A W-

Since repotting I water once a week I drip distilled water water around the base of the plant until I think it's plenty water, no excess water has been shot out from the drainage hole on the bottom which I think is a good sign

Most of the roots were orangish and a few were more white, I only cut off the roots that were dark and slimy and gross (again I am new at lucky bamboo so I was weary and made sure not to cut anything else besides the darker ones)

I felt the stalks just now, I think they might be dry but then again I have never known seen of touch a healthy lucky bamboo so I can't compare I did notice with the stalks a different shade like lighter shade of green in a ring around some of the stalks, you can see in the pictures I have provided not sure if that's normal


Thank you! And please let me know about the roots and watering!

Hmm are you sure it's enough water and the soil is well draining?

It seems like a small container so I'm surprised that nothing has come out of the drainage hole.

If you stick your little finger in the soil (trying not disturb the roots in the small container too much), does it feel like it's at least moist an inch / inch and a half down?

Also 2 additional questions:

1) the gold ring around them, it's not too tight that it chokes them, right?

2) When you repotted and got rid of the dark,slimy, mushy roots, did you clean/rinse it so the rest of the roots/stalk was not slimy? And the healthy roots that were there, was there a lot of them, were they a tangled mess?

A healthy stalk is green, firm and generally smooth with very slight or no wrinkles.

The lighter shade of green in a ring is just cosmetic, it's generally nothing to worry about, it just means that it was either wrapped or tied together and thus was not exposed to any light so it's paler than the rest of the stalks.

A W-

I stuck my little finger an inch into the pot, I just watered yesterday and it's dry.

I did rinse off the roots after I cut the dead and also did my best to untangle, they were very tightly entangled so without breaking them I did my best to let them have space but the way the grew was together and close

The gold cuffs are fine, not tight at although they were when I first bought the plant and I immediately loosened them.

Maybe you are right about the watering, it's dry and just watered yesterday!

This is the soil I used for repotting. A guy on YouTube who had a lot of knowledge about lucky bamboo said this soil is awesome and it's well drainage.

OK so just monitor its moisture, you don't want it to be completely dry and you don't want it to be soggy.

I would suggest to monitor it for 3 - 7 days, and update me on the progress. Keep an eye on whether it wilts and whether the wrinkles on the stalk get wrinklier or smoother.

Hopefully it was just not enough water. If the stalk starts to turn yellow that would be something to worry about...and if it becomes worse within the next couple of days then I would take it out of the pot and inspect it's roots and go from there.

Lucky Bamboo's are really hardy plants, as long as it doesn't turn yellow, and we figure out the problem it'll hopefully get better.

If it does get better and you figure out how much water it likes, you can always add a shallow layer of decorative river pebbles on top of the soil so your not looking at brown dirt. But that's once it becomes healthy and established.

Lucky Bamboo was my first plant that got me into gardening and plants and I truly love mine and treat them like my babies.

Thank you, I will monitor and find the sweet spot for the hydration! Thanks again!

Moisture Control potting soil is no a good idea for houseplants- It is designed for out doors summer flowers grown in containers in the full sun.

Really? What kind do you suggest?

@sans2014 @Marina Garcia, I wouldn't have a problem growing lucky bamboo in that soil.

...maybe some plants and flowers are a little more picky...but since that's the soil you've already bought, I wouldn't hesitate using it, the lucky bamboo is probably not going to care.

It's a pretty maintenance free plant and really hardy...once it's established it'll tolerate fairly dry soil, very moist soil, low/high nutrient soil, etc as long as it is not overdone it is a very forgiving plant.

My oldest/largest LB has grown in water, good soil, bad soil, has been under/overwatered, has been forgotten on occasion...when I was starting it I made soo many mistakes with mine...and its still alive, healthy and is about 5ft tall

A W- okay that makes me feel better because I already bought the huge bag! Also A W are you familiar with orchids? Or growing orchids?

@Marina Garcia, nope not very familiar with orchids, I like bigger leafier stuff...but there's an orchid forum here too, so you could ask any orchid questions there too

A W- alrighty! Sounds good thank you again for answering my questions I really appreciate it!

Soo it has been about 2 weeks, any update on how your lucky bamboo is doing @Marina Garcia

About the same, the stalks in the front look healthier, I have moved it to a different room due to the fact I saw a little bit of webbing, it wasn't a lot just one little web but I wanted to be cautious because I have another plant in the same room so I am watching it and if it shows more significant signs of a bug or spider mites and I will cleanse it. Other than that I am trying to remember to water it more when it's dry.

@Marina Garcia, compared to the first pics, it looks a little less wrinkly, and no yellowing leaves or stalks which seems like a good sign.

Have you thought about maybe potting it up in a bigger container (roots might outgrow your current one within a 1 or 1 and a half years), that way it might be give the roots some more room to spread, make it a little easier to water since more soil volume which wouldn't dry out as quickly if it gets a little forgotten, and maybe give you a chance to create a new design for your plant/living space?

Small plants have the benefit of being compact and easily integrated in any design where it could act like a center piece.

If I still had a small lucky bamboo like you, this is what my design would be: I would find a container thats about the height of what you have but it would be somewhat of a wider bowl shape and black or gray in color, plant in the center, and a very shallow layer of white marble chips or really small white pebbles on top...modern design with opposite shades (light top, dark pot, and a piece of green life in the center) which would be a great center piece in my bright foyer.

That's what my design would be in my home, with a small and hardy lucky bamboo, its a great opportunity to get creative and let the designer inside of you out.

I might, I was thinking about ordering a clear plastic pot, I have one I made for my orchid and it's nice because I can check the roots. Maybe it's me but I like seeing the dirt, I live in a place with no woods just a dry climate with lots of tumble weeds and I like seeing the green and dark brown dirt keeps me happy, I'll see I am not to worried about decor at the moment but yes the bamboo is less wrinkly so I'll keep trying to find the sweet spot for watering!