk down, I checked my other stalk and it appears to have the same red growths underneath the overlaps of the leaves.
I’ve attached pictures of the yellow stalk I cut off and a picture of the red growths on my other stalk.
Any suggestions? Should I declare my desk a biohazard zone? ;)
Thanks!
Attached Image: bamboo.jpg
November 10th, 2009 at 10:11 am
Erik,
I don’t think we are quite at the biohazard stage. But, I do think you have some type of fungal infection happening. The first thing, I would do is cut the mushy piece off. In fact, I would cut at least an inch past the yellow to make sure the fungus has been removed. Before you move to the next stalk drip your clippers in a bleach solution (1part bleach to 1part water). Hopefully this will keep the fungus from spreading. In the green stalk, cut off the section that has the red lesions. If you need instruction on how and where to make the cut go to We are not always lucky with lucky bamboo. It contains pictures and instructions. Good luck and keep me posted.
November 16th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Hi Jamie,
I have a lot of bamboo in my house and did well with it for a while. I’ve noticed that about every week I am losing 1 stalk, turning yellow.
Nothing has changes, my water, fertilizer, everything has been the same for months and months. I am wondering if I should treat for a parasite? How exactly would I wash the bamboo in soapy water? Is it ok to get soap on the roots???
November 17th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
You may have a bacteria attacking your lucky bamboo. You will need to wash the container that your lucky bamboo is in with hot soapy water. You can even use a little bleach. Make sure you rinse the container thoroughly. You also need to take a damp soapy rag and gently wipe the lucky bamboo stalks then gently rinse them and place back in the container. Only place the healthy green stalks back in the container. The stalks that are yellow may infect the healthy ones. If the yellow stalks have any healthy green parts, I suggest you propagate new plants from the yellow stalks. You will need to place the propagate plants in their own container in case they are still contaminated.
November 24th, 2009 at 8:15 am
I’ve had a lucky bamboo arrangement in my office for almost a year. When I first got it, shortly after one of the stalks turned yellow. I removed it and it’s been fine ever since. I came in to work and found one of the stalks turning yellow and another one on the way. I pulled out the first one, which came out very easily, and found that it didn\’t have many roots and there was green stuff on the very bottom of the stalk. I don\’t know if this is the problem or not. I wanted to pull out one of the good ones to see it this \’green stuff\’ is on the bottom of them to, but they seem to be tightly rooted in the pebbles. Any help would be great, I\’d like to not have to start over again as this little plant has come a long way since I got it.
Attached Image: root .jpg
November 24th, 2009 at 8:41 am
I can’t tell if it is a fungus or some sort of glue or synthetic material. I would remove it with a soapy damp cloth. If the stalk in the picture has a green top I would cut it off and start a new stalk. As for the remaining stalk I would remove it gently try not to break the roots too much. Then clean the new stalk if it has the same green substance. Clean your pebbles and container and refill with distilled water or tap water that has set out in an open container for 24hrs. Put the green lucky bamboo stalk back in the original container. Just to be safe place the stalk that you are rooting in a different container. Let me know if you need instructions on how to start a new stalk. Good luck.
November 24th, 2009 at 8:53 am
There are about 6 to 8 stalks in the pot that the yellow one was in. Should I remove them from the pot? They seem to have a lot of roots growing. When I tried to pull them up, the whole pot of pebbles moved. Is it advisable to mess with this, or should I just let them alone?
A little instruction on a new stalk would help. Right now I just rinsed them off and have them in a cup of water. The one about 8″ long and is all yellow except for the bottom half. The other one was about the same size but I snapped it in half and have the top in the cup also.
November 25th, 2009 at 8:51 am
If the stalks seem fine and are too tangled in the pebbles, you can leave them be. However should another stalk start to turn yellow, I would try to untangle them and wash them.
I am a little concerned about the stalk you snapped in half. Snapping is not good for the stalk. Instead you should have cut the stalk an inch above a node making sure that the section above and below are healthy and green. In the post We Are Not Always Lucky With Lucky Bamboo, I detail how and where to make the cuts and which parts will make new plants. If you follow the instructions, you should be able to propagate new lucky bamboo shoots for the diseased stalk. Be sure you place it in a different container than the other lucky bamboo stalks. Good Luck. Let me know if you need anything else.
January 6th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
Hi,
My bamboo has a yellow stem. The leaves sprouting from it are mostly still green and the stem of these looks like a new bamboo stalk. Can I save my bamboo by cutting of the sprouting part and rooting it? HOw could I do it?
Thanks for any help!!
January 6th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
Yes, you can. THere are two different ways to propagate lucky bamboo.
Cut the healthy part of the lucky bamboo about an inch from the node (the raised brown rings on the stalk). If the healthy piece no longer has roots, you will need some rooting hormone (the one we carry at our nursery & garden center is called Greenlight root tone but other brands have the same product just make sure it is in powder form). After you cut the stem dip it in the rooting hormone and let it dry overnight then place it in a container with water (use distilled water or let the water sit overnight to release the chlorine). In a few weeks you will see new roots form.
If the healthy part still has roots attached leave it in the container. You will not need rooting hormone. After three days start misting the cut end and new growth will form. Good Luck.
January 17th, 2010 at 9:57 pm
Hi there,
I have had one stalk of lucky bamboo in a vase with pebbles for about a year and a half. After having it for about a year, my boyfriend knocked it over and most of the growth since I’d had it fell off, but it started growing again and everything was fine. It never gets any natural light because I only have one very small window, but it’s been totally fine up until now. Over the past few days, it’s been turning yellow at the top and the yellow is moving down the stalk. I don’t think I’ve been doing anything different lately, except that lately I think I’ve been watering it with cold water from a metal bottle in the fridge. Would the temperature of the water have anything to do with this? I’ve been using tap water, which I’ve read isn’t ideal, but it’s been the same tap water for a year and a half with no problem until now. I also read that you wrote to someone else that if you’re using tap water, let it sit for 24 hours first. Is this a substitute for distilled water? I’m just curious because I don’t have access to distilled water right now. Any help you can provide would be great as I want to save my plant! Thank you!
January 18th, 2010 at 9:19 am
The water temperature can cause the plant stress. Normally you want the water temperature to be room temperature not cold or hot. Something else to consider is damage to the stalk. Check the stalks for lesions caused by being knocked over. If there is a lesion on the stalk you will need to remove it but cutting off the part of the stalk with the lesion.
As for the tap water, letting it set out over-night will allow the chloride to evaporate but not necessarily the fluoride. Distilled water doesn’t contain chloride or fluoride so it is a better choice.
January 21st, 2010 at 10:58 am
Jamie,
All of your posted solutions are great and have helped me out a lot with my bamboo plants. Only thing that I’m having issues with, is the pebbles/ marbles that I’m using. I’ve clean them in soapy water and rinse them three times in very hot water and they still have substance that rub off, which I think is causing my bamboo to turn yellow. Do you have any suggestions on a certain type of pebbles/ marbles to use? or is that okay and maybe it’s something else?
January 21st, 2010 at 6:09 pm
I just bought a small lucky Bamboo and I noticed a jelly like substance on the roots and the stalks are starting to turn yellow.
thank you for your time
January 22nd, 2010 at 8:47 am
Unique Star,
You could try pebbles approved for fish aquariums. When you cleaned the pebbles, did you clean the container and change the water? If not this needs to be done. If you did and you used tap water, the chlorine and fluorine in the tap water is more likely the problem.
Jason,
The jelly-like substance is probably a polymer substance used to help retain and then release water. Lucky bamboo is often shipped with this substance. You can gently clean it off the roots or leave it on. The problem is more likely a water or fertilizer issue.
January 27th, 2010 at 3:10 am
Jamie. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I learned a lot from reading your responses to people. I bought a bunch of bamboo stalks a few years ago and had no idea what to do with them. I stuck them in water for a few months and then planted them into a large pot with soil. I used tap water and did not use fertilizer. A few years later, I added a bit of miracle grow into the soil. Without having a clue as to what to do and admittedly not researching how to best care for it, I just experimented and discovered that it did not require much maintenance. It turned out to be a lucky plant for me because it really thrived and grew tall. These were straight stalks. About a year later, I bought a few curly stalks and added them to the pot. All of these stalks died fairly quickly one by one, so I pulled them out and the plant continuted to do well. I didn’t mind as much pulling out those stalks as I now mind the possibility of losing one of my large stalks which has turned a pale yellow and is spreading from the bottom up. In fact, only very a small segment on top with leaves are still green. The only changes that occured is that I moved the pot a few feet away onto another piece of furniture closer to the wall. For the next few months, everything remained okay. The only other change I can think of is that the plant tipped and a fairly large amount of soil spilled out onto a rug. I picked up the soil and put it back into the pot. So I now wonder if it might have picked up anything from the rug such as dust mites, spider mites or bird mites that I have been having a problem with for quite awhile but did not seem to be affecting the plant.
After reading your responses, I thought I might start using either distilled or bottled water or let the water sit for awhile before watering the plant, and add fertilizer. I will also remove some of the top layer of the soil I put back and then move it back to the original table where it may get just a little more light.
I also just bought two more stalks and now wonder if I should keep them separate to see how well it does before adding it to the pot with the others.
I would really love to save this large stalk, if possible, so since it is only pale yellow and still very firm, is there any possibility that it can be revived and/or turn green again or will I have to cut off the little bit of green left on top and propogate it? If I need to do that, will the yellow stalk still be able to be revived?
January 27th, 2010 at 9:17 am
Carol,
Your stalk may have been damaged when it tipped over. Check for any signs of damage. It is also possible than the curly stalks may have infected your other stalks. Look for lesions or spots on the stalk. If you find any signs of lesions, remove that stalk.
