Find Your Ask the Expert: please tell me how to save my lucky bamboo
I live in the Caribbean and approx seven months ago, my mother gave me a soil potted lucky bamboo/dracaena sanderiana plant(which I fell in love with and have become attached to) as an additional wedding present. It was looking so healthy and growing tall (almost 5ft). However, the tips of the leaves started to turn brown so i assumed it outgrew the pot which it had come in, so I asked my husband who by the way normally has green thumbs, to help me to re-pot it. Since the new pots were not much larger than the old, we decided to attempt to separate the plant in two. The roots were tightly intertwined so we had to cut a few. For a few days after, the plants looked normal but a week later the leaves started to turn yellow first then brown. My husband thinks that our plant might be going through the shock of transplanting but honestly my heart is breaking to see it suffering. I pray that we haven’t killed my plants. Please help me to save them. I’ve been reading alot but haven’t come across any info about others in my situation. Any assistance from you would be greatly appreciated as I am presently in a state of panic. Thank you in advance. Miriam
Miriam,
Growing lucky bamboo in soil really isn’t much different than growing it in water. So the same things that cause problems in water will also cause problems in the soil.
First, any time you transplant a lucky bamboo it will go through shock. And most of the time we only re-pot our plants when we think they are in stress to begin with. When lucky bamboo tips turn brown it does not necessarily mean that the plant needs to be re-potted. In fact, it usually is caused by fluoride in the water or air that is too dry. I’m not sure if they put fluoride in your public water system, but if they do this could be a problem for your lucky bamboo. In cases where fluoride is a problem I suggest using distilled water. I don’t think dry air would be a problem for you but if it is mist the air surrounding the plant.
Now on to your situation. When lucky bamboo is transplanted, especially if the roots are cut, the plant will go through transplant shock. Lucky bamboo likes to be crowded and will need time to adjust to its new surroundings. The key is to re-pot the lucky bamboo into a fast draining soil media usually on top of a layer of stones or crockery pieces. This will allow for good drainage and keep the roots from rotting. Make sure that your lucky bamboo isn’t planted any deeper than it was in its previous container. Planting it too deep will causes problems. If you planted them deep because the stems were too tall, shorten the stems and create new plants instead. In Caring For Lucky Bamboo there is a propagation section that will tell you how to cut the tops off your lucky bamboo and start new plants while encouraging new leaves on your old stems. You might want to mix a very diluted solution of Vitamin B1 (garden strength liquid) and water your lucky bamboo with this solution. It will help your plant through the transplant shock phase and you need to do this only once. Then give a wait and see approach – keeping the soil moist . In about three weeks you should start to see improvements. Please keep me posted.