Find Your Gary asks:
We have a 3 stalk Lucy Banboo plant and it was doing well but in the last two weeks we have ovserved that the biggest and tallest one has start to trun yellow. The leaves are all green and healthly looking. We live outside of Bethlehem PA. The temperature is about 60 degrees. The plant gets indirect day light but it is not in a window.We use only spring water and we water it twice a month.
Is this condition something that I should be worry about.
Jamie’s Reply: Although you use spring water, it may still be heavy in salts. Too much floride, chlorine, or salts can cause the leaves to yellow. Try using distilled water. I would not worry if only one or two leaves at the bottom are turning yellow. Flower Shop Network has an informative newsletter called Caring for Lucky Bamboo. Hope this helps.
Gary responds:
Thank you for getting back to me but the leaves are not the part that is turning yellow but 1 out of tree stalks are turning yellow.
I printed out the newsletter and will read through it. Should I be worried about the stalk turning yellow?
Jamie’s Reply: I am a little concerned. You may have some type of pathogen — insect or fungal. Check for scale or spider mites both are insects. Scale will be a cottony substance or a shell like attachment on the stem or at the base of the leaves. You will need a magnifying glass to see the spider mites — they will be actively crawling around. As for fungal, check for soft tissue any where on the stem especially at the water line. One other thing have you fertilized your lucky bamboo? I will research a little further to see if I can come up with any other possibilities.
Gary Responds:
Thank you for getting back to me.
I will get a magnifying glass and check for spider mites and fungal. No we have not fertilized the luck bamboo but we will. Can you please let us know what and how we should do this.
Jamie’s Reply : Use any standard house plant food at about one-tenth the recommended dilution rate each time you change the water. Make sure you are using a water soluble fertilizer.
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I’ve have three bamboo arrangements one is four that I’ve had for a few years and the other two double arrangements are just recent from valentines day and my older with four stalks has orange and red spots on certain shoots from my stalk I water it with bottled water that usually sits out for two nights before I water them they have pebbles for soil and never fertilize them… They sit in 1-2 inches of water everyday. I’m not even sure what it has or if it’s just trying to grow some new roots since I transplanted them. As you can see one of them even started a new shoot since I moved them into the new container.
I love my bamboo trees and want them to stay alive. A lot a good feeling comes from them.
I have a pic of the arrangement I had set up for them
Hi! I have a 4-stalk bamboo plant that I have had for 2 years, and was doing very well. Recently, and very quickly one stalk turned yellow (started at leaves) and then the base. Removed it last week and others stalks seem fine so far. Should I remove the healthy stalk from the vessel and clean the rocks etc anyway? Also, I had transplanted the plant into a handmade ceramic vessel from the generic one I bought it on, could that be causing a problem? The ceramic vessel is glazed/sealed.
Thank you
Maura,
Moving the plant to a new container has the potential to cause temporary problems. Plants can be finicky and changing their environment can cause them some problems. If the other stalks are find, I’d let things be for while and keep a close eye. If you see another stalk begin to yellow, take them out and do a thorough cleaning. Otherwise, cleaning the rocks and container could cause even more distress. Thanks!
Ed
hello ,
i think I have a fungal issue on my lucky bamboo , please assist me on how to treat fungus ?
attached are the pictures .
Yafa,
Unfortunately there is no cure or treatment for this type of fungus. The only course of action is to remove the infected stalk and dispose of it. If you have other stalks that are no effected, you will need to clean the container and change the water.
Hi..all leaves of my bamboo plant have become yellow at the tips. Some stems are yellow. I dont want to loose my plant..i have put that in water nd change water after every week. Please please help me out..i love my bamboo :-(
Priyanka,
If you are using distilled water already, you may need to look at your lighting conditions. Lucky bamboo prefer bright, indirect light. If it is getting direct sunlight, it can yellow. Conversely, if it isn’t getting enough light, it can also turn yellow. Make sure it’s not directly in the sun, but still getting bright light.
Thanks,
Ed
Help! I have a bamboo problem which I don’t see described exactly. One of my bamboo plants has stalks turning yellow and looking dry, even though the leaves and shoots are green. Some of the roots were slimy, and the bottom of the stalk black. But I don’t see signs of bugs or fungus. But there is a strange black “sore” on the stalk bottoms. I have it in a painted pot, with rocks, and use filtered water.
note: I did have this one on a windowsill, and with the winter sun angle, I think it was getting too much exposure. I moved it 2 weeks ago, but I haven’t seen a marked improvement since.
Pic of whole plants
Dana,
Your plant seems to have a fungal issue. I normally get rid of the stalks that have fungal issues. You could try to take a tip cutting and root a new stalk.
