Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
janelle27n

a question about my indoor lucky bamboo

janelle27n
16 years ago

Hi,

i am new to the world of bamboo.. and also new to this site and well i need a little help..

* I have had a lucky bamboo since about Feb 08 - and it was doing great up til now..

*Let me start by telling you what i have done so far.. the bamboo is in water and rocks (pebels) - i use destilled water, when watering it once a week, I also use green green to help it stay green..

* My house is usually 70-73 degrees...

**PROBLEM**

I took it down yesterday for its weekly watering, (the rocks are almost always dry.. on a weekly bases...

I noticed that i have 2-3 leaves on the plant that have turned yellow!!

> The rest of the plant, stalks other leaves ect or all pretty much green.. I felt the stalks, and they are solid*

The only thing that has me concerned are the yellow leaves.. i was looking on the web for answers as to what it might be, and am a bit confused on what to think.. here is what they said:

* It could be lack of water..

* not enough sunlight

* its naturally doing that to get ready for the warmer months ahead.. (the old dead leaves will fall off and make new ones)

* You can cut off the dead yellow leaves without harming the plant itself

* As long as the stalks are green, your bamboo is fine..

If all of that is true then id be okay, but im still needing some answers as to why its doing this.. & how to fix it, to assure a healthy plant. Please help!!'

Also,

i have been reading alot of things on yellowing of the leaves, and someone said to try placing it into a warmer room??

Okay.. One of my rooms have a live fireplace in it, would it not be a good thing for my plant to be in that same room??

my bamboo is NOT currently in this room, we have it placed in the living room..

i was just curious.. please help me with my bamboo..

Comments (7)

  • bambookid524
    16 years ago

    I would suggest watering it more than once per week and see if that helps. If not then i'm out of answers. I usually work with regular bamboos, not Lucky Bamboo.

  • evonnestoryteller
    16 years ago

    Quote from this link:
    http://www.bamboo4luck.com/care.php

    Q: What do I do when the leaves or stems turn yellow?
    A: If the leaves turn yellow, pluck the yellow ones off or it will affect the rest of the plant. Then take out the bamboo arrangement out of the container and rinse the rocks, the container, and the roots of the bamboo and put everything back together, then add fresh water with a few drops of Green Green plant food. If the stems turn yellow, it is too late for that stalk. Please remove it and buy another stalk to replace it.

    On a more personal note, I found it a lot of trouble to keep the plants in water. It is easier to keep the plant in soil and just water regularly. My plant grew a lot and appears a lot healther than the ones in water only.

    There is a recipe in one of the links for the potting soil mix. I recall that I used moisture control potting soil and mixed it with orchid bark.

  • beegood_gw
    16 years ago

    I've had a Lucky Bamboo for about 10yrs+ in the same 4"Square pot. Never transplanted it. Water it when I think of it. Sometimes quite dry. About once a year I give it a very diluted 20/20 ferilizer. That's it. It is about 18" tall and has 4 stalks. I use plain old tap water.

  • ninjatails
    15 years ago

    I'd place it in a warmer and brighter room. Yellow leaves mean water with too much chlorine/fluoride, or lack of sunlight. Since you use distilled water it means you need to give it some more sunlight. Don't expose it to direct sunlight, it will brown up.

    You said you use green green, if that's a fertilizer, stop using it. Only use fertilizer about every three months, at a dilution a tenth of what the packaging says. There's nitrogen and other chemicals in this and it is probably burning your bamboo's roots. I'd go clean the rocks with Clorox spray (bleach, toilet cleaner, etc.), wash them with water about three times, and then put everything back in. My bamboo loves it when I clean the rocks, so that should probably a good choice for you too.

    The fertilizer seems like the only problem to me. If the room it's in has a window in it, you're probably fine.

  • juliebees2009
    13 years ago

    i ordered one 5 ft lucky bamboo and it was i would call pale not as much green,if yellow and the stem is hard and not mushy i would not worrie dont use a lot of water if you have it in water they will eventually rot it. i plant mine in potting soil i have over 50 and trust me they so better in soil. you dont have to plant deep.

  • sabrina90242_hotmail_com
    13 years ago

    Hi, the leaves usually turn yellow because you give them too much water. Glad I helped you. :)

    Here is a link that might be useful: gardenweb.com

  • Joe1980
    13 years ago

    The best thing I ever did for my lucky bamboo is take it out of the water & pebbles, and pot it up in some potting mix. It is WAY healthier, and actually puts on some decent growth. Growing plants in a pot of water is tough because as you know, plants need fertilizer, but straight water doesn't work with fertilizer the same way soil does. If you put so much as ONE drop too much in the water, you'll damage the plant. With soil, it leaches out, so it is more forgiving. It's up to you, but I gave up on the lucky bamboo in water years ago, and now it looks better them ever. By the way, I only have one, and it is my first ever plant, one me & my wife bought at Target when we moved into our first apartment 13 years ago.

Sponsored
Emily Rudolph Interiors
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars25 Reviews
Hands-On & Collaborative Columbus Interior Designer