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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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
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.
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.
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.
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!!!!
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.
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!!!!!
The yellow is farther up…. the leaves are still green as could be. What can I do??
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.
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!
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
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
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.
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
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
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.
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!
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.
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
…the whole bamboo…
Attached Image: P1000007.jpg
… and finally, the frightful mark!
Attached Image: P1000017.jpg
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
Second picture: The top of the yellow stem.
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Third picture: The roots
Attached Image: P1010268.jpg
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.
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!
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!
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.
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
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.
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???
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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!!
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.
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!
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.
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?
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
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.