Lucky bamboo turning yellow? It is usually the tap water.
Lucky bamboo is not bamboo. It is a dracaena, the most fluoride-sensitive houseplant family, and it lives with its roots sitting in whatever you pour into the vase. Nothing buffers it.
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Yellow leaves or tips on lucky bamboo most often mean chlorine and fluoride in tap water. Switch to filtered, rain or distilled water and change it every week or two. A stalk that has turned yellow will not turn green again, but the green parts can be saved.
Why it yellows
Tap water chemicals. Chlorine and fluoride build up in the vase and in the plant. Tips yellow and brown first, then whole leaves.
Too much direct sun. Leaves bleach and yellow on the bright side. It wants bright, indirect light.
Fertilizer. It needs almost none. A yellowing plant right after feeding was overfed.
Stale water. Water left for weeks turns cloudy and the roots suffer. Refresh it.
Which water to use
| Water | What it does for this plant | Catch |
|---|---|---|
| Tap water | Carries chlorine, chloramine and fluoride straight to the roots | The usual cause of yellowing |
| Tap water left out overnight | Loses chlorine only | Chloramine and fluoride remain |
| Distilled water | Clean, nothing harmful | Contains almost no minerals |
| Rain water | Excellent | Only when you have it |
| Filtered and remineralized | Removes chlorine, chloramine and fluoride and keeps minerals | Needs a filter |
Watering Can With Filter and Remineralizer for House Plants
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Three steps to save it
Empty the vase, rinse the roots and pebbles, and refill with filtered water.
Change the water every one to two weeks and keep it out of direct sun.
Cut away any fully yellow stalk; if the top is still green, cut it off above the yellow and root it in clean water.
The Tap Water Plant Guide
Which 12 houseplants react to tap water, how to tell water damage from overwatering, and four ways to fix it — including the free ones.
Watering Can With Filter and Remineralizer for House Plants
Filters chlorine, chloramine, fluoride and lead as you fill it, then adds back 20+ minerals
Free shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
plus sales tax where applicable
Frequently asked questions.
Better water, tonight's watering.
- Free shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
- Free shipping
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Replaceable filter packs