One think that does concern me is the addition of miracle gro to the soil. Lucky bamboo does not react well to over-fertilization. If the miracle gro was too strong of a solution, the stalks would start turning yellow from the bottom up. Unfortunately over fertilization can not be reversed once the stalks turn yellow.
This is what I propose – remove the yellow stalk and cut the green top off and propagate a new one. What the other stalks and do not fertilize for at least a month or two. Good luck and keep me posted.
January 28th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
Hi , sorry if my english is not that fluent , its my third language.
my lucky bamboo at first was green but started a few yellow leafs , i ask the florist and he sugested me lucky bamboo food and for each bamboo, one drop , so i dropted 3 for my 3 bamboos , then because in Tehran waters are not good for drink we first boil the water then after being cold we drink , so i use this type of water , and dont change but i add the water to my bamboos , but i was wasing the leafs from simple dusts , but now i dont do .
but its about one mount that my bamboo is going to be yellow , i cut the yellow leafs ut again is being yellow and today i saw the steem are being yellow also ,
please let me know what to do ,
and please le me know how i cut and grow my bamboos
Attached Image: DSC02534---.jpg
January 28th, 2010 at 5:06 pm
another photo
Attached Image: DSC02535---.jpg
January 28th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
the other photoof my bamboo
Attached Image: DSC02536---.jpg
January 28th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
and other pho of my yellowed bamboo which here is going to be brown
Attached Image: DSC02541---.jpg
January 28th, 2010 at 5:15 pm
and the roots of my bamboos ,
please hel what to do for my plant
thank you in advance
Attached Image: DSC02537---.jpg
January 28th, 2010 at 9:33 pm
Hi,
How do i get rid of this fungi on the bottom of my bamboo stalk? Does it like humidity? Should i put it in the bathroom? How many hours of sunlight does it need?
January 29th, 2010 at 9:58 am
Aida,
A couple of things maybe happening. 1 — your bamboo maybe receiving too much light. Move it to a dimmer location and make sure the area is warm not cold. 2 — the lucky bamboo may need more humidity. Mist the lucky bamboo every couple of days. 3— you may have a fungus. It is hard to tell by the pictures. If you see lesions on the stalk, you probably have a fungus or a viral infection. The only way to get rid of this problem is to eliminate the section with lesions. Read the post We are not always lucky with lucky bamboo. It will tell you how to do this.
Rachel,
Are the roots black, brown or red? If black or brown, cut those roots off and change your water. If red, they are perfectly find and healthy.
February 4th, 2010 at 6:33 pm
Hi Jamie!
With your responses above to other people, I believe my lucky bamboo had gotten infected by spider mites. A few of the stalks could not be saved since I was off on a trip. As for the remaining, could you please tell me if they are savable without the use of pesticides? Additionally, I was wondering why my stalks were yellowing from the middle and in both directions (up and down). Please give me your guidance. Thanks.
Attached Image: IMG_9798.jpg
February 8th, 2010 at 8:59 am
Sorry for the delay in my reply. You have several stalks that should be ok. Remove all of the yellow ones and the ones that are shriveled. Change the water and clean the container. take a warm soapy rag an wipe all of the remaining stalks then wipe then with a warm rag without soap. hopefully this will take care of the problem.
February 11th, 2010 at 8:19 pm
Hi Jamie!
I stumbled upon this article while trying to decide what to do about my own bamboo, and I was wondering if you could give me some advice.
I have had my lucky bamboo for a bit more than a year now, and in the last few months, the newest leaves (there are two stalks) came in a very pale spring green color. I realized shortly after this that my cleaning lady had been giving it tap water (probably for a few weeks or a month).
It seemed okay at the time, but the next time I changed its water I noticed an unpleasant smell. After reading up I realized that this was probably due to bacteria, and later that week I rinsed its roots, and cleaned its pots and pebbles with tap water and salt. It smells fine now, so I believe the fungus is gone.
However, I noticed when I cleaned the pot that both of my bamboo stalks were yellowish-white from about where the pebbles had been downward. They were not (and are not) mushy or rotted as far as I can tell: apart from the color, they seemed just fine. I put them back in their pot, but just a little bit higher up than before, so I could keep an eye on the color.
In the last two weeks I’ve been watching my plant closely, and I’m not sure what to make of it. The yellow is not (from what I can tell: I haven’t removed the plants from their pot again) rotting, nor is it moving up the stalk — although the color of the plant isn’t as evenly green as it always has been: there are streaks of light green running up one stalk, and a few patches of darker color than I’ve ever seen near some of the nodes. The thinner of the two plants has some faint withering lines that haven’t gone away, but it’s also darker than the other.
I’m a little bit confused, because while the tips of the older leaves seem to be losing a little bit of color, the new paler leaves are actually darker at the tips than they were before. Additionally, at least one of the stalks is still growing roots — the container I keep my bamboo in is clear glass and I can see where they’ve spread along the sides of it.
With this in mind, is it more likely that my bamboo was damaged by the tap water/fungus or that it’s just recovering from being removed from the water and replaced at a different level? Do I need to cut the yellowish bottoms of the stalks away or is there a chance they’ll survive? The plants are rather small and I feel a bit bad about cutting more away from them…I’m also very nervous about doing so, as I know it’s an easy way to accidentally kill a plant and I’m not much of a gardener.
Sorry for the ramble, and thanks for reading. Please help!
Thanks,
Renee
February 12th, 2010 at 10:00 am
Your lucky bamboo may still be recovering from the fungus and the tap water. Can you send me a picture? I need to see if the yellowish bottom look normal or shriveled. I would also like to see the streaks of light green running up the stalks. I really need to see the lucky bamboo before i recommend any course of action.
February 15th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
I just recently bought a lucky heart shaped bamboo plant for a valentines day present. When I took it out of the packaging the material that was wrapped around the roots was frozen fast to the plant.. I left it thaw out before unwrapping it the rest of the way and followed the instructions and now it seems the plant is turning a yellowish-brown color?
does this mean it dying? I used distilled water.
Could it be that it was shipped in cold weather?
Please help?
Thanks
February 15th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
I am afraid your lucky bamboo is not going to survive. Exposed to long periods of cold temperature will severely damage the plant.
February 15th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
It still has green leaves at the very top of it.. are those worth cutting off and trying to grow another one?
February 15th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
Yes, the tissue damage may not have effect the tops.
February 16th, 2010 at 1:31 am
hi jamie…
thank u for this fabulous resource!
i am attaching a few pics of my lucky bamboo. i have had it since christmas and it has been
doing just fine. i use tap water about once a week and keep it away from the window. i just came back from being away for 2 days. i watered the bamboo before i left and put it in the kitchen (where there is no window) too keep it away from possible drafts while i was away. when i came back i found one of the stalks had started to turn yellow from the top down. there are leaves on the yellow stalk that are still green. the stalk is not mushy on the yellow area. there is no bad aroma coming from the plant. i dont see any lesions or bugs. what should i do?
thanks for your help! i can send more pics if u need.
Attached Image: 102.jpg
February 16th, 2010 at 1:33 am
another view of my lucky bamboo
Attached Image: 107.jpg
February 16th, 2010 at 1:34 am
one last picture…
i hope these help with your analysis!
Attached Image: 109.jpg
February 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Deb,
I am at a loss. Your plant does not seem to have any sights of damage or distress. The only possible factor could be light. Although the lucky bamboo does well in low light conditions, it may not have like the light change.
I recommend cutting off the yellow part. Do this right above a node with strong green color.
February 17th, 2010 at 11:35 pm
thanks for the advice. i was a bit puzzled myself after reading all of the posts.
none seemed to really fit my situation. i will be performing the “surgery” tonight and
i will keep you posted.
wish me luck!
deb
February 28th, 2010 at 9:06 pm
I’m kind of worried about my lucky bamboo plant. I’ve had it for a year and a half so far, about 6 months into keeping it, the shortest out of three stalks turned completely yellow, so I got rid of it. So far, I haven’t had any similar problems at all, up until recently. I water my bamboo plant with just regular tap water, and I moved it to my room about a month ago and placed it up on my shelf. Its near a window, but doesn’t get much sunlight, since the sunlight is blocked by another house. I’m worried because the twisty stalk is turning light green, and almost looks wrinkly. It doesn’t seem to be yellow, but its a very light green color, and I am sad, because I don’t want it to die at all. Is there any way that I can prevent it from becoming yellow, or reverse this? Should I move it to another part of my room with less sunlight? :(
March 1st, 2010 at 9:03 am
I would try to figure out want was different about the previous location and the present location. If it was warmer, you need to move it to a warmer spot. If it had more light you need to move it to a place with more light. Also check for spider mites – you will need a magnifying glass to see the spider mites. Once you determine what casued the change in your lucky bamboo nyou can correct it.
March 22nd, 2010 at 10:52 pm
Okay….I have a small 3 stalk Lucky Bamboo Plant….I just moved it into a larger glass container with glass pebbles and its old rocks…..I am using distilled water, indirect sunlight and it is still turning yellow….The stalks are nice and firm and the leaves are nice n green…..Mind you I haven’t fertilized it yet because I’m afraid to harm it….My question is this…Is it missing something that helps it be green or am I doing something wrong??
March 23rd, 2010 at 9:17 am
How long have you had the lucky bamboo. If you haven’t had them very long it could be damage prior to your care. If the stalks are yellowing from the bottom up it is a fertilize issue. From the top down a light issue. As long as the stalks stay firm and the leaves green give the lucky bamboo a few weeks of water only no fertilizer. If you could send me a picture of the yellow areas, I might have a better indication of what is going on.
