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Lucky Bamboo

42 Comments on Lucky Bamboo»

1. My lucky bamboo plant is very yellow. Does it need more sunlight, or a bigger pot? Help!!

   Yellowing of leaves on a lucky bamboo can be a sign of chlorine and mineral salts in the water. Yellow tops can also indicate too much sun exposure and or too high temperatures. Use bottled water and change it once a week to avoid chlorine and minerals. This is one plant that you don’t have to worry about giving it enough light. They grow in the rain forest under a canopy and therefore do not require much light. Keep the plant at 70-80 degrees. If the stems are yellow and mushy-they are dead.

   Comment by Kris — 8/16/2006 @ 5:20 am

2. I have lucky bamboo in a vase with tan rocks. The rocks are getting green, mildewy looking. Is there something that can be added to the water to get rid of this, i have had this plant for 5 years now and dont want to have to take it out of its vase. Thanks

   Hi
   The green mildewy substance is algae which accumulates whent there is stagnant water. Algae thrives in sun and excess nutrients in the water. You should change the water at least once a month to flush out dead material, chemicals and add oxygen to the roots. In large water containers a bicycle pump, or aquarium filter can be used to pump oxygen bubles into the water. When using fertilzer, use a diluted mix of the recommended dose.

   Comment by Debbie — 8/16/2006 @ 7:04 am

3. I have a lucky bamboo and it is very tall. I know there are some plants you can break apart and replant in a new pot to start over. Is this a plant that has seeds in each section? And if so what is the best way to do it.

   There is some conflicting information of propagating lucky bamboo, but according to an extension advisor, a cut section of the stem will easily root in plain water(natural spring water is better). Cut through the stalk with a sharp knife just below a joint. I have tried this and it works. My cutting rooted in a month and is sending new leaf shoots. There are no seeds in the sections

   Comment by Lisa — 8/16/2006 @ 7:09 am

4. My lucky bamboo plant’s roots have grown out of the pot. Do I need to get a bigger pot?

   You can replant them in a pot 1 inch larger.

   Comment by Lauren — 9/4/2006 @ 3:59 am

5. My bamboo plants are very smelly. There is a rotten sulfur-like smell coming from the roots that doesn’t go away even if I change the water every couple of days. I have tried rinsing the roots but this doesn’t help. Can I cut the ends off to allow new roots to grow, or what can I do to fix this stinky problem. Thank you.

   The smell is attributed to decaying plant material, changing the water and rinsing is about all you can do. One recommendation I found was to add 1 TBS of 5% apple cider vinegar to a gallon of water. If that doesn’t work, cut the end off one stalk just below the next ring and see if it will root. It should root provided your bamboo is green and healthy. Scrub you container before placing the new cut into it.

   Comment by Jasmine — 10/17/2006 @ 11:25 pm

6. help my dog chewed my lucky bamboo plant now he has loose stool. Is this plant poisonous?

   Lucky bamboo, ribbon plant, known as Draceana sanderiana is listed as a poisonous plant to animals. “It is reported as having systemic effects on animals and/or intense effects on the gastrointestinal tract.” aspca
   Some other symptoms are dilated pupils, abdoninal pain, dyspnea (shortness of breath), tachycardia and hypersalivation. Call the National Animal Poison Control Center (888)4-Anihelp. Go to aspca.org for additional info. Or call you vet.

   Comment by jody — 10/29/2006 @ 12:04 am

7. The leaves at the top of the stalk are getting high. Can I cut them off and new ones will re-grow out of the stalk? Or do I just trim them?

   Once your lucky bamboo gets too tall you can trim it. For example, if the stem is 12 inches above the cane, you can trim back 8-9 inches leaving 3-4 inches of green leaves. You should cut just above a leaf bract. The new cuts can be placed in water and rooted for new plants. Or cut the cane below the lowest leaf and above a node (circular marking on the cane), this will encourage new shoots to grow out of the stalk.

   Comment by Don — 10/29/2006 @ 4:53 am

8. Can a lucky bamboo be planted in soil or just water?

   It can be grown in either, although it will thrive longer in soil.

   Comment by Linda — 10/30/2006 @ 12:54 am

9. Please help? I replanted my bamboo plant in a bigger pot, now one of my stems is turning yellow and look like its wilting for the top, also my leaves which were dark green are getting light. When i replanted it I had to break the pot to get it out but I only used rocks and what seemed like it was sand and rock from the initial pot it was in then I filled it up with water. What di I do wrong?

