Find Your Ask The Expert: Hello,
Please help me. I read your article on lucky house bamboo. I purchase 3 plants (stalks) in May 08 and until recently they were just fine. They did not grow much however I do have some plants growing out of them. I have them in water in a vase, which is how they were in the florist section of my food store. I noticed about a week ago that one of them is turning yellow. Is this a problem? Should I isolate it from the others? Is there anything I can do to help it return to green? Should I take the others out of the water and plant them in soil? These plants are 20 inches in height and the leaves growing from them are about 2 inches so far.
Thanks for answering with information you might have.
Patricia
Patricia,
At least once a month I receive a question concerning lucky bamboo that is turning yellow. There are two reasons that I automatically think of in this situation. One – Has the lucky bamboo been exposed to too much fertilizer? Second – Has the lucky bamboo been exposed to too much light. Both of these conditions can cause the lucky bamboo stalks to turn yellow.
Depending on the over exposure it can even cause the stalks to die. However, you can try to save the stalks by removing the problem.
With over fertilization, you need to immediately change the water and clean the container. Clean the container with soapy water and rinse well. Then place the healthy stalks back in the container and fill with distilled or filtered water. Tap water contains Fluoride and Chlorine which are not good for the lucky bamboo. If the stalk is slightly yellow yet still firm place in a separate container and fill distilled or filtered water.
With over exposure to light, you need to move the lucky bamboo away from the direct light source. Lucky bamboo prefers bright filtered light rather than direct harsh light. I would still segregate the yellow stalk from the green stalks by moving it to its own container.
It will take a few weeks for the lucky bamboo to recover from the damage. If at any time the stalks become soft or mushy it is too late. In this case if there is any part of the lucky bamboo that is still green and healty, you can start a new plant.
In the blog post We are not always lucky with lucky bamboo”, I detail how you can propagate lucky bamboo that has a yellowing problem. The post even has reference pictures. It might come in handy if starting a new lucky bamboo plant is need is your only option.
There are other things that can cause yellowing but fertilizer and light are the most common. Insect and tap water issues can sometimes begin as a yellowing problem before they advance to a browning or whitish problem.
You can always send me pictures if you can determine what the problems is. Good luck and keep me posted.
I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Barbara
2 days ago I bought 3 stalks of lucky bamboo in the street at 2 Celsius degrees which is very cold for this tropical plant. The ground transportation from China to my country took 2 months and I don\’t know in which conditions the plant was kept in the meantime. The lower parts of stalks are yellow and brown, but strong. The upper halves are green and strong. There are no roots or side stems and green leaves just started growing on the top. Should I cut off the lower halves, put green ones back into water and give aspirin/fertilizer? I really would like to save them as they don\’t get imported into my country. Please help!!!
Alix,
Cut the yellow stalk off and throw away. Then dip the cut of the green stalk in rooting hormone. I use a powder type from Greenlight but you can use a liquid type. Let the hormone dry on the stalks while you fill a container with distilled water. (you can use tap water but it will have to sit over night in an open container before you use it) Place the stalks in the container filled with water – you only need two to three inches of water depending on the length of your stalks. It will take a few weeks before the new roots form. Do not fertilize the stalks during this time. Several months from now you can fertilize your lucky bamboo with a very light solution of liquid fertilizer.
You might want to read our newsletter called Caring For Lucky Bamboo or the blog postWe are not always lucky with lucky bamboo. Both articles have very useful information about lucky bamboo.
Good Luck and Please keep me posted.
Jamie,
Thanks, I read your blog and it was really useful for me in identifiing that my lucky bamboo was actually dieing (the salesperson was trying to conveince me that it was OK for a bamboo to have yellow and brown spots!). Following your guidance I cut of the yellow part and placed it into a container with filtered water (no chlorine and heavy metals), however there is no rooting hormone available in my city. Is there any other method to care about the stalks before the roots form?
Thanks again for all your help.
Alix
Alix,
You don’t have to use rooting hormone it just gives you a little extra boost. Simple cut the lucky bamboo and place in water. It might take an extra week or two to form the roots but you should be ok. Time and solitude is the key. In other words just leave them alone. Good Luck – Keep me posted.
I did none of this stuff I kept the bamboo is cactus soil which is low in nutrients kept it watered gave it distilled water. But its it yellowing and the top is turning mushy so I cut off the bad parts an put wax over the cut end. This plant was watered with deisitlled water and had partial sunlight yet it is still dieing.
Is there a way to save it I have grown quite attached I don”t want it to die.
Adam,
Your lucky bamboo is in soil? Was it yellow from the top down? How moist are you keeping the soil?
I’m a gardener-beginner; grow cactuses, aloe, primroses. Accidently I’ve come across your site and found it very useful and informative. I’m sure I’ll find here any information I need.
Jamie,
I’ve had my lucky bamboo for over a year. It is starting to turn yellow from the top down. It is in my office at work, which gets very cold lately. Is it the cold or do you think it is the water that is causing it to turn yellow?