March 23rd, 2010 at 9:29 am
I’ve had the plant since November, I just changed the water last night and did a root check they seem to be holding strong, no black so that means no root rot, I actually had roots wrapping around some of the glass marbles I am using to keep it upright….Pardon the largeness of the pic….Didn’t want to shrink it down so you can take a look at it…I just misted it with a light misting of distilled water because I have read it likes that…=)
Attached Image: IMG_3197[2].jpg
March 23rd, 2010 at 9:48 am
INFO I NEED TO ADD:
Okay…At first when I first got the plant I did use tap water…(I know bad me) I am hoping that all it needs is a little love and light, I have a very very diulted solution of miracle gro since I’ve never really fertilized or fed it plant food on standby too….=)
March 23rd, 2010 at 2:14 pm
At this point I think you should be ok. This is what I think you should do – don’t fertilize (even with a diluted solution) for at least two months. continue to use distilled water and leave it be. The stem seem more pale than yellow so I think it will recpver fully in a couple of months. Keep me posted or let me know if anything changes.
April 7th, 2010 at 7:44 am
Need some help with lucky bamboo soon!
i recently got a stalk of lucky bamboo with a spiral towards the top.
now it appears to have a patch of yellow round the middle of the spiral. it seems to be more flaccid in consistency in comparison to the rest of the stalk. as of now i have cleaned out the affected part and tried deb-riding it in an effort to preserve the spiral which i am very reluctant to cut off.
it stands in a vase with pebbles filled in half way and i am using packaged drinking water as opposed to tap water or distilled water and haven’t added any fertilizer to it at this time.
the rest of the plant inclusive of the leaves seems to be healthy otherwise.
i am uploading a picture along with this post.
any advice on how i can preserve it would be appreciated.
Attached Image: 07042010.jpg
April 7th, 2010 at 8:22 am
After reviewing the picture, I recommend cutting off the diseases part. I know this will remove most of the spiral. However, the yellowing spot maybe fungal and will spread to the rest of the plant. by cutting off the diseases part, you can save the healthy part. You can even make the plant spiral. To make the stalk curl follow the instructions in the post How Lucky Bamboo Spirals Are Created.
You can also root a new stalk from the other healthy side of the curly part. Read How to Propagate Lucky Bamboo.
Something else you should check is your bottled water. Make sure it doesn’t contain any extra supplements. Some companies add extra salts or other supplements to the water and these can cause problems with lucky bamboo.
Good luck and keep me posted.
April 12th, 2010 at 4:30 am
Hi – I have a ribbon plant (lucky bamboo) that I got at Lowe’s 2 years ago. The stalks have not grown at all but the leaves are now over 2 feet tall. Why do the stalks not grow? They truly are no taller…but the leaves that were very short and tiny when I bought the plant, only a couple inches tall, are now over 2 feet tall.
I don’t like having such tall leaves…I would like the plant itself to grow some. What can I do to get the stalks to grow and should I cut the leaves down. It’s a very odd looking plant and no one can see the stalks much at all since all they see are these huge tall leaves.
Otherwise it’s been healthy. And I love it….I just want shorter less overwhelming leaves. BUt I’ve been afraid to cut them as I don’t know if that is safe and I can’t find any info about this problem. All the people who write about their plants make it sound like their stalks grow and you talk about cutting them at the joints and making new plants, etc. I can’t do that since the stalks never grow. Just the leaves.
Please explain what to do about the leaves or what to do to make the stalks grow! Thank you.
Attached Image: Ribbon Plant.jpg
April 12th, 2010 at 8:28 am
The original stalk doesn’t usually grow much. Instead the way the lucky bamboo works is it produces a side stalk from the original stalk. You can top your lucky bamboo anytime you want to and you can propagate new stalks from the top. In my comment above I have a link to the how to propagate lucky bamboo. You should read it and then top your lucky bamboo. I am attaching a picture of your plant. I have created a red triangle with an orange line. the orange line is the one of the places in which you can cut your lucky bamboo to start a new plant. Good Luck. Let me know if you need anything else.
Attached Image: Lucky Bamboo Stalk.jpg
April 12th, 2010 at 3:12 pm
Thank you – I see now what you mean about the original stalks not supposed to be growing much at all. And thanks for the photo of where to cut one of the side stalks.
There are three original stalks in my pot…the side stalks as you call them are very thin at the bottom where they are growing off from the main stalks. None of them seem thick enough to cut at the joints and top off the stalks as you call it. But if that’s the only way to get the thinner side stalks to quit growing so tall with more and more leaves, then I can try that.
I already read how to top off or cut the stalks, but that was not my concern. I wanted to know why these side things with leaves were growing so tall. Now I see from what you have said that they are stalks too and can be cut off and so that would put an end to the tall growth that way.
But if I did that on each of the three little side stalks from the main stalks, there would be nothing else growing from the main stalks. Would look very barren. So how long would it take for new side stalks to grow out from the main stalks? Or is that how it works? What happens to the side stalks at the point where I cut them off? Do they grow more side stalks off of their little thin bases? I’ve never seen any of tehse types of plants any bigger than 3 or 4 short stalks, with only short new stalks growing off the main ones. Don’t know what a mature plant is supposed to look like. Or how far it goes with all this topping off and so forth.
Thanks again for your input. It’s very educational since I’ve not seen any side stalks as tall as mine and didn’t know they could be cut anywhere since they are so thin and don’t look at all like the main stalks.
I’m learning a lot and I really appreciate it.
April 13th, 2010 at 8:04 pm
When you top a lucky bamboo it usually takes about three weeks to see new growth. As for side stalks, I’m not sure exactly what you are asking. Do you want to know where the new growth will come from? If so lucky bamboo that is topped will produce new foliage below the cut on the side of the stalk. With the spindly side stalks, you might want to remove them completely and let the plant start new stalks from the side.
April 30th, 2010 at 6:59 pm
Hi, I got my lucky bamboo plant from my dad and have grown quite fond of it. About a week ago I noticed one of the three stalks had turned yellow, and the middle one was starting to do that as well. Now two stalks are almost completely yellow and it’s beginning to happen to the third one. I’m not sure what to do. I give the bamboo bottled water everytime I notice it’s dry, so I know its not tap water that’s causing it. Please help!
Attached Image: IMG000092.jpg
May 8th, 2010 at 2:31 am
Hi, I need your help! I’ve had my heart shaped lucky bamboo for at least 2 years now and recently it started turning yellow from the bottom up. One of them is completely yellow except for the leaves, and the other one is half yellow. One part has like a brownish spot and its a little bit soft. I’ve read that i need to cut the yellow part but its all yellow! please help me, i dont want it to die.. this little bamboo is part of the family already =(
here are some pictures, so you can see better.. since i can only attach 1 per message
i’ll put the others in another message feel free to erase them after u see them..
But Please Help!
Attached Image: IMG_3337.jpg
May 8th, 2010 at 2:36 am
second picture
Attached Image: IMG_3350.jpg
May 8th, 2010 at 2:39 am
third one
Attached Image: IMG_3357.jpg
May 10th, 2010 at 7:39 am
Your stalk that is completely yellow probably has had a fungal issue or another type of pathogen. It will not recover. It still has green at the very tip. I would take the green part and propagate a new stalk. The other stalk still looks good to me. Hopefully once you remove the bad stalk, the other stalk will be ok. Should it start to yellow, you will need to remove the yellow parts. You might want to clean the rocks and the container when you remove the yellow stalk.
June 13th, 2010 at 6:56 am
Hi, I know this has been asked alot but im still a bit confused. I was given a lucky bamboo, 3 of them that someone no longer wanted, it was pretty much dead when i got it, and am in no way a green thumb, in actual fact eveything dies on me…But this bamboo must like me because not only did it come back to live it thrived in my kitchen window and on tap water once every now and then. it has alot of green leaves and looks like it was doing well till i nocticed that the middle one was going soft at the top (but the leaves are still thriving?) and my one on the left went yellow from the top and now is almost to the bottom but isnt soft. now if it was caused from the water or sunlight wouldnt they all be the same? im really confused, and i love this plant cause it loved me so what is happening to my friend?
Thanks, Kristoni
June 14th, 2010 at 5:59 pm
Not necessarily, just like people lucky bamboo stalks can have different tolerances for different issues. The stalk that has the soft spot could have had some external damage. You will need to propagate new stalks from this one and eliminate the diseased part. The stalk that is turning yellow from the top down but is not soft, has either gotten too much light or fertilizer. It probably received too much light. In the winter your window is probably the perfect place for it. However, in the summer the window may give the lucky bamboo too much light. I would change the water in the container and move it to a spot with less direct light. It should recover. Should it become soft it will need to be remove and if possible propagate a new stalk from it.
June 17th, 2010 at 10:27 pm
Hi I have 24 bamboo which are wrapped to each other beautifully but unfortunately some inner members begin to become yellow and ruin what can I do?
June 17th, 2010 at 11:31 pm
If the inner ones are turning yellow and are soft, you will need to remove them. Leaving them may infect the other ones. You also need to determine what caused them to yellow in the first place. Over fertilization and using tap water with chlorine or fluoride can cause the stalks to turn yellow. You may need to clean the container with hot soapy water then rinse it and fill with tap water. While you have the stalks out of the water check for any lesions on the stems. Lesions on the stems could also cause the stalks to yellow.
June 29th, 2010 at 12:57 am
Hi!
So, I read through many of the comments, but, I didn’t find any that fit my scenario, probably because I’m not sure if my “issues” are even really issues.
About a year ago, I bought at stalk of lucky bamboo, and its little instruction manual told me to place it in a vase of some sort, stick it in some pebbles, and put new water in it every two weeks.
It’s grown great! However, I have two questions.
-When I bought the stalk, they had placed wax on the top of the main stalk, which I assume is used to stop it from growing too tall. Yet, the offshoot on it has become almost as big as the main shoot now, and I’m wondering if I should
1)Trim the offshoot so it’s not top heavy or
2) Take the wax off.