   Possibly you disturbed/damaged the roots and the plant is in shock. Give it plenty of water and time to recover.

   Comment by Audrey Dopson — 11/28/2006 @ 8:40 am

10. Hi….I have a lucky bamboo that I just took out of its original pot…I have had it for two years and did not realize that the water should be changed every month or that using tap water was bad. One of the stalks had never had leaves and it had turned black, so I removed it and transplanted the lucky bamboo to another container. I noticed that the roots are bright orange, is this normal? Or what color should they be?

    Some roots are white, yellow, orange or brown, so your roots are normal.

    Comment by Melanie — 12/7/2006 @ 9:56 pm

11. My Friend had sent me Lucky Bamboo stick plant n have placed it in my Drawing room n within 3-4 weeks its leaves have started turning yellow.
    plz provide me tips how to care for this plant and why the leaves are turning yellow?
    waiting for earliest help n thanking in anticipation. RS

    Yellowing of leaves on a lucky bamboo can be a sign of chlorine and mineral salts in the water. It can also indicate too much sun exposure and or too high temperatures. Use bottled water (spring or rain water) and change it every 1-2 weeks to avoid chlorine and minerals. This is one plant that you don’t have to worry about giving it enough light.

    Comment by ruby — 12/9/2006 @ 4:32 am

12. At a Chinese Christmas party I was given a ‘good fortune’ lucky bamboo plant. It is about four feet tall. My girlfriend planted it in pot using soil. I heard that this was wrong and the plant should be placed in a container with water and rocks–no soil. Who is right?

    You are both right. Luck bamboo can be planted in soil or kept in water. I’m growing them in both.

    Comment by Chris — 12/14/2006 @ 2:18 am

13. Hi, how do I know if my lucky bamboo is dead? I have 2 plants and the top (tip) of the stalks on one plant are bright green and fresh looking, whereas on the other plant, they are all dried up??

    As long as the stalk is green and not yellowing, your lucky bamboo should be fine. It may send out new sprouts at other growth points on the stalk. If it start to turn yellow then it will die.

    Comment by TINA MONTANA — 12/16/2006 @ 7:09 pm

14. I just read all your recent comments made to everyone w/ questions about their bamboo plants and realized I needed to change the water for my bamboo plant. When I did I found a couple clear jelly-like blobs (like jellyfish). What is this and where did it come from? fyi: my plant is about a year old and kept in a shallow vase with water and rocks.

    Chances are that when you bought the plant it had some water gel crystals in the container. This gel crystal binds the water into a gel form. The gel slowly dissolves back to water at a controlled rate keeping the plant hydrated and reducing the need for watering. This gel is also mixed in certain potting soil to help keep the soil from drying out. It will not harm your plant.

    Comment by June Young — 12/29/2006 @ 5:30 pm

15. My lucky bamboo is looking like it’s a little cramped in its pot, and it keeps sending up new “baby plants"…my co-w-orkers tell me that I should 1) break off the babies so they die because they steal nutrients from the “mother plant” and 2) that instead of re-potting my bamboo into a new, 1-inch larger pot, I should just cut the roots so they fit in their pot again. Are my co-workers right?

    Hmm. The new babies are leaf shoots that are part of the plant. You can break them of and if large enough can be rooted to make a new plant. Although they will not develop the same bamboo like stem. Root trimming can be risky. If you trim too much the plant may not be able to uptake enough water and the plant can turn yellow but you can do it. They like lots of water so if you do trim the roots to fit them back in the pot be sure to keep it wet enough so that it can regrow more roots.

    Comment by Michelle — 1/3/2007 @ 8:54 am

16. if my bamboo tree is turning yellow and i cut that stem off will it die?

    I’m not sure which bamboo you are asking about. If it is the “lucky bamboo” Draceana sanderiana, and the stalk is turning yellow, then it is slowly dying. Once they turn yellow there is not much you can do. If the leaves on the stalk are turning yellow but the stalk remains green then remove the yellowed leaf shoot. The green stalk should be fine. It should regrow a new shoot at a different node on the stalk.