I have a small bamboo plant with three stalks. The middle one is not just straight like the others but it curves at the top. Accidentally while moving the plant, a piece of the top of the curved one broke off, the part where the leaves were blooming and nothing as grown back and ever since the stalk has turned yellow and dry at the end. Is it dying because that piece broke off or could it be the water? The other two stalks look healthy still.
Thanks!
Maria,
Take a knife and cut off the yellow part, then mist the cut area for a few days until it callous over. In a week or two you should see new growth.
I received this lucky bamboo as a Valentine’s Day gift my boyfriend ordered from ProFlowers.
I originally had them in rocks with Poland Springs water. Then they started to wrinkle and turn yellow. I research that wrinkling is caused by lack of water. So I moved them to a vase with water for the next 3-4 days. Any other suggestions or tips to keep these alive? I so see sprouts on one of them so there is hope :)
Jennifer,
The stalks that are already yellow will most likely continue to deteriorate. If the bottom of the stalks still have green, you can top them and the plant will form new growth. I also recommend on the green stalk cutting off the swiveled section and those stalks should be just fine.
I purchased a lucky bamboo plant about three months ago and it was doing fine for a while but looking at it now it’s starting to turn yellow and wrinkled! I placed it into a bigger vase, cleaned the pebbles and gave it fresh spring water as well as cut the yellow leafs. But it’s still looking pretty much the same as it did before! Any suggestions?
Julie,
You may have a fungal issue. You will need to remove any part of the plant that is turning yellow and wrinkling. You can use the green parts to start new plants.
Hi wonder if u could help me I’ve had my bamboo for a few yrs now and over the last few wks its started to turn yellow on part of the stem I have a couple of green leaves the rest of the bamboo is green just part in the middle is yellow.
I’ve had my lucky bamboo for years now and it started growing to tall so I recently for the first time took them all out, made some cuttings and cleaned the container then placed them back in. Not long after, (maybe a few weeks) the middle stalk’s leaves started turning yellow followed by the tip of the stalk. The other two appear to be fine and I don’t know what’s wrong with the middle one as I can’t see any source of rotting or fungi issues ect. Should I just chop off the yellowing part and put it in a seperate container just in case? Thanks.
Katie,
Any time a stalk of bamboo is cut, you need to seal the wound with wax to prevent bacterial infection. If you didn’t do that, cut the yellow and melt some candle wax onto the wound until it is completely covered. When placed back in water or soil, the stalk will grow new shoots in a month or so. However, if you did do that, it could be a container issue or a water issue.
Clare,
There are many reasons why it could be yellowing. If the plant is exposed to too much sun even, if it is kept in cold temperatures, or if it is infected. Try checking the first two reasons and see if that changes anything.
I just bought my lucky bamboo a couple days ago from Home Depot. It’s still small and the leaves look healthy, but when I replanted in water and rocks (it came in a tiny pot of dirt) I noticed that the stalks down at the bottom are turning yellow where it was in the soil. I’m not sure if it’s from the conditions it was in sitting inside Home Depot or if there is something wrong with it. The roots are healthy and so are the leaves but its the stalks that concern me. Is there something wrong with it or should I just wait for it to catch itself and recover? (I replanted it with distilled water too)
Char,
Since it was in soil, the plant is now reacting to the change. You can give it time to acclimate, but it is better to plant it in soil than in water.
Hi, I have had my bamboo for a about 5 months and the top of the tallest stem has started to turn yellow and I don’t know what to do. There is no infection or anything, no slime or fungus, I also get tap water and let it sit for 24 hours for the chlorine to dissolve I guess. Could I just cut it off right under where the yellow ends?
Nick,
Definitely cut the yellow off. Then make sure that the container is not too close to a light source which can burn the leaves. Letting the water sit for 24hours is a great practice. How often are you changing the water? Changing it too often can also be the problem. I normally only change my water when it starts to look cloudy. So check out the lighting, cut the yellow off and wait and see if the yellow occurs again. If it does, we can look for others causes.
My lucky bamboo plant having black spots on stem and its dying. Please tell me how to save other stalks from this disease.
My bamboo plant having black spots on one of the stock and its become full yellow and wrinkled. Please tell me how can I save other stalks from such disease.
Vaishali,
The black are most likely caused by a fungus. Remove the infected stalks and clean the container with luke warm water and soap. rinse the container thoroughly and then fill the container with distilled water and return the healthy stalk to the container.
