How to Save Lucky Bamboo That is Turning Yellow

Is your lucky bamboo turning yellow, and you have no idea why? Dont worry! I see people have this problem all the time, and I have personally been able to save these plants; they can be saved.

I learned all about taking care of houseplants under the tutelage of expert growers at commercial greenhouses that supply garden centers across the country, and they taught me all the tips and tricks to looking after lucky bamboo and how to identify the problem if yours is dying.

The most common reason I see why lucky bamboo turns yellow is usually because of too much direct sunlight. Your lucky bamboo is adapted to growing under a canopy in its native environment in bright, indirect light rather than full sunlight. Too much sun scorches the lucky bamboo’s leaves and stalks yellow.

There are several other reasons for yellowing bamboo, which I listed here:

Too much direct sunlight scorches leaves and stalks yellow (Lucky bamboo prefers bright, indirect light).
There was too much water in the container (lucky bamboo requires just the roots submerged, but the stalks turn mushy and yellow in too much water).
Drastic Temperature fluctuations cause leaves and stalks to turn yellow (Lucky bamboo is susceptible to sudden temperature changes from indoor heating or cold window sills).
We are not changing the water around the roots often enough (lucky bamboo can grow in just water, but the water should be changed every 2 weeks to prevent yellowing).
Fertilizer applied too often, and in too high a concentration turns leaves and stalks yellow. (Lucky bamboo is very sensitive to fertilizer and requires much less than most houseplants).
Chlorine and fluorine in tap water can cause the lucky bamboo leaf tips to turn yellow and brown (lucky bamboo is sensitive to chemicals and should be watered with bottled water).

Generally, you should keep in mind lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) turns yellow because of sunburn or because the environment they are in is somehow contrary to the conditions to which they are adapted.

Keep reading to learn how I pinpoint the cause of the yellowing and for my tips on how to save it…

(If your outdoor bamboo leaves are turning yellow, read this article instead for how to save it).

Table of Contents

Why are My Bamboo Leaves Turning Yellow? (Too much Sun)

To understand why our lucky bamboo plants are turning yellow, I think it is best that we understand how they grow in the wild so that we can mimic these conditions indoors…

Lucky bamboo grows in tropical rainforests in Central Africa, where it grows a canopy and is typically protected from direct sunlight. The leaves and stalks of lucky bamboo are therefore very sensitive to the sun’s intense sunlight which results in the scorched yellow appearance.

Lucky bamboo requires bright, indirect light for optimal growth and to prevent the leaves from turning yellow.

Whilst too much sun is by far the most common problem I encounter, there are several other factors that can cause or contribute to the leaves turning yellow, such as:

Sudden temperature fluctuation (lucky bamboo prefers a temperature range of 60°F to 75°F (16°C to 24°C)
Too much fertilizer (which causes a build of salts that prevent the roots from drawing up moisture effectively).
Not enough nutrients (particularly when lucky bamboo is grown in standing water without any additional fertilizer).
Too much water (Lucky bamboo requires the roots to be submerged in water, which is typically the bottom 1 inch or so of the plant. If the stalks are submerged by several inches, this causes the stalks and leaves to turn yellow and rot).
Not enough water. If the roots are not submerged, the bamboo cannot draw up sufficient water, resulting in yellow leaves).
Not changing the water often enough (the same stagnant water for weeks can promote the conditions for fungal infection and turn the leaves yellow).
Water the lucky bamboo with tap water (lucky bamboo is particularly sensitive to chlorine and fluoride in the water, which can contribute to yellow leaves).

It is also worth noting that lucky bamboo is not necessarily a particularly long-lived plant and may only maintain good conditions for 2 years or so before the leaves and stalks turn yellow or brown; however, they often live longer when planted in potting soil as opposed to growing in water.

The longest I have ever been able to grow lucky bamboo exclusively in water is 4 years, whereas my bamboo planted in the soil is still alive after 7 years…