    Comment by jenny — 1/21/2007 @ 8:35 pm

17. My lucky bamboo is about 2 years old and the color is looking kind of dull, especially beside my girlfriends new bamboo. I’m sure it darkens with age, but my question is can I add green food coloring dye to the pot to “green” it up? She was given some sort of green liquid when she bought hers, and was told it is to keep it green. So that makes me wonder about the green food coloring for mine. Please advise. thanks in advance.

    The color of lucky bamboo depends on the amount of light it is exposed to . If you keep it in brighter light then the leaves will be a lighter color conversely low light exposure will produce darker leaves. If you haven’t fertilized it, change the water and give it a light dose of houseplant fertilizer or fish emulsion which may perk it up. Chances are your friends green liquid could just be a fertilizer. I have not heard of artificially greening the plant with food coloring. Interesting idea. Given the way the plant grows in water it could absorb the dye, but I wonder at what expense to the health of the plant.

    Comment by Brian — 1/24/2007 @ 8:52 pm

18. Lucky Bamboo
    If planted in soil, should the soil be kept really wet all the time?

    No, water it like a regular plant. Let the top inch dry and then water. Keeping it wet all the time will rot the roots.

    Comment by Aileen — 1/30/2007 @ 1:04 pm

19. Hi,
    I started out with 2 lucky bamboos about 7 years ago and have just added more stems over the years (different varieties). I now have 9 that are about 5 feet from bottom to topmost leaves. I’ve kept them in a tall cylinder with mostly water and little bit of rocks.
    My problem is the roots have overgrown and some areas are black (for the most part they are orange). The roots are also very densely tangled and packed i can’t even separate them. I’d like to trim the roots? or do cutting? Can you post some diagrams what exactly where is a stem/branch/cane,or node/joint before I perform surgery on my dear plant? Thanks.

    I cannot post a diagram but will try to explain. The nodes are the incremental “rings” on the stem. When you cut the stem use a sharp knife and cut 1 inch below the “rings". Place the new cut in water and roots should form within 2-4 weeks. The rings will eventually sprout new shoots forming leaves. It really is as simple as that. I have tried it and it works. Remove the black roots and you can also trim the roots lightly but don’t get carried away. You don’t want to overstress your plant.

    Comment by Julie — 2/25/2007 @ 9:01 pm

20. Hi,
    I’ve had my lucky bamboo plant for 6 months, it was doing very well and growing new leaves. A few weeks ago i noticed it drying and shrivelling on its end. The dried part now has black spots on it and has only gone as far as the leaves, not on them or further down the stalk. The leaves are still green and growing. I have no idea why this happened, could it be infected? I’m worried because now (in the last few days), the stalk started turning yellow. Is there anything i can do? do you know what caused it to shrivel on its end?
    please help soon! thanks in advance

    If the stalk is turning yellow, then it is dying. It’s hard to say what caused the yellowing possibly some kind of fungal infection. Remove the yellowing stalk or cut down below the yellowing section and if you are growing them in water, wash the rest of the stalks with some dishsoap and clean the container.

    Comment by Rene — 2/27/2007 @ 8:30 pm

21. Hi,

    I was reading the past posts and read about the stalks turning yellow. I have a lucky bamboo plant that doesn’t look too well and I was wondering if there is something I can do to save the part that is doing well. The main stalk, or cane, is yellow and mushy. But the part that has sprouted from it is still green and alive. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with it except for one of the leaves having a brown tip. Is there a way I can save that piece or is the whole plant going to die?

    Thanks!

    You can cut off the leaf shoot at the point where it connects to the stalk and root it in water.

    Comment by Vicky — 4/4/2007 @ 2:01 pm

22. HI,MY DAUGHTER JUST GOT ME A LUCKY BAMBOO FOR MOTHERS DAY AND I’M ARAID IT’S A WHOLE NEW PLANT FOR ME.IT IS IN A VASE WITH THE JELLIED WATER BUT I READ THAT THEY CAN BE PUT IN DIRT.I WAS WANDERING HOW FAST THEY GROW AND IS THIS THE KIND OF BAMBOO LIKE WINDCHIMES ARE MADE FROM OR IS IT A DIFFERANT KIND?MY HUSBAND AND I WOULD LIKE TO START GROWING THE KIND WINCHIMES ARE MADE FROM BUT WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT KIND THAT IS.I HAVE MY LUCKY BAMBOO OUT ON MY FRONT PORCH,IS THIS OK OR SHOULD I KEEP IT IN THE HOUSE ONCE IT STARTS GETTING HOTTER OUTSIDE?ANY INFO YOU CAN GIVE ME WOULD BE APPRECIATED.THANKS.