Which sounds the best?
-My second concern is about the alge which is now covering the pebbles and the inside of the glass. I change the water every week or so, but the alge stays. I’m wondering if this is harmful to the plant? The leaves are a beautiful bright green, and the stalk is strong and firm, but, is alge something I should work to get rid of?
Thanks so much!
June 29th, 2010 at 2:44 am
The area with the wax is where they propagated a new lucky bamboo stalk. With or without the wax, the stalk will not grow in that area. The wax was placed there to seal the wound. However, new growth will form on the sides of the waxed area. You can cut the top out of the stalk and create a new stalk – which is essentially what they did to the stalk you have now. They cut the top off started a new shoot and let the old stalk form new growth.
As for the algae, you need to get rid of it. Empty the container and remove the lucky bamboo stalks. Gently wipe the stalks with a damp rag. Now wash the container and the pebbles with warm soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Replace the pebbles and lucky bamboo and fill the container with distilled water.
July 11th, 2010 at 12:12 am
I have had my lucky bamboo plants for about three years now. They are very dusty and the ends of the leaves are turning brown with a ton of roots. I have never furtilized them and they are growing ok. What is the best way to dust the leaves and trim the roots? The leaves also seem a little droopy but maybe cause of the dust on the leaves. I enjoy these plants cause of very low maintenance. Can you give me some answers to my questions so I can better care for these plants?
July 12th, 2010 at 6:56 pm
The best way to dust lucky bamboo is to take a moist cloth and gently wipe the leaves. If you have an over abundance of leaves you can snip off the excess roots. Make sure you leave a fair amount of roots. While you have the stalks out of the container, you need to clean it with warm soapy water. Rinse it thoroughly and fill with distilled water.
July 20th, 2010 at 5:33 am
I got 2 “Lucky Bamboo” plants from Wal-Mart back in January 2010. They were doing just fine and I did water them with tap water. I did not know that it’s not healthy to water them with it.
My plants are on a wall shelf about 20 feet away from the window which usually has the blinds closed during the day. I live in South Florida and I knew it wasn’t necessary to give them direct sunlight. However, there are “special treat” days that I will put them on the window still around 4pm for a few hours at the east end window (not the west when the sun sets). I’ve only done this maybe 4 times since January.
Up til about 2 weeks ago, I noticed one stalk was turning yellow on the very top and on one side only and I thought maybe it needed water.
I do water them about once a week or every 1 1/2 weeks so I don’t over water them. I just got a PUR filter for my kitchen faucet and I just watered them with the filtered water today.
Today, I also discovered that the yellowing stalk has gotten a bit more severe with dryness and visible black spots. I don’t think they’re bugs because they’re not moving at all. But I attached a few photos of it to give you a better idea.
I don’t know what to do, but I know that tomorrow I will be repotting them with new pebbles (twice washed of course) and possibly some fertilizer?
My fiance told me to cut it off, but I don’t want to because there is a leaf growth on one side of it and I would love to try to save it in any way if possible.
I’m very new at this and I have become rather attached to these plants. :)
Help would be greatly appreciated.
Attached Image: IMAG0070.jpg
July 21st, 2010 at 7:25 pm
Ashley,
I can’t tell if it has gotten too much sunlight or if a fungus or disease has invaded the plant. Since that stem is the only one that seems to have an issue, I would cut the damaged part off. The stalk will sprout new leaves after you do this. Make sure you go a couple of nodes past the damaged part.
If you need instructions on how to make the cut just left me know.
Also since you have a pur filter, you can use water straight from your tap and I wouldn’t move the lucky bamboo to the window any more.
August 11th, 2010 at 8:44 pm
Hi Jamie,
I have a curly lucky bamboo (single stalk,from Ikea) in normal water for almost 2.5years with some brown stones in it and it was really doing good. A month back i noticed a growth ( stem) near one of the nodes in the water & i just cut it off. After that i moved to a different location and suddenly noticed the leaves started turning yellow. There were two stems at the top the stalk & when one turned completly yellow, i cut that off.
Now, almost half the stalk is turned yellow & dont no what to do. But the tip of the stalk is still green,why is that? After reading some of your previous suggetions i replaced with filter water & there is no problem with the sunlight at all.
I want my plant to be fine & hope i could get some suggetions from you.
Thank You
Dee
August 11th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
Dee,
Can you send me some pictures. I think you may need to start a new lucky bamboo plant, but I won’t know unless I can see some pictures. You can use the attach an image uploaded on the comment box.
August 12th, 2010 at 1:46 am
Hi Jamie,
I am sending few pictures of my Lucky Bamboo for you to see & let me what you think?
Attached Image: Bamboo 001.jpg
August 12th, 2010 at 1:49 am
I hope these pictures help you. Thank You Jamie
Attached Image: LB 004.jpg
August 12th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
Dee,
You will need to cut the yellowing part of the stem off. I would go very short. You might need a different container. I have attached a picture of where to make the cut – see the red line and where the water should come to — see the blue line.
Once you have cut the yellow top off, the plant will be able to produce new foliage. To encourage the foliage growth wait about 2 days and then begin misting your plant once a day until the new foliage emerges. Then you can mist every few days until the foliage is fully formed.
As far as water and fertilizing – keep the water level at the blue line and don’t fertilize for a couple of months. When you do fertilize use a very diluted water soluble fertilizer.
Keep me posted and let me know how it goes. Remember lucky bamboo doesn’t like direct sunlight.
Attached Image: Lucky Bamboo In Glass Vase.jpg
August 13th, 2010 at 1:52 am
I have a 3 1/2 years old stalk LUCKY BAMBOO and from the day i bought my plant nice and green, located by my window for a year. Use regular water from the house, use food plat occasionally then I move out and in to my brothers house and do the same care how i did in my old apartment and about a 1/2-1 year later one of them start turning yellow and the stem is not as green as before, leaves are dyin as in its dry (one of them is fully dead leaf) so i took it out but most of them is starting to die. and the other one is healthy til now. what can i do to prevent and make my plant healthier. PLSSS HELP
August 13th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
First the tap water in your brothers place may have more chemicals in it. If you can’t use distilled or filtered water, put the tap water in a container with a wide mouth and let it sit for 24 hours before you use it. Also the stalks may be receiving too much light — check your light source. Your air may also be drier in your new place. Mist the air around your stalks. You may need to cut off the unhealthy parts of the stalks and let them produce new growth. Good Luck and keep me posted.
September 23rd, 2010 at 10:00 pm
I have two bamboo plants in containers in my office cubicle. One plants is in a container with the pebbles cemented on top and the other does not. Recently the office has a few gnats flying around. I’ve checked and don’t see any flying around when I shake the plants. Someone suggested I change the water in the containers. How to do this without destroying the sculptured plant?
September 23rd, 2010 at 11:31 pm
Unless the water is cloudy and smelly, there is no need to change the water. I would check to see if the knats are coming from another source.
October 5th, 2010 at 11:56 pm
Thank you, Jamie.
October 7th, 2010 at 11:41 am
Hi
i’m so worried about mu lucky bamboos!
I have two of them for about one year i keep them in my room at the window with indirect light i change the water each week and the water is mineral one. i give them lucky bamboo food too and i care for them alot but i’ve noticed that the tallest one’s leaves at the top are pale and nearly yellow and the lowest leaves are like burning but at the ends ,becoming dry! but they look green . dark green.i changed the vase place a little far from the window but nothing happened, would you please help me?
best regards
October 7th, 2010 at 7:06 pm
The plants maybe getting too much fertilizer. Lucky bamboo doesn’t require a lot of fertilizer. So, don’t give it any more food for the next couple of months. As for the mineral water, I’m not sure what it has in it and this may also be part of the problem. I recommend distilled water instead of mineral water.
October 8th, 2010 at 9:56 pm
thank you Jamie
October 29th, 2010 at 10:22 am
I just bought my five stalks of bamboo from IKEA the other day with rocks and vase. I have two curly stalks and three straight. There were two straight stalks inside the two curly and they both started turning yellow. I reorganized them and waited, changed water, used spring water, rinsed rocks and cleaned up and put them back in the same spot. They may have gotten more light than I realize they needed, but now, three are still good. THe ones that went yellow are now completely yellow. Should I throw them away? Can they be saved or is a completely yellow stalk lost?
Thank you so much!
October 29th, 2010 at 8:41 pm
You will need to throw the yellow away. Once they are completely yellow, they won’t be healthy again. The stalks were probably damaged before you got them. Just keep a close watch on the others ones. Good luck
November 4th, 2010 at 3:47 am
What’s up with all the fertilizer advice…. i have my bamboo for 5 years and doing beautifull without it.
The water is tap.
i noticed a few leaves were turning yellow and in general was droopy…. i decided to remove it from the pot and what was missing was W A T E R !!! the roots were dry! never happened before.
the significant question i’d like to ask is will the ridges on the stalks come back healthy?
Thank you for your prompt attention.
November 19th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
Hi Jamie
I got a lucky bamboo as a gift last month. It was in a glass container and doing well till last week. We had a few days rain and no sunlight at all. Then I noticed the stock getting pale and yellow. I checked the container and it was placed on a blob of moss and surrounded with pebbles. Is moss good for the bamboo. I have read your posts above and will clean out the container. Do i put the moss back in? How do I save the plant? Thanks
November 23rd, 2010 at 12:56 am
It depends. I don’t like the moss in the water because it can create an undesirable water habitat. However moss that covers just the opening, is usually ok. You will often see this with certain lucky bamboo containers where the stem are in water but the pebbles and moss are not.
