How to Save My Bamboo Plant

Lucky bamboo is not a true bamboo.

Bamboo in your home is said to bring luck, a sense of calm and balance (feng shui) to a room. One of the more popular varieties found in homes is not actually bamboo at all. Called "lucky bamboo," it looks very similar to genuine bamboo species. There are more than 1,200 species of bamboo, which generally grow taller than lucky bamboo. Whether you have true or lucky bamboo, learn to troubleshoot to save an ailing plant.

Things You'll Need

• Distilled water
• Aquarium plant food
• Spray bottle
• Humidifier

Instructions

Lucky Bamboo

1. Move your plant away from extremely sunny windows and heating or cooling vents to ensure that your lucky bamboo plant is in an ideal growing condition. Do not expose lucky bamboo to extreme light, cold or dryness.

2. Give your lucky bamboo aquarium plant food if the stalks are weak, thin or pale. Add one to two drops of plant food when you change the water every two months. Change the water every week, whether you are adding plant food or not. Do not over water your plant. If you are growing the lucky bamboo hydroponically (without soil), keep the vase or pot just over half-full of water.

3. Switch from tap water to distilled or filtered water if you notice the leaves are turning brown. The plant may be reacting to fluoride in the tap water. If you do not have a mechanism to filter water, pour tap water into a container and let it sit for 24 hours so the fluoride disperses. The leaves may also be turning brown because the plant is not receiving enough humidity. Pour distilled water into a spray bottle and lightly spray the leaves on a daily basis.

4. Stop giving plant food to your lucky bamboo plant, and change the water, if the leaves start to turn yellow. The plant may have been over-fertilized in the store before you brought it home. If you haven't been giving it plant food, the leaves may be turning yellow because the plant is receiving too much light. Move your plant farther away from the window or light source.

5. Trim the stalks if their bottom portions are starting to rot or turn brown. Embed the healthy stalk pieces in stones and water. Be careful not to add too much water or plant food as this may be why they rotted in the first place.

True Bamboo

1. Transplant your bamboo plant to a larger pot when its roots and rhizomes have outgrown their original pot. Unlike lucky bamboo plants, the emphasis is on using wider pots rather than taller ones, as their roots and rhizomes grow quickly in a horizontal direction. Add fresh soil to the new pot and make sure there is at least a 2-inch space between the roots and the walls of the container.

2. Install extra lighting sources during the winter months if you have a tropical bamboo plant. This will emulate their natural environment, which consists of consistent daylight hours throughout the year. (Tropical locations do not have periods of less daylight.) Water your bamboo plant less during the winter months if it is a temperate plant. Temperate plants, unlike tropical ones, become dormant during winter months and require less water. Beware not to over water the plant during this time; if you do, the plant could die.

3. Adjust humidity and lighting conditions as required. Research the requirements of your specific species of bamboo. For example, Indocalamus tessellatus prefers little light and low humidity, whereas Raddia brasiliensis prefers indirect light and high humidity. For bamboo plants that need higher levels of humidity, set up a humidifier or mist the plant with a spray bottle.

References

• American Bamboo Society: Growing Bamboo Indoors
• Fast Feng Shui: How to Choose and Care for Lucky Bamboo