How I Save Bamboo with Yellow Leaves

Move the bamboo to an area of bright indirect light out of full sun. Bright, indirect light provides the optimal balance of enough light to ensure good growth yet not too much light that there is a risk of burning the sensitive leaves.
I would remove any leaves that have been badly scorched yellow. Any leaves that have been scorched yellow do not recover a green appearance. However, what I do is gently peel back these leaves or prune them close to the stalk with a pair of pruners. This helps to stimulate new healthy green leaves.
Maintain a consistent temperature of between 60°F and 75°F (16°C to 24°C) and ideally no cooler than 50°F (10°C) in the winter. This is the lucky bamboo’s preferred temperature range. Whilst it can survive with temperatures outside of this range, I find it is usually the sudden fluctuation in temperature that causes the stress that turns the leaves yellow. I purposely locate my lucky bamboo away from any direct sources of heat in Winter as I find this is a common culprit.
I only apply one drop of balanced houseplant fertilizer once every 2 weeks during Spring and Summer. Lucky bamboo does not have a high demand for nutrients. However, I have noticed the importance of additional fertilizer increases if the bamboo is in water rather than planted in soil. Typically, I find they do not need added fertilizer if planted in soil. This low dose of fertilizer provides enough nutrients to support growth without causing a build-up of salts that prevent the uptake of water at the roots, which in turn causes the leaves to turn yellow.
If the bamboo leaves are turning yellow slowly, then this is often a sign of low nutrients. Lucky bamboo can survive in just water for a long time, but a drop of general houseplant fertilizer can provide the right balance of nutrients to help support growth and healthy green leaves.
Place the lucky bamboo stalks in around 1 inch or so of water (as long as the roots are submerged), and avoid placing lucky bamboo in a vase filled with water. The roots can tolerate being submerged in water, but the stalk -which is usually above ground- does not tolerate being in deep water, which turns the leaves and stalks yellow, often with a rotting appearance. If any stalks appear to be rotting, then remove them from the water to prevent spreading fungal disease to otherwise healthy stalks.
Change the water if the leaves are turning yellow. I personally recommend changing the lucky bamboo water once a week to prevent the prevalence of fungal pathogens, bacteria, and algae in the water, which can contribute to or cause the leaves to turn yellow.
Always water lucky bamboo with either distilled water, bottled mineral water, or tap water that has been sitting for 24 hours (to allow the chlorine and fluoride to evaporate. Lucky bamboo is particularly sensitive to chemicals in tap water, which can result in yellow leaves. Chlorine and fluoride reliably evaporate if the tap water has been out overnight in a bowl so that you can water lucky bamboo safely.

Can My Yellow Bamboo Leaves Turn Green Again?

No, yellow bamboo leaves do not turn green again if they have been scorched in the sun or they are yellowing due to overwatering. However, the yellow leaves can be peeled off or trimmed back to promote the growth of new green leaves once you have addressed the cause for the leaves yellowing in the first place.

If the stalks have turned yellow and mushy, then I would take them out of the pot to prevent spreading bacteria or fungal disease to otherwise healthy bamboo stalks.

Why are The Leaf Tips Turning Yellow?

The reason bamboo leaf tips turn yellow is because of too much fertilizer. From speaking to the experts, what I learned was that lucky bamboo only requires less than half the concentration of fertilizer of most houseplants. If fertilizer is applied too often or in too high a concentration, the bamboo leaf tips turn yellow.

Lucky bamboo is a hardy plant that has adapted to growing in relatively low fertility conditions in its native environment.

General houseplant fertilizer is recommended if you are growing lucky bamboo in water; however, it should only be applied once a month in the growing season with only one or two drops of fertilizer in the water.

If you have applied fertilizer too often and the leaf tips are yellow, What you need to do is change the water immediately and scale back the use of fertilizer to once a month and only during the Spring and Summer months and your lucky bamboo should show signs of recovery in the next few weeks.

However, I have also seen temperature fluctuations, underwatering, and using tap water, which also contribute to the yellow of lucky bamboo leaf tips.

I often have a problem in Winter with my lucky bamboo as my indoor heating increases the temperature and dries out the air. I have also observed that if the leaves are in contact with a cold window, then the plant can suffer.

If the temperature fluctuates drastically out of the preferred range of 60°F to 75°F (16°C to 24°C), then the leaf tips can start to turn yellow.

Tap water typically turns the leaf tips of lucky bamboo brown due to its sensitivity to fluoride and chlorine (which is present in tap water in most countries). However, from what I have seen, the leaf tips may turn somewhat yellow before turning brown.

To save the lucky bamboo with yellow leaf tips, I replace the water with bottled or distilled water and scale back the use of fertilizer, only applying one drop every month whilst the bamboo recovers.

I recommend changing the water as often as every week to ensure that fertilizer does not build up and cause any problems.

Keep the bamboo away from any sources of heat and out of the way of air conditioning or forced air, and ideally, keep the bamboo away from any cold, draughty window sills so that the temperature is more consistent.

Pro tip: When my lucky bamboo had yellow and brown leaf tips, I moved it to my bathroom so it could enjoy the higher humidity, stable temperatures, and filtered light, all of which prevented any more leaves from turning brown.

Why are My Lucky Bamboo Stalks Yellow?

The reason bamboo stalks turn yellow is because they are in too much water. Lucky bamboo requires around 1 inch of water, ensuring that the roots are submerged. If several inches of the bamboo stalk is submerged, the bamboo starts to rot and turn yellow.

I see this most often when the bamboo stalks are put in a vase with too much water. The bamboo roots need to be submerged, but the stalk (typically above ground in its native environment) does not tolerate standing in water.

