help! my lucky bamboo looks sick (growing, trees, how to, south)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
i posted about how to plant my lucky bamboo and i thank you for your replies. i did as instructed and put them in rocks and a bit of distilled water. i noticed today that one of the stalks is turning yellow. should i forget this water method and plant them in potting soil instead? or adjust my water amount. im thinking yellow means too much water? i just got these plants a few days ago and have always wanted them and dont want to lose them. maybe i am killing them with kindness or glancing at them too much
any help would be appreciated!
What do you mean by a bit of water? They should be down into the rocks and then the water should come up over the top of the rocks, so not only the roots of the lucky bamboo are covered, but also some of the stalk...is this what you are doing?
hmmm, maybe that is my problem. this is what i did: placed the stalk into the glass container, held it upright while i filled with an aquarium gravel approx 1/2 the height of the container (i rinsed the gravel well) (couldnt find the larger decorative rocks that i had in mind so i choose a tiny gravel), then i poured in approx 6 oz of distilled water.
the gravel seems to make it appear that i dont have much water in there but im thinking i have too much (water)? maybe too much gravel? the yellow part of the stalk is also mushy so i just cut that part of a while ago. i also just read that water amount should be according to length of stalk (ex: 4-6" stalk should have 1" of water. 8-14" stalk should have 2" of water. im at a loss. i know there is a simple explanation for my problem but i am not used to growing things in water so i am at a loss. any help would be appreciated (though i suppose it could just be a diseased plant that i bought).
Yellowing is a sign of overwatering.
My Lucky Bamboo is in a 4 inch wide X 4 inch deep pot with rocks only. The plant is 14 inches tall with numerous branches and foilage. It is indoors with indirect lighting near a south window. I give it 4 ounces of tap water every 7 days. I also add liquid iron mixed with the 4 oz of water every 2 months. It is solid green and thriving. It has been in my possesion for 2 years.
I have several of these bamboo plants. One is doing well, it is being neglected, which is good. The other I watch too much, water too much, also getting yellow!! So will just leave it alone for awhile. The one doing well is only in water, the yellowed one is in rocks.
I have talked with my local bambo expert about your problem. She tells me the following. You can't over water them because they live in water. Don't put them in dirt! They must be in water with rocks or you can use marbles. When they are turning yellow that means they are dying. There is nothing that can be done for them once they are turning yellow, they will die no matter what you do.
Your expert is incorrect. They must have water only in moderation, for the size of the plant. Over watering drowns the plants by choking out the oxygen, it also softens the root system where it it becomes mushy and dies.
When you water a plant, it pushes all the air out, as the water dissapates and absorbed into the root system it draws oxygen in for the plant to survive. This goes for all plants and trees, potted or in the ground.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
