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Yellowing Lucky Bamboo
Ask the Expert: Why my lucky bamboo turned yellow and how to fix
I have my lucky bamboo for a year or so, and i noticed a few months ago that some of its leaves were starting to wither. But now I am really worried, because the stem turned yellow from the bottom up (see picture attached). I would really like to save it, but I don’t know what to do, or where I did wrong so far. Please help.
Thank you Natasha
Reply:
You are not alone. Yellowing lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) is the problem of the week. A few things can caused lucky bamboo to turn yellow — Too much light or too much fertilizer. Exposure to fluoride can cause leaf discoloration that may start out looking yellow but eventually turns brown. When lucky bamboo turns yellow from the bottom up, it is a strong indication of exposure to too much fertilizer. In a case like this, your best course of action is to change the water and rinse the container. Refill with distilled water and do not add fertilizer. **If you don’t have distilled water, you will need to use water that has been exposed to the air for 24hrs. This will allow both the fluoride and chlorine in tapped water to disapate. Then you can use it to fill your lucky bamboo container** By doing this your lucky bamboo will have a chance (although slim) to recover. Another option is to cut off the yellow and start over. Lucky bamboo roots fairly easy. If you go to my previous blog post We Are Not Always Lucky With Lucky Bamboo, you will see a detailed outline on how to do this with pictures.
Good Luck and please keep me posted.
I use bottled water to water my 5 bamboo plants is that ok. For them they seem to be doing fine,would it be better for them to use distilled water over purified bottled water?
Hi Candance,
It’s okay for you to water them with bottled water for a bit, but it’s best if you use distilled water.
My entire lucky bamboo is yellow and soft, died in other words. What can I do?
Unfortunately, after lucky bamboo has turned yellow, there is no way to revive it.
I had the same problem. A friend bought us a lucky bamboo. Sadly we weren’t so lucky. Ours started turning yellow within a couple months. Now after some research, I’m going to the pet store to buy a fresh glass vase, fish pebbles, distilled water and a aerator pump. My brother does aquaponics as a hobby and he says one thing roots in water need to stay healthy is oxygen, otherwise the roots will rot in standing stagnant water. So now I have the stems I cut off from the brown stalks and the rest of what’s left in the green stalks in bubbling away in a vase of pebbles and distilled water. I’m gonna see how it goes.
If the bottom half of my bamboo stalk is green, top is yellow but has green leaves can I cut the yellow part off and leave the green in water and it still live?
I forgot to add water to my bamboo for two weeks because I was on vacation. Came back and my bamboo is shriveled but still green. The top of the stalk is yellow and limp, should I cut that off, and will my shriveled green bamboo go back to being healthy and full again over time?
Yes, I would suggest removing the yellow parts near a node. Your plant should revive over time!
Yes, you should cut off the yellow section near a node and place the remaining stalk in fresh water. Your lucky bamboo will revive in no time!
Hi one of my daughter’s and I are new to lucky bamboo and so one of the 5 which is curled start to go yellow rapidly both at the bottom and up near the leafy area so I’ve cut the bottom as you have suggested but I’m not sure about the top. So I’ve cut the top the same as the bottom. I hope to save all the bits. I also hope I’ve done the right thing.