Too much water promotes the conditions for rot and fungal disease, all of which result in the stalk and often the leaves turning yellow and mushy.

However, underwatering can also result in lucky bamboo stalks turning yellow. It is imperative that the roots are submerged underwater (if you are growing lucky bamboo in just water) and important to water lucky bamboo every week if it is planted in soil.

If the roots are above the waterline, this is often the reason the stalks turn yellow.

Lucky bamboo stalks are also sensitive to too much sun, just as the leaves are, which can result in a yellowing appearance.

Other factors that can contribute to the stalks turning yellow are:

Temperatures fluctuate suddenly.
Too much fertilizer.
Not changing the bamboo’s water often enough.
Chemicals in tap water (bamboo is sensitive to chlorine and fluoride).

My Tips for Saving Lucky Bamboo with Yellow Stalks

Always grow your lucky bamboo in around 1 inch of water and avoid filling the vase. As long as the roots are just about submerged, the bamboo has enough water, but do not add any more water beyond this point to avoid promoting the conditions for rot (which turns the stalks yellow and mushy).
If any individual yellow stalks feel mushy, then I remove them from the water as these individual stalks are rotting and are not likely to recover. Removing the stalks prevents the spread of fungus and bacteria. If all of your lucky bamboo stalks are mushy and yellow, then your only course of action to save the bamboo is to propagate the stalk from any remaining healthy growth, from which to grow a healthy new shoot. Propagating lucky bamboo is relatively easy. Watch this helpful YouTube video for how to propagate lucky bamboo:

Ensure your bamboo is in bright indirect light rather than full sun. The leaves and the stalk are sensitive to direct sunlight, so it is important to find a bright area that does not have full sun (you could try the bathroom if you have frosted glass). If the leaves and stalk are slightly scorched yellow, the bamboo should survive once it is moved to more preferable light conditions. Whilst the scorched leaves can be cut back or gently peeled off to stimulate new growth, the stalk generally does not restore a green appearance. In this case, the best option is to propagate the stalk from any healthy cuttings to grow a new green bamboo stalk.
I would scale back the use of fertilizer. Lucky bamboo is very sensitive to fertilizer, so only use a drop or two of all-purpose houseplant liquid fertilizer once a month in the growing season to ensure the right balance of nutrients. If you have been applying fertilizer too often or in too high a concentration, then change the water or potting soil and do not use any fertilizer at all until the following Spring. Lucky bamboo can recover if you scale back the use of fertilizer quickly after the stalks start to turn yellow, however if they do not show any sign of recovery then the best course of action is to propagate the lucky bamboo from any healthy growth if at all possible.
Keep the temperature stable at 60°F to 75°F (16°C to 24°C). Keep lucky bamboo away from draughts and ideally not on a window sill as the glass can get very cold in Winter even if indoor temperatures are relatively warm. Avoid placing lucky bamboo too near to sources of indoor heating or air currents from forced air or air conditioning.
Water with bottled water, distilled water, or tap water that is left out for 24 hours prior to watering. These steps ensure the water does not have a high concentration of fluoride or chlorine, which can contribute to yellowing stalks. I use rainwater myself, and I usually change the water every 2 weeks.

In my experience, lucky bamboo stalks recover more readily from sunburn than anything else. If all the stalks are yellow, and I usually throw the entire plant away. I find a good way to prevent sunburn is by using a sheer curtain in any room that has direct sunlight.

(Read my article, how to revive a dying luck bamboo).

Key Takeaways:

The reason for yellow leaves and stalks on lucky bamboo plants is usually because of too much direct sunlight. Lucky bamboo is adapted to growing in bright, indirect light rather than full sunlight. If the lucky bamboo is in too much sun, the leaves and stalks can scorch and turn yellow.
The reason lucky bamboo stalks turn yellow is often because they are in too much water. Lucky bamboo should only be grown in 1-3 inches of water so that only the roots are submerged. If a lucky bamboo stalk is under a significant amount of water, it turns yellow and mushy due to rot.
The leaves and stalks of lucky bamboo typically do not turn green again after turning yellow. Yellow leaves can be peeled off to encourage the regrowth of new green leaves, whereas yellow stalks should be removed from the pot if they are yellow and mushy.
Lucky bamboo leaf tips usually turn yellow because fertilizer is applied too often or too high a concentration. Lucky bamboo has a low demand for nutrients, and it is susceptible to ill effects from too much fertilizer, which results in yellow leaf tips. Fluctuating temperatures and underwatering can also contribute to leaf tips turning yellow.
To save lucky bamboo with yellow leaves, locate the bamboo in bright, indirect light, with a temperature range of 60°F to 75°F, change the water, and gently peel off the yellow leaves to promote the growth of healthy green leaves, and the bamboo should recover.