    Lucky bamboo is a relatively slow grower that is great in a room with little light. It prefers low light. Dracaena sanderiana named Lucky bamboo because it resembles bamboo, is different from the “windchimes” bamboo. I consider it a home decor plant and prefer to keep it indoors but it can also go outdoors in the shade. The type of bamboo used for wind chimes is in the Phyllostachys family eg. Phyllostachys flexuosa, P. bambusoides

    Comment by LISA JEFFERS — 5/12/2007 @ 10:39 pm

23. My wife’s bamboo is developing brown rusty looking spots at the base of the leaves and a few black spots on the stems. The cane also has a dark spot about the size of a dime. Cause for worry? What can be done about this?

    It sounds llike the start of some kind of fungal or bacterial disease. Change the water and replace it with distilled water every 2 weeks. If the spots increase in size then it may not be saved. You can try to save the healthy part of the stem by cutting it with a knife (dipped in alcohol) and rerooting that part of the stem to make a new plant.

    Comment by jerry — 6/21/2007 @ 10:35 am

24. Hi, I’ve got a question. I have had my bamboo plant for 10 months, and she is still pretty healthy. She is now growing baby shoots at the very bottom of her stalk, right in the same area as her roots. I would like to keep them growing, but the container I have her in (an Arizona Tea bottle) is becoming too small, as the baby shoots are currently growing horizontally. Is it ok for the shoots to be growing that low on her stalk? I have her in a lot of water, and I am afraid that they may not break the surface. I would also like to put her in a larger pot or container, but I’m not sure what to use. I do not have her in soil. Do you have advice and/or suggestions? Also, she has recently been growing new, different roots. They are very tiny, green, and hooked like little claws. Does this mean she wants to be planted in soil? Please help! Thanks.

    It sounds like your plant is happy, healthy and producing babies. You can replant it in a larger container (glass would work). Fill the bottom with 2 inches of decorative rocks or marbles, place your bamboo on top and add more rocks to hold the stalks in place. Add water to your container filling just above the rocks, the roots will then grow into the rocks where the water is. The baby shoots can eventually be removed(when they get some roots) and used as new plants. You can replant your bamboo in well-drained potting soil but its not necessary.

    Comment by Amanda — 7/2/2007 @ 9:54 am

25. hello ive had a lucky bamboo plant for a year now, it was originaly a pair but one died rather early on, the stalk turned yellow while the leaves remained green, this is now happening to the other one, how can i help this plant stay alive, or, in another thread i noticed that u had suggested plucking a shoot from the stem and planting it, how can i do this?

    Break or cut off the shoot from the stem and place it in water to root. When rooted plant in soil and you will have a new leafy plant. This shoot will not produce a stalk just a leafy plant.

    Comment by joshua aldrete — 7/15/2007 @ 4:15 pm

26. (from previous post): “My bamboo plants are very smelly. There is a rotten sulfur-like smell coming from the roots that doesn’t go away even if I change the water every couple of days. I have tried rinsing the roots but this doesn’t help.” I have this problem too and am wondering what is the cause, and how I can prevent it from happening again?

    It may be caused by either a fungus or bacteria which can come from anywhere(plant, water,container) and flourish when conditions are ripe. The only thing recommended is to rinse the roots. Try using bottled spring water instead of tap water and make sure the container is clean by sanitizing it with a 10% bleach solution.

    Comment by Nancy — 7/17/2007 @ 12:23 pm

27. i have a clear glass vase with glass rocks holding 3 stalks of lucky bamboo about 2 feet tall. about 1 foot is nothing but leaves and the whole plant is very green. I would like to trim the plant so its not quite so leafy, but im not sure if i should just trim the leaves themselves or if i should just take off the entire stalk and leaves stemming from the original plant. if possible i would love to cut these off and re pot them for gifts but im not sure how thick around they should be before i dteatch them from the main stalk. any suggestions?

    It sounds like they are large enough to root. The leaf shoot should be 4-6 inches and can be cut off, placed in water. Once rooted plant it in soil. Be aware that they will not produce the stalks but a leafy plant.