Hi! I just brought a lucky bamboo plant into my office on Friday after receiving it as a party favor on Thursday evening. I used filtered water on Friday night before I left to go home. Coming back into the office this morning, I noticed the bottom stalk of one plant is yellowing, and then the other is yellowing on top. Any tips on how I can fix this? The water appears to be gone – should I add more? Thanks! I have some photos but not sure how to attach them to this comment…
Dee,
It is very important to keep the water level above the roots. So add enough water to keep the water level above the roots. Also email me the pictures so I can see what might be happening. jadams@flowershopnetwork.com
Hello i bought a lucky Bamboo in December last year and it was growing really good until i was taking care of my other plants and put some rooting powder on the stalk where it was cut…in hopes that it might send out another shoot. However it started yellowing the stalk from the cut side. (how do i share my picture?)
Please advise if you think i should cut it and try to save the one shoot closer to the green part left of is there a way i could bring it back to green without cutting them? and is it better to grow the bamboo in soil or water?
Shelly,
You can email the pictures to jadams@flowershopnetwork.com. I need to see the picture to determine how much stress the plant is in before I can determine what you should do. To answer your question about what to grow it in neither is better than the other. However, you want to keep it in the environment in which it was started. For example if grown in water always grow it in water. New plants can be started in either soil or water. Hope this information helps.
I have had my bamboo plants for 4 years. I received as a gift when it was a baby and grew so fast. So I moved the bamboo plants to a bigger vase and saw that it started turning yellow and spread throughout other stalks. Please help me.
Hello, I sent the pictures as requested. I also wanted to find out if you cut the stalk do you put anything on it after or just leave as is to the open environment?
Kat,
Did the stalk end up being in more water than before? That could be the problem. Did you move the plant? A change in location could have caused the plant to become stressed. Either way, new to determine if it is a slight stress problem or something else is going on. If the color is yellow but the stem is still firm I wouldn’t worried to much. However, if the stem is becoming soft or shriveled then you might need to start new plants. Hope this information helps.
Shelly,
I didn’t receive your images. I emailed you, if you can attach the image to the reply of that email and sent it back to me I will try to help.
Ajosh,
Yellowing in lucky bamboo happens when stem cells to burst, causing irreparable damage. This can be caused by: over fertilization or chlorine and other chemicals in the water or too much light.
If your bamboo shoot is still slightly green for now, try changing the water to distilled and making sure it is getting proper lighting. If the plant’s health does not improve in about a week, you will need to remove the shoot. (If it gets worse, go ahead and cut it.)
Removing the shoot: When you cut your bamboo (if necessary) you will cut the lucky bamboo about an inch from the next healthy node. (A node is the brown ring around the stalk) In this case, it would be the node close to the bottom. Your plant may be a little short, but it will make it! Refer to: https://www.flowershopnetwork.com/blog/we-are-not-always-lucky-with-lucky-bamboo/ for better examples of cutting off yellow stalks.
I have a lucky bamboo that I purchased from Lowe’s it has been tied together to form a certain shape. I water it about once every 2 weeks and place it in indirect sunlight. A couple days ago, I noticed some yellow leaves and now this morning the whole stalk is yellow. I have read the other posts and realize I proabably water it too much using tap water, and will use bottled from now on. My question is, should i untie and remove the yellow stalk? thanks in advance
Hi Jamie,
When lucky bamboo is in an advanced state of yellowing it will not come back. So it is best to cut the yellow parts off. Also, if at any time the stalks become soft or mushy it is too late.
If there is any green part to the stalk then there is the possibility of starting a new plant. Here is a link to an article titled, “We Are Not Always Lucky With Lucky Bamboo” that talks about how to start a new plant. https://www.flowershopnetwork.com/blog/we-are-not-always-lucky-with-lucky-bamboo/ Hope this helps!
Hi,
I bought a lucky bamboo couple months ago at the store and before it was just fine. It has both soil and rocks in it. I put in close to the window with the cover. When its leaves started to turn yellow, I decided to cut a bit off from the leaves and changed the water, soil, and even washed the rocks. I even tried to change to water from the bottle instead of the sink water and redone the steps of cleansing. Yet, Some how it didn’t help its leaves to turn back into green. I decided to wait for a bit and even put it away from the window and light. I noticed that the stalk is turning yellow as well. I just cut off the yellow part of the stalk and still let it away from light and sun. Was I doing this right? If cutting off the stalk doesn’t help my Lucky Bamboo grows or turn back to green, what else can I do besides getting a new one?
Tiffany,
You can always start a new plant. This post might help . The basic principle is to cut off a green healthy section of the bamboo, dip the cut end in rooting hormone and then place the cut end in the medium of your choice (water or soil). If you want to grow yours in water the new piece will need to be rooted in water. If you want to grow it in soil it needs to be rooted in soil. Hope this helps!