November 26th, 2010 at 4:35 am
ok i have some lucky bamboo and it has recintly started turning yellow the whole stalk (i have 3 stalks) i moved that stalk out and it died fixed it but now another stalk is turning yellow and will probly die soon i realy dont want ot lose it all what do i do? and just so you know i dont have it anywhere near direct sunilght i only water with bottled waters and i have never fertlised it so i dont understand why the stalks are dieing (switched to bottled water after the first week when some leaves stated dieing and that stoped the leaves from dieing and it was doing great up until a few weeks ago does it have something to do with winter comeing on?) also is it ok to use fishtank water to water the bamboo? and should i replant the bamboo into a new pot?
November 29th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
First if the stalk is turning yellow and still firm, you can propagate a new stalk from the green part. I recommend doing this since the yellowing is not reversible and usually results in further deterioration of the stalk. Second you can use a small amount of fish tank water. As far as re-potting goes, it is necessary. However, you need to clean the container that the lucky bamboo is in. Remove the the lucky bamboo and wash the container with hot soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Then refill with water and lucky bamboo (wipe the lucky bamboo with a wet cloth before placing in container.)
December 13th, 2010 at 2:12 am
I recieved a LB last November as a gift, it was growing like crazy until I replanted it and moved it to a shall we say an area with more sun (east sun). The leaves have started to turn yellow. I have moved it back to where it was when it was doing very well. Do I cut these yellow leaves off or leave them a hope for the best?
December 13th, 2010 at 5:41 am
Yes you can cut the yellow leaves off. They will not turn back to green.
January 2nd, 2011 at 7:20 am
Hi,
I recently changed the water and washed the ceramic container my bamboo of 2 years was in, and saw a clear jelly-like substance clinging to the roots and in the pebbles. My roots were also on the reddish side. I’m wondering what may cause this, and if it is something to be worried about. I changed the water because I started seeing a small calcium buildup on the ceramic container.
Thanks
January 3rd, 2011 at 7:30 pm
Amanda,
Without seeing the jelly-like substance, I assume it is a product used to help retain water. You can remove it from the container. As for the reddish roots they could be getting a fungus. I would wash the container and pebbles with warm soapy water and wipe the stalks and roots off with a soapy rag then rinse the container and pebbles thoroughly and wipe the stalks and roots with a soap free rag. Then refill the container with distilled water.
January 14th, 2011 at 8:19 pm
Hi,
One of my stalks has two growths of leaves. One looks great and the other (set of leaves) has begun to turn yellow one by one from the bottom up. I pulled the yellow leaves off and there is a lot of red “growth” underneath. They look a little like little worms. The rest of the stalk seems very healthy and some time ago it began to grow another stalk from near the bottom. I keep it in a glass with rocks and water. I have recently moved and light and water might be different. I have always used tap water and not had a problem till now. Two years ago I added some red rocks I found in CO and noticed the roots turned redish/orangish but like I said the plant has seemed healthy up until this month.
Thanks for any advice!
Attached Image: bamboo1.jpg
January 17th, 2011 at 11:46 am
Colleen,
Is it possible to send us a closer or clearer picture of the red growth on your lucky bamboo? This will help us diagnose your problem… Also, before you added the red rocks, did you thoroughly clean them? They could possibly a problem to your bamboo.
January 17th, 2011 at 6:53 pm
my camera won’t take a closer picture without becoming completely blurry. I can’t remember if I cleaned the rocks because it was two years ago that I added them. I can’t imagine that I did more than rinse them, maybe used a little soap. Could it take that long for a problem to develop? Is there any more I can say to describe the red growth?
Thanks!
January 19th, 2011 at 8:47 am
I suspect you have a light issue. Move the stalks away from the light slightly and the yellowing should stop. However, I am not sure what is causing the red growths. Do the growths move like insects or are they stationery? can you easily remove them or are they embedded into the tissue of the stalks?
January 19th, 2011 at 6:50 pm
I washed the vase and rinsed well, rinsed the roots and put back without the rocks. I used water from my Brita water pitcher. The top of the stalk with the problem has begun to yellow. The red growths actually remind me of roots. They are embedded into the tissue of the leaves/stalk and when I try to scrape them off with my finger they don’t come off all the way and kinda seemed to smell of organic matter. I also moved it away from the light.
Thanks for the help!
Any more ideas?
January 20th, 2011 at 9:01 am
Sounds fungal. I would cut off the stalk that has the red lesions. Then take a wait and see approach since you have move it away from the light.
January 22nd, 2011 at 10:24 pm
Hi,
My neighbor was taking care of my lucky bamboo stalks while I was away, and I came back, and 2 out of the 4 were already completely yellowed and dead. The third one is fighting for its life now — I’ve isolated it from the sole survivor (which so far has no signs of yellowing) and am trying to save it. I had this stalk for nearly a year before and it was always healthy until now. It appears to be yellowing from the top, not the bottom, as the roots appear healthy as does the very bottom of the stalk. The yellowing began at the leaves and appears to be moving downward. There is also a bit of brownness around the cut at the top, but the stalk is not yet mushy. I have washed it with gentle, organic soap and have trimmed off the totally yellowed leaves, and I have placed it back in the same, shady place I always had it and where it flourished. I always gave it tap water (which I allowed to sit out for several days so that the chlorine would evaporate before I gave it to the plant), and I have returned it to this same regimen. I don’t know what my neighbor did, but it is possible that it was either too cold or that she exposed it to some kind of pathogen from one of her other plants. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do.
January 25th, 2011 at 8:47 am
I am assuming that it got too cold and that she didn’t let the chlorine evaporate. I would cut the yellow off the stalk and let it rejuvenate itself. In a couple of weeks the stalk should put out some new leaves. Make the cut an inch above a healthy node. Then wait a couple of days and start misting the stalk with warm water about twice a day. This will help the stalk produce new leaves.
February 9th, 2011 at 7:36 pm
Hello-
I’ve had my three bamboo stalks for about six years…the two straight ones have lasted the whole time, while my second curly one is about two or three years old. They’ve all been doing wonderfully, up until I left them at my dorm over winter break. I’d put enough water in them…however, my roommate (who left after me) closed the window when she left, so for about a month my bamboo was stuck in a room with a heater that was on 24-7. Upon coming back to them I saw that there was absolutely no water in the vase and all three stalks were pale and starting to get wrinkly. I gave them water, and the two straight ones started to get better, though the curly one never sprung back and about a week ago I woke up to see it bent over, gone rotten in the middle. I took it out and replaced it with a new one five days ago and everything seemed fine up until one of my straight ones started to turn yellow from the bottom up. A black spot has started to form on the stalk, though it’s not mushy at all. Is there any way to save it or should I take it out to prevent my third stalk from suffering the same fate? Here’s a picture of the spot, and I’ll post a few more after that.
Attached Image: bamboo 1.jpg
February 9th, 2011 at 7:39 pm
here’s another picture of the whole stalk…
Attached Image: bamboo 2.jpg
February 9th, 2011 at 7:43 pm
….and here’s one more. Only the very top has remained green…is that good sign?
Attached Image: bamboo 3.jpg
February 10th, 2011 at 10:31 am
Stephanie,
Get rid of the yellow stalk with the black. It is too far gone. Also it may be contaminating the other stalks. So Remove the stalks from the container and wipe them with a soft moist cloth. Then wash the container with hot soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Then fill the container with distilled water and put the green stalks back in. Hopefull the two green stalks will be ok.
February 10th, 2011 at 1:11 pm
Jamie-
I figured that was the case =( Just finished cleaning everything and putting it all back in, thanks for your help!
February 11th, 2011 at 2:55 pm
Jamie- I was hoping that you could assist us with our Bamboo.
We have had this beautiful bamboo stalk in the office for about 2 years or so. It has never exposed to real sunlight, just the bright office lights.
The stalks are green, some areas dark green and others lighter shade of green but the stalks look dehydrated. You can see green lines on the actual stalk. We have many yellow leaves and some green leaves lightening up and beginning to turn. The roots look dark- almost a reddish brown in color with odor. We always keep the water about 2 inches from the bottom and the stalks are in a rock and water environment. We have never used a fertilizer and have always used bottles Ozarka water. There is nothing different with our routine.
Where do you get distilled water? And if we need fertilizer, what type does it require?
Please HELP if possible, I can send a picture if needed.
February 11th, 2011 at 3:03 pm
Pictures to go with my post
Attached Image: Bamboo 3.jpg
February 11th, 2011 at 3:05 pm
Picture to go with post
Attached Image: Bamboo 1.jpg
February 11th, 2011 at 3:22 pm
Michelle,
It looks like the bamboo might have gotten too cold. Be sure to always keep your lucky bamboo above 55 degrees. The roots look alright, but because of the odor, I would recommend cleaning your container and refreshing the water. You can find distilled water at most places that sell water, or use water that has been sitting for 24hours. You do not need to fertilize. If your roots are slimy, try to rinse this off as much as possible. Hope this helps! Good luck.
February 18th, 2011 at 12:03 pm
Hi,
I purchased the attached lucky bamboo from my local grocery store about 1 month ago. It sits on my husband’s desk in his office that receives indirect sunlight. As you can see, of the 3 stalks, one of them is yellowing from the bottom up. I do use tap water which could be the problem. Can I save this stalk or is it too late? I just noticed the yellowing today when I walked in his office. I will certainly start using distilled water, but need to know if I can regrow the yellow stem, if so, where should I cut to start the regrowth? Thanks!
Attached Image: DSCN2652.jpg
February 18th, 2011 at 1:02 pm
I would say the yellow stalk is a goner. However, you might be able to take the leaf growth coming out of it and root it.
February 18th, 2011 at 1:42 pm
Is there a best place to cut the leaf growth? Should I do it right below the top node? Or does it matter? Thanks!
February 18th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
Right above the node would be fine. With the small piece available, you will just have to take a chance and cut it where you can.
