Grayish lucky bamboo

11 years ago

I'm new to owning lucky bamboo and I received some as a gift from someone who does not often by plants. As soon as I saw it I could tell something was wrong; the stalks were puckered, they were dull at the top, and the leaves were crunchy. Upon further inspection I found the plant was surrounded on all sides by Styrofoam and what little room was left was taken up by gravel and that jelly-like substance that usually comes with aquatic plants. I removed the Styrofoam and rinsed the jar and roots then replaced the gravel and gave it new water. It's been almost a week now and the plant hasn't perked up so I took everything out and changed the water again. With any other plant I'd just snip off the part that doesn't look right but I'd really prefer not to have to cut off the twisty top. The roots don't smell bad or anything. Maybe it was sitting in sun that was too bright?

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Comments (3)

Sans2014
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Are the roots firm and healthy, are the leaves all toast? What kind of water are you using. When you dumped the water the second time, how did it look? Keep it out of direct sun and change the water weekly for a while. I have a variegated LB which demands that I give it distilled water or its leaf edges get brown. My Green LB is fine with well water. I almost never fertilize my LB's
Fred
Celeste
Original Author
11 years ago
The roots look fine they're not rotten or anything. The leaves aren't healthy but they aren't dead either. They feel paper thin almost like they're wilting or something. Also, some are white in certain areas, which makes me think they got too much sun and bleached. I used water that sat out all night because I read online that gets rid of the chemicals but I plan to use rainwater on the next water change. When I changed the water last time it was totally normal, not smelly or discolored or anything. I'm really not sure why the plant looks this way, it still hasn't gotten any better.
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Sans2014
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Too strong of sunlight with too little acclimation might account for the symptoms. As long as the roots are OK just change the water every now and then and keep it in bright filtered light. As for setting the water out, it is a very good idea but will not rid the water of all the chemicals nor any of the mineral salts. The only chemicals that will dissipate are the ones that will evaporate such as chlorine. One other advantage to setting the water to stand overnight is that it will be at room temperature when you water. This is good for plants. I think you are doing all the right things. Good luck and keep us posted. Everyone likes success stories!
Fred