Why is My Lucky Bamboo Turning Yellow and How to Save It

Worried about your Lucky Bamboo Turning Yellow and Dying? This article has cures for it! Read it carefully to learn why it happens.

Lucky Bamboo is a famous indoor plant that brings abundance and good luck to households. The plant is noted for its striking appearance and low-care nature. Still, some growers complain about their Lucky Bamboo Turning Yellow, so we’ve brought you the best solutions for what to do in such a situation!

Learn how to grow and care for Lucky Bamboo plants here!

How to Save a Dying Lucky Bamboo

Lucky Bamboo Turning Yellow Reason #1 — Not Changing the Water Frequently

It is the number one reason behind lucky bamboo leaves turning yellow. Letting the plant grow in the same water for weeks leads to rot, which eventually turns the leaves yellow, and the plant dies.

Solution

Change the water every 4-6 days to keep the roots healthy and growing. Also, clean the bowl or vase thoroughly using a cloth or toothbrush when you see the water spots.

Here are the best types of lucky bamboos to grow

Lucky Bamboo Turning Yellow Reason #2 — Keeping the plant in Complete Darkness

People tend to keep their lucky bamboo in the dark setting, most often in windowless rooms, which ends up making the foliage yellow because of the lack of natural light. This can be a reason behind lucky bamboo yellow leaves.

Solution

Keep the plant where it gets some indirect light for the best growth.

Lucky Bamboo Turning Yellow Reason #3 — Using Chlorine or Fluorinated Water

Lucky bamboo is highly susceptible to chlorinated/fluorinated water; excess of it makes the plant sick and yellow. Scorched leaves are also one of the symptoms of chlorine toxicity.

Solution

Use filtered, soft, RO, rain, or well water to grow the plant. While using tap water from a public source, let it sit for overnight to make the salts settle down. You can also use aquarium water every once in a while – it will work as a fertilizer.

Lucky Bamboo Turning Yellow Reason #4 — Keeping the Plant in Direct Sunlight

Exposing this plant to prolonged direct sunlight can burn the tips. Lucky bamboo prefers bright indirect light.

Direct sunlight will burn the leaves, while complete darkness will stop the plant from photosynthesizing — both leading to its slow death.

Solution

The best way to make sure it stays healthy is to expose it to indirect light. The best locations for placing lucky bamboo, according to feng shui, are the east and southeast areas.

Lucky Bamboo Turning Yellow Reason #5 — Salt Build-up Due to Overfertilization

Adding too much fertilizer also adds to the salt build-up in the water, resulting in leaf burn or yellowing.

Solution

Use just a pinch of balanced fertilizer in the vase while changing the water. And that too once in 3-7 weeks. Also, do not feed the plant for a couple of weeks after bringing it home from the plant store. Let it acclimate to its new surroundings first.

Lucky Bamboo Turning Yellow Reason #6 — Buying Plants With No or Small Roots

If a lucky bamboo stick has very small or no roots, it will not be able to uptake the nutrients from the growing medium in the way it should, making the leaves and stems yellow, and eventually, that plant will die.

Solution

While buying the plant, make sure it has a good root system. Inspect the lucky bamboo arrangement carefully at its bottom to have a good look at the roots of each stem. 

Lucky Bamboo Turning Yellow Reason #7 — Keeping in Low Temperature

Avoid keeping the plant near a window where it will be exposed to low temperatures, especially if you live in a cold region. Also, keep it away from the AC vents.

Solution

Place it at a spot where the plant is exposed to steady and warm room temperature.

Lucky Bamboo Turning Yellow Reason #8 — Changing the Growing Medium

Changing the growing medium of the plant will also make the stems and leaves yellow till the time it adapts to it. For example, placing a plant in the soil that was actively growing in water will make the leaves yellow.

Solution

Avoid changing the growing medium of the plant. However, if you do, the plant will turn yellow till it adapts to the new growing medium and will be green again after some time. 

The Bottom Line

As these plants age, the older leaves start to take a yellow hue, which is a natural indication of aging. Snip away the old yellow foliage to make the plant focus its energy on growing more new leaves.

Do not keep the yellow or brown leaves on your lucky bamboo, as they can spread decay to the entire plant.

Here are the tips to save your basil leaves from turning Brown.