February 23rd, 2011 at 7:43 am
i have experienced mold on the tip of my lucky bamboo… i cut 1 inch from the infected part.. after 4 days.. the molds started to grow like lucky bamboo hair.. again i cut 1 inch from the infected part and placed the plant under direct heat of the sun… the tip dried up and i successfully get rid of the molds… nice to share this experience for lucky bamboo enthuciasts.. best time to cut the stalks is during day time so you have time to let the tip dry up under the sun to avoid mold formation..
March 8th, 2011 at 8:15 am
I hope you can help me….I have several bamboo plants, the lily kind, and most are doing ok. I followed the instructions given to me and trimmed off any brown or yellow leaves and now I am left with lots of stalk in some areas. I also have one plant that has a pale stalk. What do you recommend for these plants? I can send pictures of what each plant is doing so you understand my quandry…but for now I have attached the one of most concern. Also I have some very tall plants and can’t figure out where to cut them.
Attached Image: DSC06207.jpg
March 8th, 2011 at 10:03 am
The pale stalk looks like it got too much light. You can cut it off and let the plant generate new leaves or you can leave it alone for a couple weeks and see it it recovers. However, if at any time the stalk becomes mushy remove it. As for the tall plant, take a look at Topping and Rooting Tall Lucky Bamboo post. It has instructions on how to top the lucky bamboo and root a new plant.
April 22nd, 2011 at 8:42 am
Hello, my husband bought a lucky bamboo. It came in a ceremic pot with soil and pebbles. It had 2 dead stalks in it when my husband came home with the bamboo. I removed it from the plant. Just over a week and 2 of my stalks are getting yellow at the bottom. Also some of the leaves on almost all the stalks are getting lighter than the other leaves. I changed the water thinking that it will help. I only use purified bottled drinking water for the plant. I also noticed there something green, in the soil I think. The pebbles are getting this green stain on them. I don’t think it’s mould because it doesn’t look like mould. This green stain can’t even be washed or scrubbed off the pebbles. Please help as I am afraid the plant may die if I don’t find a solution for it soon.
April 22nd, 2011 at 9:02 am
It sounds as if the plant received too much fertilizer. If that is the case, it is probably too late to save the stalks. I’m not sure what the green stuff is. Can you send me a picture?
April 22nd, 2011 at 1:46 pm
hi Jamie, I have attached a pic. Hope it helps. When we first got the plant the pebbles were clean. A few days later the green stains/stuff started appearing.
Attached Image: lucky bamboo 4.jpg
April 22nd, 2011 at 4:34 pm
I have no idea what that green stuff is. You could all the pebbles and wash them in bleach and them triple rinse them with warm soapy water and then triple rinse with clear water. Then reassemble;e the lucky bamboo stalks and fill with distilled water. The stalk that is yellowing looks like it has some damage wither fungal or just rough treatment – remove it and the other stalks should be ok.
May 10th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
Hi Jamie
I have had my luscky bamboo for about 4 years. for about 3 years the plant grew very well. For last year the leaves on the plant starting yellowing from the the botton I cut them off. Now the leaves are yellowing from the top. The stalk and roots look healthy. About 4 months ago I took it to the local garden shop and they told me to try changing the water and add very diluted fertilizer to it. I done that and the leaves are still yellowing. Before that time I had never used any fertilizer. About a month ago I began using distilled water but before that I used bottled spring water. It still receives the same filtered sunlight that it always had and I change the water regularly. Can you help me? I have another lucky bamboo that sits beside it that I have no problems with. I have attached a picture.
Attached Image: PIC-0048.jpg
May 10th, 2011 at 3:01 pm
I would only add fertilizer to it once or twice a year and very very dilute. As with all plants there comes a time when you simply need new ones. Now might be a good time to start some new lucky bamboo by topping the stalk. Take a look at our Topping Lucky Bamboo post or We are not Always Lucky With Lucky Bamboo post. They both have information on how to propagate lucky bamboo. Sometime topping them actually helps and gives you new plants to boot.
October 11th, 2011 at 10:14 pm
Hi. I have a bamboo plant I won on the boardwalk 1 year ago. Unfortunately, this and my other bonsai plant are infected with spider mites. They have been for a while. I hose them off now and again so I do not see spider mites or webbing. This time I noticed some brown dried tiny streaks in the green leaves. I figured the spider mites were getting to be too much. The plant had a period where the roots on the top were kind of dry for 1.5 days. I took the plant in the shower, and shampooed it thoroughly and rinsed it thoroughly. It is a week and a half later I noticed I had a few yellow leaves. Then I noticed one of my stems was yellow. (It’s an arrangement BTW). The leaves are too. They are not smelly or squishy, just yellow. No direct sunlight, I water with bottled water and fertilize here and there. I haven’t fertilized it in a while, so I gave it some immediately. What could be the problem? I also didn’t put the marbles back after I washed it. Please help. Thanks.
October 12th, 2011 at 3:10 pm
If the stalk is mushy, you will need to cut off the mushy part and save the part that is still healthy and green. If the healthy part is the top you will need to dip it in rooting hormone and root it. If it is the bottom and no longer has leaves, let it dry for a couple of days and then start misting it until it forms new leaves. Do not give it any more fertilizer. When plants are under stress fertilizer can do more damage than good. Also, it isn’t a good idea to shampoo your plants. If you need to get rid of insect without the use of harsh chemical use insecticidal soap instead. Once you give the plant the right conditions – water – light etc., be patient. It will take a couple of weeks for the plant to recover
October 13th, 2011 at 9:15 pm
Thanks for the response. I want to do everything to save this plant and I don’t always have the best of luck. This time, I attached some pics. The stem isn’t mushy, but nothing the stem, stalk, or one leaf left have any green on them. I took a close up of some leaves to show the brown marks on them. Are red dots normal on a stem? I noticed a few had a red dot on them. Also the tips of the majority of the leaves are dry. Is that normal?
Also, is it okay to wipe the leaves with isopropyl alcohol once in a while? I also posted a pic of the overall plant. It’s all green (exept sections where I held the flash light, the look yellow but they are really green) but the plant looks a little sickly to me. Is it dying? :(
October 19th, 2011 at 10:06 am
Cali,
The pictures didn’t come through. Can you send them to me at jadams@flowershopnetwork.com?
October 25th, 2011 at 10:09 pm
Hi, I have to send new pics because my plant has changed so much, but now I have more problems. So the original yellow stalk got a little mushy on the sides, so I removed it. Now I noticed that the rest of the stems are getting a little wrinkly, and another stem is yellow. Some more leaves are getting yellow at the tips. I don’t know what’s going on…I read on another forum that the plant is drying out, so I filled a container with water bottle water just right below the leaves. What is happeneing? is it dying? how can i stop this before it’s too late,
October 27th, 2011 at 9:45 am
I did get the pics, but it does sound like you have a severe problem. At this point your only hope is to start new plants off the healthy tissue. If you want to know how to start new plants read: We are not always lucky with lucky bamboo. It details how to create new plants from ones that are having issues.
November 4th, 2011 at 1:09 pm
my lucky bamboo is turning yellow and it isn’t soft and the leaves are still green but wilted a little. could the possibility of it turning yellow be that it is in shock because when i transfered it from on vase to another, some of the roots came out. i keep it in little sunlight, i always keep water in the vase, and i put rocks at the bottom of the vase to keep it standing straight. is there anything i could do to keep it from turning yellow?
November 7th, 2011 at 10:30 am
It is possible your lucky bamboo plant is in shock and with good care, will bounce back on it’s own. There are a few things you can do to ensure optimal health. First, are you using tap water or filtered? It’s best to leave your filtered water out, uncovered, for 24 hours before you add it to your lucky bamboo plant to let the chemicals disperse. Hope this helps and good luck!
January 18th, 2012 at 2:45 pm
Hi i have a bamboo its in a complete circle divides by 3,3,3,3, n so on in the circle. but ive kept it in a fish bowl with a beta no problem. all of a sudden it stated one stip yellow so i removed it not thinking i mightve messed the roots up trying to get it out from destroying the rest of it well then another yellow took it out now i got another yellow strip again. i removed it from the fish bowl put it in a plastic container with tap water and fertilizer today wht did i do wrong or what can i do to get it to stop yellowing. always had it in fish bowls.
January 20th, 2012 at 9:43 am
How often did you change the water in your fishbowl? It’s likely the yellowing was caused partly by the build-up of fish pollutants in the water. It’s a good idea to refresh about 30% of your water every week because there is no filtration system. If you move the bamboo, make sure it’s getting the same conditions (water and temperature) as it was before. This will also make your bamboo have issues. Hope this helps!
January 23rd, 2012 at 12:42 pm
Recently, one of my bamboo stalks started to turn yellow. When I discovered this, I immediately separated it from its partner, washed off the roots, and put it in some fresh distilled water. Hoping this would remedy its affliction, I was discouraged to see the bamboo only got worse. While I cannot say for sure what caused it to yellow, I believe this started when I put a couple of drops of fertilizer directly into the water. I had read online that using a fertilizer is good every so often, but in this bamboo’s case, the fertilizer only made it worse. Is there any way a stalk that is about 60% yellow can be revived?
January 24th, 2012 at 3:22 pm
Lucky Bamboo is very finicky when it comes to fertilizing and it’s very easy to over-do it. Also, unless your fertilizer says otherwise, never put drops directly into water containing bamboo. Instead, mix water and fertilizer together before adding the bamboo. The good news is the bamboo can probably be saved, however anything that has turned yellow is not coming back. It’s best to cut off the yellowing part. To do this you’ll need a rooting hormone commonly found at any garden center or nursery. Simply cut off the yellow end, and follow the directions of your rooting hormone. Your bamboo will hopefully be back to normal in no time! For more care tips, check out Top Questions About Lucky Bamboo Answered.