Could be the water. However, more than likely it is the water.
I received a 5 stalk bamboo plant as a gift. One of the stalks is turning yellow at the top and is almost the whole half top of the stalk. And another one is a curved stalk and it is getting brownish and wilty and crunchy ( thats the best way I can think to describe it) at the top. I was thinking maybe it was getting too much light cuz it has been right in front of the window. Should I cut the top of the yellow stalk off. And should I trim off the wilty part?
Remove any stalk that is becoming mushy, it will cause the other stalks problems. As for the yellow top, cut it off and let the plant produce new leaves. Also, move it away from the light.
If you are not sure about the crunchy stalk send me a picture.
Hello,
About a month ago I did a clean up and cut the roots off the Lucky Bamboo, changed the water straight from the tap.
I have done this before to keep the look clean as roots were visible.
Now one is turing yellow, as you can see, I feel terrible for doing this.
What is to be done? Cut off the yellow area, change the water to filtered room temperature?
I’ll never do this again.
Please advise!
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Normally you only want to cut the roots off slightly to curtain over-growth. The issue here is that there was too much foliage to support without the roots. You are more than likely going to lose the stalk that is completely yellow. You can cut the green top off and start a new stalk. You need to do that with the stalk that is turning yellow as well.
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Any advice?
The plant was moved from the bedroom to the kitchen and was directly across from a window. :(
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Terry,
Your plant doesn’t look extremely bad. So I think there is a good chance you can save it.
Since the plant was moved to a place with more light exposure the yellowing is caused by too much exposure to light. I recommend moving the plant a little farther away from the light source. The yellowing parts of the plant will not revert back to green, but this should keep the yellowing from further advancing. I would cut the yellow parts off. You can find instruction and pictures in this post https://www.flowershopnetwork.com/blog/we-are-not-always-lucky-with-lucky-bamboo/.
Good luck and keep me posted.
Hello,
I have had a Lucky Bamboo plant for about a year now. He is in a vase with rocks and water. I use filtered water and keep him on my desk at work. Recently one of the stalks turned a white/yellow color where one of his sprouts is. I noticed that he had little brown bumps at the base of the arm where it was changing colors. Now the stalk is turning yellow from the top. I trimmed the roots, changed the water, cleaned the vase, put him under a “shelf” thing I have to lessen the amount of light he has been getting. It just seems to be getting worse. Can you help me save him?
Thanks!
Kate
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Another picture
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Kate,
You may have a case of scale. Can you pick the brown raised spots off of the stalk? If so, you have scale. I recommend cutting the stem below the first node and right above the second node. Discard the piece you cut off so the scale doesn’t spread.
An alternative would be to spray the plant with an insecticide made to kill scale.
This was very helpful, I 3 stalks I brought from Ikea a little over a year ago for my desk at work, they have grown tremendously. One of my stalks are 90% yellow with light green close to the roots. This plant has been on my desk since day 1 and is under fluorescent light all day and cool office temperture. Whenever I fill the water I normally take the plant to the sink and let the watter run through for amount a minute. Im very nervous the ill stalk with harm the other 2. After reading this I will remove the ill stalk and use filtered water for the other 2. Do you think its too late to save the ill stalk it’s firm most of the stalk but top part is starting to soften and turn brown?
Ryan,
It’s never too late to try. Sounds like you are on the right track. Keep us posted on how it turns out!
Thanks,
Ed
I gave my fiancé a lucky bamboo months ago and everything was going great. It has continued to grow, but when we came in this morning to her office, one of the stalks has turned yellow. Talking with her, she has never changed the water and she has been using tap water. I told her to empty the water and start using distilled or purified water. Is there anything that can be done to save this stalk as it is a part of the heart shape?
Michael,
Once a stalk begins to turn yellow, you most likely won’t be able to recover it. The only thing you can do is trim the stalk to the point the yellow begins and hope that it is able to regrow.
Good Luck!
Ed
im having an bamboo tree it has 21 stalks arranged by red ribbon but one of the stalk has completely turned yellow. Can i get it back or i need to plant another please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i need the advice
Vinay,
Remove the yellow stalk. However, it might be difficult to add another stalk to the arrangement.
I have a lucky bamboo that is yellowing,I have not used fertilizer and clean the bowl often. It was recently propagated and sealed with unscented wax. Most are doing great but a few are yellowing and only slightly soft at the top is it possible to save or even just trim off the mushy top and reseal them?
Aya,
It is possible, however it could be something else that is affecting the plant. Is the stalk turning yellow or the leaves? What is it planted in? Soil, rocks, just water?
I seem to be a bit worried with my bamboo. So my leafs at the top are a light green almost yellow. My plant is a few years old and about 3 feet long, im worried that the yellow will come in making my plant looking unhealthy as possibly die on me! Plzzz help me as I dont want my beautiful bamboo to die! Any suggestions!??