    Comment by Rosie — 8/7/2007 @ 9:51 am

28. I have seen what looks like lucky bamboo with a beautiful pink flower growing in it, but I can’t seem to find it online. Does lucky bamboo grow flowers or were there two separate plants growing in the vase.

    I have not seen lucky bamboo bloom. It would be difficult to get it to bloom. Chances are that it may have been another plant used to enhance the container. Perhaps someone out there has seen Lucky bamboo bloom.

    Comment by Leslie — 10/16/2007 @ 9:48 am

29. Hi there,

    I have had a lucky bamboo plant for about a year now. It has about 15 stalks and is about 2 feet tall now and is in a 4″x4″ pot. This is the original pot it came in. I was meaning to repot it because it looks so cramped but we suddenly had to leave across the country for the summer (my grandfather passed away) and the person caring for things here overlooked it. It didn’t get water for about 2 whole months. When we got home we saw that it was droopy and had a lot of yellow and brown leaves. Most of the stalks and some of the higher leaves are still green. One stalk is shriveled and has a break in it with some tiny black spots. Should we try to repot the plant now (and with what kind of soil and size of pot?) or should we wait until it perks back up. Will it even be able to perk back up in such a small pot? Should we trim back the yellow and brown leaves? Your answers have been amazing so far and I appreciate any help you can give me! Thanks so much!

    Wait till the plant perks up before you traumatize it again. Better yet wait till spring. Repot it in a container that is 1 inch larger (5″ pot) in a well-drained potting soil. You can trim the yellow and brown leaves and remove the stalk that is shriveled as it may be diseased. Be careful not to keep the plant too wet, let it dry before watering again. When grown in soil, lucky bamboo should be watered just like any other houseplant.

    Comment by Jadie — 10/17/2007 @ 5:44 pm

30. PLEASE HELP I NEED TO REPLANT MY LUCKY BAMBOO IN SOIL HOW DO I DO THIS

    Plant your lucky bamboo just like any other houseplant. Place it in a pot that is 1-2 inches larger than the existing container. The container should have drainage holes at the bottom. Use a light pre-moistoned potting soil mix specially formulated for houseplants. Water after planting and let the water drain from the bottom.

    Comment by BRUCE — 10/24/2007 @ 5:10 pm

31. BROWN LEAF TIPS, WHITE CRUST, YELLOW STALKS…

    OK so we have this plant at our office that i take care of. I am temp here, and the plant has been here for 2 years, now that I am here the leaves are turning brown at the ends, look weak, and some of the leaves are yellow. Am I watering it TOO much? It is in a container with only water and pebbles. I heard not to give it tap water so i have washed out the water and put in bottled water a few days ago, when i did this i noticed there is a salty looking crust at the bottome of the stalks near the water, that will crumble off if you touch it. ALSO they were giving it tap water for 2 years, and never had a problem with it, so do you think that I was just giving it too much water? I was filling up the water to the top of the containter which makes some of the stalk emersed…. Please help, if this plant dies I will feel so bad!

    Hi
    The crusty residue is soluble salt accumulation from the tap water. Chances are that the “salty” tap water is starting to have an effect on the leaves and therefore some are turning yellow and browning. You can trim off the yellow leaves but yellow stalks cannot be saved and need to be removed from the container. The water should be changed at least monthly. Fill the container with only a few inches of water enough to cover the roots. Higher water levels can promote excess root growth along the stem.

    Comment by Avy — 11/8/2007 @ 11:28 am

32. I am plant sitting a bamboo plant that is in a glass container with water only. The roots are very thick and half-way up the glass container, which is about 18″ high. I never had a bamboo plant, but now am paying attention to how they should look. The ones I’ve seen are very clean looking in the container - not filled with stringy roots. Should these be left alone or trimmed? Thanks.

    You can trim them up to 1/3 if you find them too crowded or unsightly. Trim away the roots higher up on the stem and leave the ones lower in the water alone. You may be filling the container too high causing roots to form higher up on the stems. Keep the water level at 3-5 inches.