January 24th, 2012 at 9:49 pm
Thanks for the link and info, Mandy!
I’m kicking myself now because I *should* have done some extra digging before taking the first bit of advice and jumping right in. After all, both stalks were doing perfectly well and were very healthy. I had read [somewhere in the vast 'Net] to add a few drops directly in the water. Amidst our crazy move just before Christmas and the holidays, I neglected to check for any immediate changes. By the time I got around to checking both stalks, I noticed one was turning yellow. Luckily, the other survived :)
Lesson learned!
January 29th, 2012 at 1:03 am
Hi,
I’ve had my two bamboo plants for about 6 years now and they’ve grown to 15″. I’ve kept them in a tall glass vase filled halfway w/water (so about 1/3+ of the stalk is immersed in water). About a year ago, I added some glass stones to keep them propped up. I usually just water them about once or twice a month, which means adding filtered water when I see the water level has gone down about an inch. Have had a few yellowing, browning/drying leaves, but otherwise they seem fine. Today, I discovered one of the plant’s stalks has turned completely yellow though remains firm. It’s shoot still has nice green leaves. I just washed out the vase, removed the stones and replaced the green stalk back into the original vase. I’ve placed the yellowed stalk into a separate, washed vase. Is there any way to save this yellowed stalk? Or cut off the green shoot and root it? I don’t see any evidence of spider mites or fungus (like I’ve read in prior posts). I know I should use distilled water (and did that awhile back when I first saw that the leaves were yellowing, but didn’t see a change.) Thank you in advance.
January 30th, 2012 at 6:00 pm
Usually the yellow part remains yellow once it has turned. Your best bet would be to start a new plant from the green section.
March 5th, 2012 at 2:46 pm
How will office lighting (approximately 13 hours per business day) affect the Lucky Bamboo plant?
March 5th, 2012 at 2:56 pm
Buddy
It shouldn’t be a problem since most office lights are extremely powerful and usually have several feet between them and the plant.
March 11th, 2012 at 8:32 am
I thought I’d post the problem with my other bamboo plant in another comment as the first was getting rather long.
I’ve noticed recently that the other plant has started getting a white milky looking substance aroung the bit of the stem underwater and some of the roots. Several of the leaves lower down the stem have also turned yellow.
I’ve taken the yellow leaves off, and I’ve been trying to cure the milky looking substance by changing the water and rinsing/wiping the stem/roots more regularly. I was just wondering what this milky-looking stuff actually is, is it some sort of fungas or something?
I used to have a small sprig of lucky bamboo that never really grew proper roots, and recently turned yellow and died. But this sprig also had the same problem with the milky stuff which felt slightly slimy when you touched the stem. Could it have been passed on from this plant, or is it fairly common anyway?
The last four pictures in my gallery at http://gallery.corish.org/index.php?dir=Misc%2Fluckybamboo are of my second plant.
Thanks, Peter.
Attached Image: LB2_DSCN3145b.jpg
March 11th, 2012 at 8:51 am
Second bit:
After reading through all the comments on this page I’ve changed the water a few times, including changing the container, plus I’ve wiped the stem down with a soapy cloth and rinsed it.
A few months ago a new shoot started growing from the base of the stem below the waterline. I let this grow, and it has since surfaced and looks quite healthy. I was wondering if this shoot is what is causing the yellowing further up though, as there hasn’t been much growth at the top since this shoot started – could it be diverting water/nutrients? If so, then if I cut it off to try turning into a new cutting is the main stem likely to recover?
I also noticed a mark near the base next to the new shoot as well (shown here: http://gallery.corish.org/index.php?display=Misc%2Fluckybamboo%2FLB1c_DSCN3129.JPG), I don’t know if this could be part of the issue?
The only other two things that I can think of that may have affected it are that one of the lightbulbs in the bathroom above where I keep the bamboo stopped working a couple of months ago – I’ve not replaced the bulb as I’m planning to replace the light fittings soon anyway, but because of this the bamboo has probably had less light, although it still has indirect light through the window and from the remaining bulb. The other thing is I hadn’t changed the water recently (until I noticed the problem), and last time I changed the water I used water with a bit of fertiliser – could the fertiliser have built up in the bamboo over time to cause the problem?
Thanks in advance for any advice, and sorry for the long post!
Thanks, Peter.
March 12th, 2012 at 10:33 am
Peter,
Sounds like you’ve done a lot to help your bamboo’s fungal problems. Replacing the water and cleaning the container was the right step to begin with. It’s likely the white substance is only plasmodial slime mold and not a fungus. If it was fairly easy to remove, it’s probably not a fungus, (however if it was hard to remove and you continue to see signs of it, you may need to use an insecticide.) Now that you’ve cleaned off the white substance and cleaned the container thoroughly, plus added new water, your bamboo should recover. It’s a good practice to let your water sit out in an open container over night before adding it to your bamboo. Let your plants recover before using fertilizer again, as lucky bamboo needs very little fertilizers.
For the 2nd one, I don’t think the new shoot is causing the problems for your main stem. From your picture, I think your water level is too high. Your bamboo only needs enough water to cover the roots and just about 2 inches above. This could be why a new shoot sprouted so close to the roots.
The change in light may very well be the problem for this one. See if it recovers with additional light before trying to remove the new shoot.
When you cut your lucky bamboo to begin a new plant, most of the time adding it to water will do the trick. However, if it does not, you can find a rooting hormone at any garden center or nursery; follow all instructions and this should force it to root.
This post is a great help to lucky bamboo owners: Top Questions About Lucky Bamboo Answered
Hope this helps!
March 19th, 2012 at 4:57 am
Hi, Just to let you know i eliminated the diseased stalk and now my other two are Huge! everyone comments on how big, green and lushus my plant is and it has so many leaves….cant say to much on the luck side of things though. :)
March 26th, 2012 at 9:16 pm
Hi, I have been following this thread regarding some concerns about lucky bamboo. I have been growing one healthy lucky bamboo for almost five months now with no problems.
About 7 days ago, I bought 8 new stalks to add on my collection. They are all arranged by three’s in one container including the old bamboo. However, i notice that after 2 days, the water began to smell really stinky. I immediately clean all the plants under running water, the container and the pebbles and added a fresh distilled water. After 2 days, the problem still exist. Three containers are again stinky, washed them all again and added new fresh water but then today the same smell-problem still exist.
I hope you could help me with this, will I consider the newly bought lucky bamboo in poor health and separate my old bamboo? What will I do to remove the bad odor? thanks and i will greatly appreciate your help.
March 27th, 2012 at 1:10 pm
Rhye,
It sounds like the new bamboo is the cause of the issue. First segregate the old from the new – hopefully the problem is still only with the new stalks. Wash the container for the old stalks with hot soapy water and triple rinse. Then take a clean wet rag and wipe down the old stalks and refill the container with distilled water. Now check the new stalks and make sure they are still firm and green. If you find any mushy parts, those will need to be removed. Depending on where the mushy part is you may end up with two piece – one that will need to form roots and one that will need to form new leaves. Just follow normal propagating techniques for lucky bamboo and every thing will be fine. However, before you do that wash the lucky bamboo stalks with a mild detergent – you can fill up the sink with a small drop of say Dove and a lot of water – dip the stalks in the warm soapy water and then rinse with clean warm water. If the stalks had a fungus, algae or insects this should either eliminate them or reduce their numbers. Then you can place the new stalks in a new clean container (I would use an opaque one – just in case algae is the problem). Hopefully this will take care of the problem.
March 27th, 2012 at 5:01 pm
Hi Jaime,
Thanks for the quick reply. I’ll follow your advise right away and keep you posted.
Another concern:
I notice that the new bamboo stalks have somewhat soft roots. Some of them are brown-black in color and I trimmed them off before putting on the container. However, most of the roots do have a soft covering in orange to red in color (just like the normal and healthy roots of lucky bamboo) but if you try to touch these roots they are soft and easily be removed. You can actually pull them off. Pulling them off will reveal the white thin thread-like roots of the bamboo. Is it okay to remove these seems to be outer covering of the lucky bamboo roots (the white thin thread-like roots will still remain though)?
Many thanks for your time and help :)
March 28th, 2012 at 1:40 pm
Rhye,
I would remove any unhealthy roots. Can you send me a picture jadams@flowershopnetwork.com. I want to make sure that the lucky bamboo you purchased does not show signs of Colletotrichum dracaenophilum, stem rot.
March 31st, 2012 at 4:52 pm
Hi Jamie,
First off, thanks for your patience and help for saving my lucky bamboo.
Attached are the pictures of the plant.
Today, there is no more foul smelling odor on my plant (there’s still a bit some smell but not unlike the first one, only noticeable when you smell close to the roots) but then another problem arises.
- Tips are becoming yellow. They are not in direct sunlight (only filtered from the east) and I have been watering them using distilled or bottle water only when the water level decreases.
- As you can see, the picture labeled 3 is my older lucky bamboo that showed no sign of problems for the past 5 months but now it seems that he is being included on the group of yellow tips.
- Also, roots are thin because I removed the outer covering (seems like), as they are soft and mushy…
- Another one, is this a normal process, black spots underneath? These are new cuttings from one of the new bamboo that has been in the water for ten days (trying to root them). Their water isn’t foul smelling though.
Please help Jamie; they are just so beautiful to let them die ;(
Thanks for your concern.
God Bless.
Attached Image: Image696.jpg
April 2nd, 2012 at 1:04 pm
Rhyan,
All the stalks with the raised brown spots on the stems appear to have a Anthracnose Disease which is caused by a pathogen called Colletotrichum spp. Unfortunately I don’t know of a good cure for it. Most of the time it will kill the lucky bamboo stalks. Your plants most likely had the pathogen when you bought them. The over production of Draceana sanderiana (lucky bamboo) has allowed this pathogen to spread. You can wait and see if these plants overcome the issue, but they can and most likely will spread the disease to other lucky bamboo.
