By Tamara Horne
Lucky Bamboo Care Guide
How Often to Water Lucky Bamboo in Soil
How to Take Care of a Bamboo Plant in Water
If your bamboo plant is growing in water, keep the roots always covered with water. Dump the water and refill it with fresh water every two weeks. Use distilled water or rainwater, to prevent the fluoride in tap water from turning the leaf tips brown.
Sunlight eventually causes algae to grow in water. It’s a natural occurrence and a sign the water is due to be changed. Replace the water, plus scrub and rinse any rocks submerged in the water. To prevent the water from turning green, move the plant to a less sunny spot.
How to Take Care of a Bamboo Plant in Rocks
Some lucky bamboo plants have rocks on top of their soil. These glued rocks hold the plant in place during shipping. It does create some problems when it comes to judging the water needs of the plant. When lucky bamboo is grown in soil, we recommend removing the rocks. This allows the moisture in the soil surface to be tested for watering.
To remove the rocks, soak them in water and carefully pry them apart. Now that you can touch the soil, test the soil with your fingertip and water whenever the top inch is dry. Fluoride in tap water can make the leaf tips turn brown. To prevent this, water your lucky bamboo with distilled water or rainwater instead. If you prefer to leave the glued rocks intact, research tips for caring for plants with pebble mulch.
Lucky Bamboo Fertilizer
Does Lucky Bamboo Need Sunlight
Ongoing Lucky Bamboo Plant Care
Help for an Unhealthy Lucky Bamboo
Lucky Bamboo Leaves Turning Yellow
Lucky Bamboo Stem Turning Yellow
Lucky Bamboo Stem Turning Brown
When a lucky bamboo’s stem turns brown, it’s a sign of the roots rotting from over-fertilization or over-watering in plants potted in soil. It’s a drastic situation and the plant may not be savable, but it doesn’t hurt to try. Cut off the unhealthy, brown stem and attempt to start new roots by setting the remaining healthy stem in water.
Propagating and Dividing Lucky Bamboo Plants
If the plant is getting too tall, cut an offshoot from the main stem one inch above the node (the rings along the stem). Set the newly cut stalk in two inches of water and wait for the roots to grow. In a few weeks, the new plant is ready to continue growing in water alone or potted in soil.
Multiple stalks can be split into more than one pot if desired.
How & When to Repot Lucky Bamboo
- When bamboo stems or roots are restricted by the current container, then you should transfer your plant to a larger pot.
- If your lucky bamboo plant is growing in just water, simply move it to a new container with fresh water.
- If your lucky bamboo plant is growing in rocks, remove the rocks and scrub them to clean, place your plant in the new container (or trim back the roots to use the same container) and replace the rocks.
- If you are growing lucky bamboo in soil, dampen the soil and remove the plant from the pot. Repot with rich, well-draining soil that holds the right amount of moisture and nutrients without remaining soggy or wet.
My lucky bamboo turning brown even the stick it be becomes brown too what can I do can u help me what can I do… Thank you
Hi Wendy,
Unfortunately, you can’t bring the brown stems back to life. If there is still some green stem at the top of the plant you could cut the stem in the area of the healthy tissue (green tissue, no yellow or brown) and attempt to root a new plant in water. Make sure the container is clean and sterile (especially if you plan to use the existing container). Also, there is a reason that your stem turned brown in the first place. Be sure that roots are always covered with water and that your plant is not in a hot location. If you don’t resolve what happened to the original plant, your attempt at growing a new plant may not be successful.
Great article!
One of the best ones I’ve found and very useful. Thank you!!
I was wondering, when and how do I repot my off cut lucky bamboo shoots? They have grown roots and are healthy. Do I repot them soil? If so, what type of soil?
Thanks Shyreen!
You can pot your cuttings in a commercial potting mix for houseplants. Be sure to use a pot with a drainage hole. If you started your plants in water you’ll want to keep the soil on the moist side for a couple of weeks and then transition to a more “normal” watering frequency; typically once a week for most plants. Feel the top inch or two of soil and water thoroughly when dry. The roots that develop in water are fine and delicate compared to roots that develop on a plant grown in soil, so time is needed for the plant to adapt to its new growing medium. As you probably already know, you also have the option of continuing to grow your plants in water.
Hi. I have a bamboo grown in soil. Is it at all possible to transition it to no soil and water only?
Hi Anna,
You can move your lucky bamboo from soil to just water. Remove the plants from the soil and remove all of the soil from the roots. Rinse the soil off with water if needed to get them clean. Place the stem(s) in a container with a small enough neck that it will support the stems. You can add some clean rocks or glass pebbles to the base of the container if needed to weigh down the container. Fill the container with enough water to cover the roots plus and inch or two.
It’s best to use distilled or rainwater. All members of the Dracaena genus are sensitive to fluoride that is common in tap water. It can cause browning tips and leaf spotting over time as the fluoride accumulates and concentrates in the plant tissue and the leaf tips resulting in “burning”. Some sources will tell you that if you leave tap water out for 24 hours the fluoride will evaporate away. That’s true for chlorine, but not fluoride, which cannot be removed by evaporation, boiling, or carbon-based water filters.
What is the best water and fertilizer for a lucky bamboo plant grown in soil and pebbles
Hi Angela,
The best water for a lucky bamboo plant is distilled, filtered, rain, or bottled water. Tap water usually contains chlorine and fluoride which can accumulate in the leaf tissue and eventually cause damage to the plant (usually seen as browning leaf tips). You may use tap water if you let it sit out for a day or two in an open container to allow the chemicals to evaporate.
The best fertilizer for a lucky bamboo growing in water is a mild, balanced liquid formulation, such as a 10-10-10 balance, highly diluted to at least half the normal rate (based on the product directions). Depending on how often you change out the water, you should only feed every 3 months or after 4 water changes.
Does lucky bamboo grown in water need to be in a see through container?
Hi Tricia,
Lucky bamboo does not have to be grown in a clear container when growing in water. A clear container has the advantage of allowing you to see the condition of the roots at any time, but it is not necessary for growing a lucky bamboo plant in water.
How much water do you give them when you can’t see in the pot with rock
Hi Ellen,
As we mention in the article, there really isn’t a good way to know the water level when the surface has rocks glued over it. That is why we recommend removing the rocks whenever possible. Most houseplants require watering once a week so you might use that as a guide for how often to add water to your plant. Just top it off weekly.