    Comment by Mary — 12/1/2007 @ 6:48 am

33. I have a lucky bamboo with 17 stem, can you please tell me what his symbolizes.
    Thanks,
    Sanjay S

    Whether the number of stems are part of Feng-Shui or a marketing angle, certain numbers have specific meaning but even that has conflicting interpetations. Here are some of the meaning for the number of stalks. Two - Love, 3 -happines (another 3 or 6 attracts happiness), 5 - wealth, 6- luck,health 7 -good health, 8-thrive,growth, wealth, 9- good forutne, 10 - perfection, 21- multiple of 3 x 7 - is very powerfull all-purpose blessing. Your number being 17. Take 7-good health and 10- perfection and you have perfect health. Or get 4 more stems and that will give you 21 for a major powerful blessing. You should avoid 4 stalks however, because the Chinese word for death sounds similar to the word four.

    Comment by Sanjay S — 12/3/2007 @ 4:30 am

34. I got a lucky bamboo plant about a year ago as a gift. It spent about 8 months at home growing new shoots and leaves. When I brought it to my dorm room the leaves continues to grow, the plant looked great. Then I just brought it home for winter break and the plant hasnt been doing so well. Leaves started turning brown and yellow, other leaves started developing these spots on them which eventually killed the leaf. Then one of the stalks started turning yellow. I trimmed off all the bad leaves, and cut off the yellow part of the stalk, and then thinking maybe my plant was too big I put it in a bigger vase. In the process I washed off a lot of that jelly stuff you talked about in earlier comments. My plant was growing well for a year with tap water but I changed to bottled water thinking tap water might be the problem. After two weeks the yellow leaves and spots are still appearing. What is wrong with my plant? It looked to big and lush and now it looks all skimpy from all the plucked leaves. How did my plant go from so good to so bad? Please help!

    Lucky bamboo can start to yellow after being in water for more than 6 months. Now this doesn’t happen all the time. Some plants stay in water for a few years without any problems. Once the stem starts to yellow then it is a goner. Yellowing leaves can be cut off. The leaves may be browning from the dry indoor air but it also sounds as if there is a fungal/ bacterial disease present. Change the water every two weeks and clean the container with soap. Give the plant an aspirin and hope for the best. There is some research being done that indicates that aspirin can boost the natural defenses (SAR) when sprayed on the plant.

    Comment by Bill H — 1/4/2008 @ 9:56 am

35. if the very top of the plant (where the wax is) has dried out, is there any way to save the rest of the plant from browning and drying out. For example, if I cut the dry section off and re-seal it with wax. I have seen a lot of explanations for why a plant browns but I am yet to find a solution. Thanks, Kat

    You can cut off the brown dried out part up to healthy green stem and either let it callus or heal naturally or cover it with wax. I have done both and it works. Make sure you use a clean, sharp knife when making the cut.

    Comment by Kat M — 1/16/2008 @ 8:24 pm

36. I read you can cut off yellow leaves, so i have been doing that. But some leaves on my plant are a yellow-green while others are a dark green. The yellow-green ones arent dying, but they do look unhealthy. Is there any way to make my plant greener and healthier looking? In addition some of the green leaves are starting to curl as if they were dried up and dead, but theyre still green. Any reason why this may be happening?

    Hi Willy
    It’s hard to say what’s wrong with your lucky bamboo. If all the leaves were turning yellow green then I would think it may be getting too much light or needs some fertilizer. Since some are dark green and some yellow green it is possible that only one stalk is going bad. How do the stalks look? Are they a nice green color? You can loose leaves, as long as the stalk is healthy because it will regrow new shoots at other points of the stalk. Also check the amount of water in your container-too little or too much can cause yellow leaves. Water leavel should be 2-3 inches.

    Comment by Willy — 1/20/2008 @ 11:35 am

37. I may be giving my plant too much water, I cant imagine its getting too much light as the sun never shines through my window. It may also be the water I am using, I read they dont like water straight from the faucet. The stalks seem to be healthy, although one started turning yellow at the top. I cut the yellow part off and now the stalk seems to be doing okay. I havent fertilized it yet, but I might try that if it doesnt seem to be getting any better. I also had another question though. I know lucky bamboo is a water lily relative so it does okay living in just water and pebbles. But is this plant poisonous to fish? Ive read that it is but ive also seen reports and pictures where fish appear to be okay. The reason I ask is I saw someone with a lucky bamboo in a fish bowl and a betta swimming around it, and it was very cool looking so id love to try it. But if its harmful to the fish i dont want to. This is a picture of the bowl: http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/enlarge.php/897

