bamboo dying - Ask Extension
Dear Master Gardener: I was given this bamboo plant a year ago. The pot has no drainage and there is no soil just pebbles. i watered it once a week. o...
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bamboo dying #366072
Asked September 27, 2016, 9:36 AM EDT
Dear Master Gardener: I was given this bamboo plant a year ago. The pot has no drainage and there is no soil just pebbles. i watered it once a week. overtime the leaves started turning yellow so i thought it was not getting enough light and placed in a nice sunny window ( bad). I use bottled water but never drained the pot. However more leaves are yellowing so the gardeners at the library suggested repotting and putting in shade. However the roots are brown. Can i revive this plant or will it continue to die on me? Thank-you.
Calvert County Maryland
Expert Response
The plant looks like Lucky bamboo which is really a Draceana type plant. Focus on proper care.
The plant like diffused light and rotate it every so often.
Change out the water at least once a week, washing down the container and the roots as well. Distilled or rain water would really work best. The plant is not adapted to fluoride in tap water. Here is some more info http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/mastergardener/pdfs/newsletters/Spring2003.pdf
mh
The plant like diffused light and rotate it every so often.
Change out the water at least once a week, washing down the container and the roots as well. Distilled or rain water would really work best. The plant is not adapted to fluoride in tap water. Here is some more info http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/mastergardener/pdfs/newsletters/Spring2003.pdf
mh
thank you. but are the roots healthy? is the yellowing above the roots normal? should i cut the stalk and regrow?
Thank you so much for your quick reply.
Jasmine
Thank you so much for your quick reply.
Jasmine
The roots do not look that healthy and the yellowing does not look normal. It is up to you if you want to experiment with propagation. Try with one stalk. Make a clean cut just above the leaf bract. Take the stalk you have cut off and root in water.
You may need to start over with new plants.
mh
You may need to start over with new plants.
mh
If you decide to start over, Try Growing in distilled water with pebbles no soil.
mh
mh
ok. thanks. the only plants for me are cacti. will try to save this one.
jm
jm
