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Doesn't this plant have root rotting property? I tried to grow this in my home which had the tubelight burning only for 6 hours at night. And at the rest of the time it is a shady place. We used to change the water after 3-4 days, still its leaves started turning yellow. How do I preserve this plant? I want to see it growing big!

When purchased from the shop, it looks exactly as shown below.

enter image description here

3 Answers 3

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You can refer to this article, I think it is okay.

In my opinion, you changed the water too frequently. You should only change the water if the water is dirty or bad. When you change the water, you should never throw away all the old water, but retain 1/2 of the old water because lucky bamboo plants are sensitive to water quality change. The ultimate solution is - do not throw away the old water, but let it evaporate until you think the water is insufficient, then add some new water to it. It is better to use distilled water with this approach. Add fresh water every 3 to 4 weeks. Patience is a virtue! (You can also use chlorinated tap water, which is sterile, but remember to let it stand for 1 night before use.)

Also, you should have washed away any dirt in the roots right after you bought it from the store.

And although this is not referenced, most of my local people suggest putting 1 or 2 iron nails into the water. Trust it or not.

Check out what type of light tube it is - if it is hot, it will lead to yellowing of the leaves. Bamboo plants like indirect light.

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  • I agree with the above answer to your question. However, the plant in question (Lucky Bamboo) is not bamboo. It is a dracaena. It is in the same family as the Corn Plant and Marginata. Due to the way that it grows and looks it is called incorrectly called bamboo. Most bamboo which is in the grass family, would not do well sitting in water. Jul 4, 2011 at 11:50
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Although I have no experience of this particular variety, I suspect that the main reason why its leaves are yellowing is that it is receiving too much direct light. These plants prefer indirect light. They are fairly tolerant of low-light conditions and the room in which it lives looks light enough for its needs; the light tube is probably doing more harm than good. I would:

  • switch off the light and move the plant nearer to the window.

  • change the water less frequently, retaining some of the existing water, as already suggested, but using only bottled water.

  • feed it every month or so.

  • try growing it in a suitable potting compost (kept moist, but not wet), if, after allowing time for fresh, healthy foliage to grow, there is no improvement.

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    Thanks again, instead of bottled water can I use filtered water? I mean we use a high quality water filter which is known for killing 100% germs, will that water not do? And by feeding you mean fertilizers? Jul 6, 2011 at 4:08
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    The reason why I suggested bottled water is that this plant is very sensitive to chlorine and other chemicals that are usually used to purify tap water, but are not present in bottled water. If you let the filtered tap water stand for 24 hours before using it, the chlorine should evaporate, but the other chemicals may not. As I said, you will need to feed (=fertilize) the plant every month or so. Jul 6, 2011 at 12:26
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    You could try the filtered water for a time (after letting it stand) and, if there is no improvement in the health of your plant, switch to bottled water. Jul 6, 2011 at 12:48
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    Yes, you can, Anisha. Keep the bottle somewhere cool; you can keep it in the fridge, but take it out several hours before using it, so that the water reaches room temperature. Jul 6, 2011 at 17:55
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    If you keep it in the fridge, it will definitely remain fresh. Jul 7, 2011 at 12:46
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I've had one of these bamboo plants for approximately 10-11 years I use distilled water on it and indirect light and it just keeps growing.

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