    Some sites say they have done it and there fish is okay, others say the roots will poison the fish. I think the fish and plant would work well together, the fish waste fertilizing the plant naturally, and the plant giving the fish a habitat, but thats only if it doesnt kill the fish

    Thanks for sending the picture. It’s the first time I have seen this combination. Creating this eco-system of plant and fish is a great idea not to mention a good conversation piece. I have seen it with other plants but not lucky bamboo. Apparently it is not toxic to the fish. You will have to feed the fish. It will not survive feeding on the roots of the plant, although the plant will benefit from the fish “fertilizer". A round bowl works best so that the stalk are not completely immersed in water. Another suggestion I read was to put the plant in a separate container (narrow vase) and place it inside the fish bowl-that way you can easily clean the bowl when needed. If your bamboo came in a gel-like substance, make sure you wash that off before placing it in the fish bowl. Here’s a good blog for the info you’re looking for.http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/crafts/msg0312162319466.html

    Comment by Willy — 1/23/2008 @ 2:58 pm

38. Hello, I have a lucky bamboo that was given to me about 2 weeks ago. It was healthy, green and no problems. I changed it’s water yesterday using tap water and today I notice one of the leaf is a yellowy green so it’s basically in the middle of turning yellow and being green. It’s not completely yellow. I read that is caused from using tap water and direct sunlight, which is what I exposed it in. I just put it away from dresser and on my night stand and changed the water to a purified water. So my question is, do I need to cut off that leaf that is in the midst of turning yellow or should I leave it and it will recover on its own?

    Wait and see what happens. The leaf may be yellow-green because of too much light and may green up in less light. It will need some time to readjust. If the leaf turns completely yellow /brown then cut it off. It is not unusual for a leaf to turn yellow, as long as the stalk is green and healthy, you have nothing to worry about.

    Comment by Summer — 2/11/2008 @ 8:41 pm

39. Hi there,
    I was fascinated by these lucky bamboo as they call it and wanted to keep one for us and bought one. Its very small one only about 10 Cms in height. I had about 19 of them nicely tied in a red thread. 2 of them died after becoming yellow. Now the third one is almost dead. When i had a look at that the top part of the stem is very much yellow and is spoongy. So after reading all the above i kind of assuming that it is dead but the bottom part is strong and there is a leaf coming out as well but it just started. I didn’t like the thought that its dying so i used my knife and cut the top part and the bottom part leaving just about 1/2 a cm of stem with the leaves coming out. I have placed them in water for the roots to grow. Am i right in doing this. I understand that if it grows it will be a leafy plant. I have 2 questions for you. 1. Will it survive? 2. How do we grow the stem if possible and if not why doesn’t the stem grow?

    Yes, it’s possible that your cutting will root and survive. You can also plant it in soil and grow it as a houseplant.
    It takes a long time to grow the stem. First it starts out as a leafy plant and then as the plant matures and looses its lower leaves, it will produce the bamboo-like stem

    .

    Comment by Sharan — 3/19/2008 @ 2:34 pm

40. If I cut the roots of my bamboo because it is over taking the planter. Will it die?

    Trim a little at a time. Cut off the dried, darker roots avoiding the white, healthy feeder roots. If you trim too much at once , the plant may not be able to uptake water and die.

    Comment by Shannon — 4/1/2008 @ 9:54 pm

41. hi i have a lucky bamboo that my boyfriend and i bought about 5 years ago its two stems, one is wrapped around the other, does that signify something. also we just moved from wisconsin to georgia and the middle leaves are turning yellow what should i do? i already stopped watering it with tap water. should i cut the middle leaves off???? i dont want this plant to die its been with us for five years

    Hi Brenda
    Two bamboo signifies LOVE see above comment of 12/0707. You can cut off the yellow leaves.

    Comment by brenda — 4/9/2008 @ 2:50 pm

42. I noticed some small black spots on the stalks of my Lucky bamboo. It looks like some type of fungus/mold. Is there something I can do to remedy this?

    The black spots are a sign of fungal/bacterial infection. The best recommendation is to change the water, rinse the plant and wash the container with a 10% bleach solution(1 part bleach to 10 parts water). There are some recommendations to put an aspirin in the water. I haven’t tried it.

    Comment by angela — 4/10/2008 @ 5:48 pm

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