As for your old stalks, they may have been infected. So I would remove any leaf that is showing yellowing and watch them very carefully for the next few weeks. Keep them away from the new stalks.
Good Luck and please let me know how things progress.
April 3rd, 2012 at 5:44 am
Hi Jamie,
Thanks for your reply.
How sad this is…
What do you think about these steps I was thinking to control or eliminate the pathogen:
1. clean the stalks, rocks and container using soap
2. use alcohol to spot treat the affected parts
3. or remove the infected stalks and regrow the tops by cutting and rooting them?
Also, what can you say about my query regarding the rooting pics I sent to you?
Thanks for the big help and patience Jamie ;)
Attached Image: New cuttings 2.jpg
April 3rd, 2012 at 9:50 am
Rhyan,
I would try cutting the tops off and rooting them after you clean them with the soapy water. One of the things the pathogen does is destroy the roots. If the bottoms you showed me had roots at one time the pathogen has definitely destroyed the roots and I would make sure that only the tops of the stalks were used.
When you root the tops, the stalks will form a callus the first weeks and then it will start forming roots. Be sure to use a rooting hormone when you try to root the tops.
Let me know if you need instructions on how to propagate the tops.
I am happy to help anytime.
October 11th, 2012 at 9:50 pm
My 3 stock lucky bamboo looks really healthy to me but i’m not sure if it is. my bedroom is in the basement so it gets no sunlight what so ever. I keep it right beside my lamp, i change the water every month and give it new water each week and my plant is super green and strong. Is my plant healthy?
October 12th, 2012 at 5:32 am
Does my plant look healthy? the light makes the laves look a litttle yellow but they are a really nice green.
Attached Image: 2101.jpg
October 17th, 2012 at 8:34 am
Emily, your lucky bamboo looks like it’s doing okay. You can expect it to be a little pale because of the lack of light. I recommend leaving your light on more or finding another light source you could leave on for it. It starts looking too-yellow, definitely increase the lighting. Hope this helps.
January 30th, 2013 at 1:05 pm
I have several bamboo plants that seem to be doing okay despite my ignorance about all things green. However there is one that seems to be having trouble lately. He lives in a big glass vase with a bunch of rocks but the last time I cleaned everything I noticed that a big portion of the roots had gotten very tangled and looked like a gross little knot. Some of his leaves are turning brown at the edges so I’m worried. But I have NO idea how to handle roots. They’re all different colors too. (yellow, orange, dark orange)
I don’t want to break or tear the roots in case that’s harmful in any way but I’m pretty sure that big knot is a problem.
And as far as cleaning everything out and replacing the rocks, is there a better way to do that without damaging or causing trauma to the roots? I’d love some help with this if possible. Thank you!
February 1st, 2013 at 5:56 pm
Savvy,
As long as your stalk is still healthy, the roots are probably okay. However, it won’t hurt to cut the roots, but I usually work my fingers through the roots (similar to untangling hair) until I free them from each other. If you are going to cut them try to cut them as far from the lucky bamboo plant as possible. By doing this you will ensure that each stalk has plenty of roots to sustain it. Roots are more resilient than you might think.
February 17th, 2013 at 10:26 am
yellowing leaves at the base
Attached Image: plant 2.jpg
February 17th, 2013 at 10:27 am
brown base of the shoot
Attached Image: plant 3.jpg
February 17th, 2013 at 10:37 am
(Not sure if my original question went through…sorry if this is a duplicate.)
firstly, thanks for an incredible resource!
i recently re-potted someone else’s plant in soil. It had been in the original tiny container with pebbles for years. The roots had formed a tight ball and i had to break the container to get them out. Some of the leaves had brown tips which I trimmed, but overall the plant seemed quite healthy.
I have two concerns:
1) at the base of the shoots, the leaves are a little yellow and droopy. the plant is quite large (see attached picture) so i wonder if it isn’t just the old leaves dying and falling off. or is it really a problem?
2) one, maybe two, of the stalks are brown at the base. it’s not very much, but seems more than some of the pictures here.
it’s only been re-potted for a few days, and i’ve moved it away from the window sill to a more interior, but still well lit spot. After reading this, I plan to switch to distilled water! I’m just wondering if I need to do anything more drastic, or just watch and wait? (I’m tempted to pull off the yellow leaves at the bottom, but my gut says that isn’t wise. Any thoughts?)
Attached Image: plant 1.jpg
February 18th, 2013 at 12:13 pm
Dan,
Your plant seems to be in fair condition. If the plant was previous growing in water, it will go through severe transplant shock as it acclimates to the soil. You will need to keep the soil moist, yet excess soil needs to drain away from the plant. Damping off or root rot can become a problem if the soil is kept too moist. Once the plant has acclimated to the soil, it should continue to grow without any problems. In the mean time the leaves may turn yellow and drop off. This is ok as long as it occurs in only the bottom or old leaves. Watch the health of the new leaves. As long as they are health and green, proceed as planned. If they become yellow make sure the plant is not sitting in water. Good lcuk and let me know how it goes.
February 24th, 2013 at 11:04 am
Thanks for your help!
As an update, the first few days everything looked great. In the last few days, the yellow leaves have started to spread upwards. Still not that far up, but spread pretty fast the last few days. The top still looks fine.
I’m watering it frequently. I have a pot that drains out excess water, though sometimes it sits in the bottom. If too much accumulates there, I dry it out with a paper towel.
I think it’s still ok, but I’ll attach a couple of pictures for you to see. And to keep everyone here updated…
Attached Image: IMAG0713.jpg
February 24th, 2013 at 11:05 am
closeup
Attached Image: IMAG0716.jpg
February 25th, 2013 at 10:10 am
Dan,
Pull back on the water. From the look of the picture it is getting too much water. Give it a week between watering.
February 25th, 2013 at 10:41 am
oops….
ok thanks. will do.
February 25th, 2013 at 10:48 am
Anytime. Keep me posted.
March 4th, 2013 at 10:15 am
Weekly update…
Stopping the water may have saved the plant (thanks!) though I’m still not sure. The rising yellow level continued another day or two, but then seemed to stop. The lower leaves are yellow – and I’m guessing they’re dead? Will they just fall off on their own, or do I need to do anything? (i.e. Do I need to cut the upper branches off to save them, or can I still leave them as is and let the leaves fall off?)
Thanks as always for your help!
Attached Image: IMAG0922.jpg
March 4th, 2013 at 10:16 am
Closeup. Some of the leaves are drying out it seems. The stems are yellow for about 8 to 10 inches – though you can see some bits of green interspersed.
Attached Image: IMAG0921.jpg
March 4th, 2013 at 10:19 am
Extreme closeup! :)
I noticed something interesting, in that it seems like the tips of the upper leaves got yellow, but then the green returned. Almost as if they were starting to turn yellow until the process reversed, and now they’re growing green again.
At least I think that’s what happened. I didn’t notice it until I saw this pattern of yellow and then green.
Attached Image: IMAG0928.jpg
March 5th, 2013 at 9:27 am
So glad it’s looking better, Dan! You can trim off the fully yellow leaves and stems; this may stimulate more new growth. It is unlikely the parts that have turned fully yellow will return to normal. Hope this helps.
March 7th, 2013 at 11:40 pm
So glad I found this site! I have 3 stalks of lucky bamboo that I keep in separate vases, all on my windowsill. I live in a basement apt so the low-lighting and temp are perfect for these plants and they’ve all been doing very well in the few months I’ve had them. However, in what seemed like a very sudden onset, the smallest stalk looked to be infected with some type of mold? Some bumps are tiny and black, some are tan with curled edges and some are hard tan bumps. The leaves are completely yellowed as is the stalk and the water looks like there’s debris in it…I’m pretty sure it’s dying and can’t be saved but I’m wondering what happened? The other bamboos are doing just fine…is it the tap water I used? I’m actually concerned about my indoor air quality, which is one of the reasons I got these plants, so I’m hoping it’s not an indicator of something more serious going on…
Attached Image: photo.jpg
March 7th, 2013 at 11:43 pm
Here’s a closeup
Attached Image: photo.png
March 7th, 2013 at 11:44 pm
A pic of the roots–slimy at the base
Attached Image: photo-1.jpg
March 7th, 2013 at 11:45 pm
And one last one of the leaves. Thanks for any input!
Attached Image: photo-2.jpg
March 8th, 2013 at 10:25 am
Lisa,
It is a little difficult to tell from the photos. You could have either an insect problem (scale) or a fungal problem (Colletotrichum dracaenophilum). Either way the stalk is going to die. I would discard the infected stalk. Then watch the other stalks – if you see signs of infestation, you will need to determine whether it is the insect or the fungus.
The best coarse of action with fungus is to discard the infected stalk and thoroughly clean the container.
With scale, you can remove the insect and use an insecticide safe for Lucky bamboo to get rid of the infestation.
To see if it is scale versus fungus, you will need a magnifying glass and tweezers. Gently detach the growth from the stalk and use the magnifying glass to identify body parts such as legs or a mouth. If these are present you have scale.
I am attaching picture to show you which I think is fungal and which could be scale.
Attached Image: lucky bamboo fungus colletotrichum dracaenophilum.png
March 8th, 2013 at 10:28 am
This shows what I believe could be scale.
Attached Image: lucky bamboo scale Dactylopius coccus.png
March 8th, 2013 at 10:54 am
Thank you Jamie! How interesting, it looks like it could be both…I discarded the infected one last night and will keep my eye on the other ones. Thanks again for your response, this is a great site!!