EasyBloom Forum

We are having trouble with our Lucky Bamboo. We have it in water, with stones on top of it. It was doing very well for a very long time but all of a sudden it is getting brown leaves. It is in a plant window that is "double" tinted so it does not get direct sun rays. We tried it in less sunlighted areas but it did not change anything. Does anyone have any suggestions for this plant to revive it?

Hey Richard...When Lucky Bamboo's leaves start turning brown, I generally think of one of two things. It's either getting too much light, which in your case it does not seem to be the issue; or there is something wrong with the with the rootzone. I'm thinking it's the latter of the two so I will expand upon this. Lucky Bamboo, aka Dracaena sanderiana, can be grown in standing water. Many home gardeners will simply add more water to the bowl of pebbles that the roots are sitting in. This is fine, but the bowl will need to be flushed of the water from time to time. If a gardener simply refills the bowl with water time and time again, even the use of the cleanest of tap waters will result in a salt buildup in the water. As the salt builds up, the plant will suffer. I would recommend flushing the water out from time to time by simply pouring out the standing water and replacing the water completely. I would also repeat this a number of times to leach out some of the salts.

There may also be the issue of chlorinated, fluoridated or soft water. Chlorinated water can be treated by being left out for a day or two. If you fear that you have salty water that is a result from fluoridation or soft water, you may want to purchase filtered water if you are strongly inclined to keep your Lucky Bamboo thriving. It is true that plants, including your Lucky Bamboo, need salts for nutrition, but the three previous examples provide salts that your Lucky Bamboo has a hard time dealing with. Yes, the potassium in soft water is beneficial to the plant, but a buildup of chloride can cause some problems. Other than too many salts in the irrigation water, the rootzone may be overcrowded with roots. If that's the case you may want to repot the plant. I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if you have any further questions. Happy Gardening...Dr. Robby