Hello,
I have a bamboo plant that in April i will have had it for 2 years it sits on my desk at work under florescent lights all day, it has just now started to turn yellow the leaves are the only things that are turning but they are turning rather quickly. I water the plant once a week since i received it what should i do to keep the plant alive?
Hilary
Hi Hilary,
Yellowing leaves are usually caused by too much light or too much fertilizer. Chemicals in tap water can also cause the lucky bamboo to turn yellow. Is you are not already using distilled water for you bamboo, you may want to give it a try. In the mean time, I would remove the yellow leaves at the stalk, and moniter the stems for yellowing and softness.
Hope this helps!
Hi, I have been kinda experimenting in those cocoa balls!!! can you put lucky bamboo in those cause they sit in water? I just got tired of getting those fungus Nat’s constantly in the potting soil!!! even the NAME BRAND!!! THANKS IN ADVANCE.
Hey Jewell,
I’m unfamiliar with the cocoa balls you are talking about. However, if your lucky bamboo is in soil and you are wanting to put it in water, you can use pebbles, marbles, or something similar. Just be aware that lucky bamboo doesn’t always like being moved from soil to water and vice versa. If your bamboo is big enough, it might be best for you to propagate a new stalk.
I have my lucky bamboo in water n I use filtered wate. How much water should I fill coz the stems r turning yellow. I also changed the water but didn’t help. I noticed something jelly like on the bottom. Please advice me how I can save my plant
Make sure you keep the water level consistent. Your bamboo should be kept in 2-4 inches of water. If the stems are turning yellow, this is usually caused by too much light or fertilizer. For the jelly-like substance, you need to remove your bamboo from its container and wash the container thoroughly with hot, soapy water. Rinse it well, then place your bamboo and water back in the container. This substance could be what is causing your bamboo to yellow. Normally yellow bamboo doesn’t recover, so you may have to try propagating new stalks if there are any green, healthy parts left on your plant.
I have 4-5 stalks of lucky bamboo. Was in small vase and when water level dropped quite low I would top up with water. Has been growing slowly and was healthy. Is about 8-10 years old. Visible stalks were about 1.5 times height of vase. Roots were quite crowded. Although seemingly healthy, the tips of many leaves had turned brown. Got it in my head that they would grow quicker or better if I moved them to a larger vase. Only vase I had has a wide opening at the top so the plants are spread out to far – using paper towel managed to group a bit tighter. Used the original brackish water (water with a small amount of soil) and topped with some fresh. Since moving them the tops of the stalks are drooping and about 4-5 leaves have turned yellow on one stalk only. Was it a mistake to move them? Should I return to orginal vase? Had planned on purchasing (tomorrow) some glass pebbles or similar to hold the stalks tightly together and upright.
Might the bamboo rebound eventually do you think? Moved it about 1 week ago. Possibly a case of if it aint broke, don’t fix it.
Hey Peter,
Lucky Bamboo is very sensitive to its environment, and all plants experience some degree of shock when their environment is changed. I would give it some time to recover from the recent move. As long as you keep taking care of it in the same way you had previously, it will probably be ok.
Hello,
I’ve got a lucky bamboo for about 5 or 6 years now. About 6 months or so ago I noticed the leaves were starting to turn a little yellow. I did a little reading, and it sounded like I was giving it too much sun. I have it near a window that has fabric blinds that let in light, but not direct sunlight I moved it away, and nothing seemed to change. At one point, there did appear to be a layer of black or brown fungus growing over the rocks (I’m partially color blind, so I have difficulty distinguishing between certain colors), but I took everything out can cleaned it. There was also a little white mold, but I think I got that with a misting of alcohol.
The leaves are still yellow, and I’ve removed them as they’ve dried out, but I can’t seem to stop it. I started looking online, and it feels like trying to diagnose a runny nose with Web MD. At different points, I thought it was fungus and scale bugs, but I have no idea. I also heard that temperature could be an issue. The room I keep it in is about 73 or 74 degrees. I took some pictures, in case that helps. Thank you so much for your help.
http://s1235.photobucket.com/user/Electricboa/media/Bamboo%201_zpsqdhilrtj.jpg.html?filters%5Buser%5D=120660447&filters%5Brecent%5D=1&sort=1&o=2
http://s1235.photobucket.com/user/Electricboa/media/Bamboo%202_zpssoyrhpyt.jpg.html?filters%5Buser%5D=120660447&filters%5Brecent%5D=1&sort=1&o=1
http://s1235.photobucket.com/user/Electricboa/media/Bamboo%201_zpsqdhilrtj.jpg.html?filters%5Buser%5D=120660447&filters%5Brecent%5D=1&sort=1&o=2