Lucky bamboo leaves turning yellow

[Kevin]

My Bamboo has always struggled ever since my mom nearly killed it by sticking it outside in 90 degree temperature in the back on cement after I expressly forbade her not to. She tried to show me I was wrong and nearly wound up killing my plant.

I recently replanted it three weeks ago and it seemed to be doing fine! I only ever give it sterilized water. But all of a sudden, yesterday it started turning yellow. And today it smells like rotting eggs/sulfer.

I have no idea what is causing this and it is happening so fast! How can I save my plant!?

Is there special plant food I can buy?

Or are the aquarium rocks I bought doing this to him!?

[Mark Meckes]

Hi Kevin, you mention aquarium rocks ...
Is this a 'lucky bamboo' ? (Dracaena sanderiana)
... which is not really a bamboo except by common name.

Mark

[Kevin]

I do not know. I was told when it was given to me that it is a "water bamboo" (that is what they told my mom). She bought it at an oriental gift shop.

Maybe it is a lucky bamboo (not a real one) :(

All I know is my bamboo are very small, they are only now maybe two and a half feet tall for the tallest one.

The tallest one does not have the problem of smelling like sulfer. But of the two smallest, one has a very bright yellow leaf, and the other one just has pale leaves.

I have moved it away from downstairs and put it next to my computer with the window open. The fresh air seems to have perked the leaves up a little. But I am still very worried.

I do not know how to take care of my bamboo, though I've tried my best in the last few years that I've owned it. I nursed it back to health, and just replanted it into a large clear plastic planter.

I only just replanted it maybe it's a month ago now, but it wasn't looking sick until this past weekend :(

If you can let me know anything that might help, I will be very grateful. I also wonder if I should give it specific type of plant food or replant it into soil.

:(

[Kevin]

Oh yes it does appear to be a Dracaena sanderiana.

:( I just don't know anything about this poor plant and usually my plants tend to thrive, which is why it makes me worried.

[Kevin]

Ok I tried to find something about sulfer and bamboo and I found one q/a site that says:

sulfer smell is decaying plant tissue.

If this is correct, then it appears I may have to replant my bamboo into soil?

But I do not know what kind of soil to keep it healthy and away from diseases.

:(

[Mark Meckes]

Hi Kevin,
I don't have much experience with this plant.
We had one several years ago till, it's leaves suddenly began to yellow, the stalk turned to mush and died.
I attributed this to possibly having it near a cold dim-lit window during the winter months ... so I think it can be a finicky plant with changes of temperature and humidity in a house during the winter.
I would check the root/color to see if they have gone through some kind of shock in transplanting.
The smell you mentioned is not a good sign.
I don't think planting in soil would help if the root system has begun to decay.
I've read that you can use a very dilute plant fertilizer, and also that one problem is salt build-up in the water/plant that can affect this plant.
No idea if this could be caused by the rocks you used.

Anyway, all the best, and I hope that you have better luck reviving your plant than we had.

Mark

[cngodles]

If you've got a long enough stock, you can cut the rotten part off and replace it into a glass of water. Over the next couple of weeks it will regrow it's roots, a trait that real bamboo does not have.

This plant is super easy to reproduce. You could cut a stock into 6 pieces, place them into water, and they should all root again. You can plant them in soil, sand, anything, as long as it gets water. Also, use of distilled/spring water is really prefered.

I personaly felt betrayed the day I found out that this is not really a bamboo. But I still keep a couple.

They actually do well with just ambient daylight, not full fun.

--Clint

[Kevin]

Thank you guys!

Thakn you godles!

I will try to help my plant tonight and tomorrow.

The yellow leaf which was drooping so poorly is now perking up, I see color returning to the base.

Hopefully sunlight was the only major problem, but I am going to check the roots.

I am worried that the roots were damaged by the aquarium rocks, that was always a worry for me. I think soil may be the best way to relieve pressure from the roots. Until then I will get a vase, and I will wash the roots and change the water every day.

I will try to use a very diluted liquid plant food because the water in my area even when sterilized is a worry for me. What do you suggest? x10 the normal amount of water to dilute it? or x100 normal amount?

thank you!

[cngodles]

I have no recommendation on the plant food as I've only ever used water.

The first one of these that I bought was in a small ceramic pot with about aquarium sized stones 3 years ago. And it's still in the same pot.

I have 3 plantings of these. One is in soil, one is in sand, one is in gravel.

[Kevin]

Well it seems that after cleaning my one bamboo, the roots were damaged from the stupid aquarium rocks. Makes me so angry.

But good news is, new roots were immediately growing YAY.

I may not even have to chop off the base because it appears that my bamboo will grow!:D

I have to check my other bamboo in a day or so. The one with the yellow leaf. But for the moment, the base seems sturdy, and the only way I was able to take my other bamboo from the pot was because it was so instable from the roots having been damaged and dying it just came out.

I have it growing in a glass now. My large size plant, I am unsure I should take that one out until I have a stable pot to place it in with soil. As it seems to be healthy and undamaged!

[Kevin]

Well I am angry.

I will tell you why.

I realize now why my poor lucky bamboo got so sick. The thing is, they were given to me with small blue rocks. They were aquarium rocks. So when I wanted to buy a bigger pot, I decide to use blue aquarium rocks mixed with natural looking rocks. So I bought aquarium rocks that were "safe for fish".

These blue aquarium rocks that were "safe for fish", of which I spent $40 on, were leaking blue dye contaminating the water.

If I had fish, it would have killed them.

It makes me so angry, I am sure this is what made my little plants sick. It explains why the two smallest plants were hit hardest, and why the bigger one which has survived a lot managed to avoid being too sick.

I have cleaned their roots, and many of the roots fell off (they were dark grey and just fell off), so hopefully new roots will grow. I hope I didn't damage the roots too much.

It makes me so angry.

Well, I believe that now they are all safely out and in some water in regular cups they will regenerate. I am also going to find some regular soil to transplant in the next week - just to give em enough time to recouperate and fight whatever is ailing them. I do not know much about plant biology, but I am sure that blue dye cannot be healthy for my poor plants.

[joey888]

hello! I need help with my bamboo! It has been fine for about a year, now all of the sudden there is this sulfur-ish smell and even though I cleaned the bowl, gravel, and rinsed the bamboo roots, the smell came back. Many of the leaves have turned yellow quite suddenly as well. I threw out the gravel it had been sitting in for a year, bleached the small bowl it is in, and bought glass marbles to replace the gravel. The smell is back! What should I do? I love my bamboo and I keep hearing/reading different reasons for the yellow leaves and smell. Please help!

[CaroleMeckes]

Is the root area of your lucky bamboo firm or mushy?