Amanda,
It could mean that the water has fluoride and it is affecting your bamboo. Try changing to bottled or mineral water and see if that makes any change.
My lucky bamboo plant has started turning yellow. The leaves are mostly yellow and the top part of the stalk is yellow and soft. I have changed the water. It hasn’t had much light as the curtains were closed for a few weeks while I was gone. What can I do?
Chandal,
Yellowing usually means root rot. If you changed the water, give it some time. If the bamboo is in water and rocks, you may want to remove the rocks and see if it has a change. Sometimes the rocks have a certain chemical to them that can harm the bamboo.
Hi there,
I bought 3 bamboo last summer. One started turning yellow from the top. I tried to save it but no such luck. I keep them in the same spot on my desk with no direct sunlight and distilled water with a few rocks. So I changed the water. Everything was good for a few months and then another one is doing the same thing, from the top also. I have noticed that the one that looks totally fine seems bigger and more leaves and really green. The one that is turning yellow is smaller. They were all the same size when I got them. Any suggestions as to what I can do? I have read most of the questions people have had and tried to follow what is recommended. The only other thing I am thinking it could be is a temperature thing. But I am not sure. Any ideas? Thanks a bunch.
Megan,
It could be a temperature thing, but I need to check a few things first. Examine the roots – do they look clear and healthy? Check the stems – do you see any blemish or black spots on the stems? If any stalk is turning yellow and shriveling remove it immediately. It might also help you send me a picture.
Hi my bamboo is turning yellow at the tips and the leaves are dying as well I have it not so close to the window there are 3 in the case I have them in water with rocks how can I save these plants I have had them for 2 years and don’t want to lose them.
I changed the water and it smelt very bad the roots have also turned yellow please help me save my plants
Leonardo,
When you changed the water did you wash the container. If not wash the container with warm soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Then also wash the roots with lukewarm water and cut off any mushy roots. Refill the container with distilled water and see if that helps. Good luck.
A large tree frog got in the house, laneed on my lucky bamboo and bent it. The bottom leaves of the plant have turned yellow. Is it possible to root the stalk and leave the healthy leaves on the plant?
Kristin,
You can root the top of the stalk with the healthy green leaves.
Thanks!
Hi Jamie,
I have a rather long and straight growing lucky bamboo stalk with leaves emerging from the top of the stalk but no side growth. It is currently in water and looks healthy but it’s just too tall. It is on our dining table and is almost touching the chandelier. How can I trim this to make it shorter and possibly end up with two healthy stalks from one. Will trimming give way to new side stems and top leaves. I have seen many videos on how to propagate from side stems but can’t find anything from straight up growth. Can I cut the straight stalk and put the new cut end in water? Will it grow roots? Also, do I need to seal the top end of the cut portion that already has roots, will it grow leaves like before if I don’t seal it? I kinda like that look. Please help.
Thank you.
Uzma,
You can top your lucky bamboo and this will do tow things – 1) encourage the plant to grow side shoots 2) another stalks by rooting the top. Here is a post on how to top the plant https://www.flowershopnetwork.com/blog/topping-lucky-bamboo/. Hope this information helps.
Hi Jamie,
I bought a Orchard/ bamboo combo in January 2016. April the the Orchids slowly went down. The Bamboo were doing great & then 1 of the bamboo out of 2 has been turning yellow from the bottom of the stalk & going up half way & leaves turning yellow brown since last month.
Can you help me to see if if I can save it or what should I do you make sure the other one doesn’t turn yellow. I have it indirect light & filtered water. Thank you for your help! Maria
Maria,
Have you changed the water in the container lately? It sounds like the roots are having an issue from stagnate water. I would clean the container with lukewarm water and soap. Rise thoroughly and replace with your filtered water. Before placing the lucky bamboo back in the pot, cut the healthy green section off the yellow section and root a new lucky bamboo plant for the healthy top.
Hello Jamie, I have read some of the questions here and mine is pretty similar. I have my bamboo with just rocks and water. I added what I thought was a rock into one of the glasses and a few days later it turned out it wasn’t a rock because it became soft and mushy so I removed it but it caused my bamboo to turn yellow and mushy at the very top. A few more centimeters and it will be where the leaves have branched out. So for now they are fine but do I just cut the yellow part off and leave it alone since its at the very top or after cutting it is there more to do? Thank you in advance!
Mandi,
Once it begins to turn yellow, you most likely won’t be able to recover it. The only thing you can do is trim the stalk to the point the yellow begins and hope that it is able to regrow. I would also suggest removing the rocks and rinsing the container with mild soap and air dry. Hope this helps and good luck!
Hi Jamie,
Can I have your advice with regards to my lucky bamboo stalk?
I browsed through queries made by others above and realized that there is always a top-bottom split when it comes to the yellowing of the stalk. However, my yellowing has a left and right split. May I know why is this the case? What can I do to help it? And will it recover?
I took photos of it, but I can’t seem to attach it here. Is there any email where I can send the photos to?
Thanks!
Best regards,
Shiyang