Make sure you have washed off all traces of soil. Any soil left in the water can lead to root rot that will lead to damage for the plant. Don't place it yet - but do place it later - in bright light and definitely no sun until it converts to water roots. It doesn't need more stress right now and placing it in a bright location will stress it. Change the water often to provide a regular dose of diffused oxygen, which is vital. You can trim the roots by at least 1/3 to encourage new water roots to grow. It won't hurt the plant. The soil roots will be replaced over time and they're already not much use.

Provide added humidity to help your plant get the moisture it can't with its roots. Spray mist, place it on a pebble tray, put a plastic bag over it, whatever you feel will improve humidity...

Basically, it will - hopefully - go into a somewhat dormant state and concentrate on making roots. This is a Dracaena and Dracaenas are prime candidates for forming water roots and becoming hydroculture plants. Hydroculture is a step above growing plants in water; the roots in hydroculture do not sit in water, they sit above it. You might want to consider going one step further into hydroculture and giving your plant a permanent succesful method that requires little effort.

I hope this helps a little! Good luck!

HTH,
Jude

LB is routinely grown in pots barely wider than the plant is and very little depth. Don't worry about repotting.

If the green is yellowing the most likely explanation is the plant needs a *tiny* amount of iron or nitrogen.

Here is what you do.

Forget the rusty nail thing, the idea is to provide iron (iron oxide) and nails aren't always iron these days.

Go get a complete, organic fert. Add just a tiny amount to the water and you are done. By tiny amount I mean around 1/4 or less what the package says.

The other thing you can try, before ferting, is dumping the water, flushing the plant with fresh water and then filling up with new water. Often the nutrients in fresh water are enough to keep a plant like LB going for months.

In most cases LB can be kept going nearly forever with water changes a few times per year and a really light organic fert once per year. Not even that often in most cases.

Eileen

If your stalks have turned yellow, dispose of them, they're no longer any use, they're dead. If it's only your leaves, doesn't matter where it starts, it's like one of the following issues:

-the bamboo plant isn't retaining its natural climate conditions, meaning it's not humid enough or the water is too cold for it to live on.

(the best thing you can do in this situation is to place the plant in fish bowl with hot, but not overwhelmingly so, water. You should then place a napkin or tissue paper over the top in order to keep it warm. That, or place a clear plastic bag over it.)

-your roots could be bad. You should take a look at what the roots look like, if it seems like they're being cramped or overrun, you should place them in a larger container

(though I'd advise you to start placing it in water instead)

-you plant could also be recieving too little sun, this is justified from the bottom turning yellow before the top

(i'd advise more sunlight, but not direct sunlight, it'll kill it faster)

other than that, your descriptions are a little too vague for my advise to be much help. good luck.

LOVE GRANNY

I have a somewhat related problem. About a month ago, I repotted my lucky bamboo plant. Now, one of the three stalks doesn't seem to be doing too well, and all of the leaves seem a little droopy. Two stalks are a vivid green, but have yellowing leaves at the bottom. One stalk is turning slightly yellow -- but it is the tallest, and healthiest looking, stalk, and it also sprouted a new leaf even after it started turning slightly yellow. I did put i a stick of Miracle-Gro --- perhaps this was too much??

I have been trying to grow lucky bamboo for ages with many attempts. The 2 bamboo stalks I have are in a lit room but not near a window. it's been growing ok throughout winter with heating. One of my bamboos has gone yellow from the top of the stalk, along with some yellow leaves.

My son put a lilly cutting in the same vase as the bamboo (about 2-3 weeks ago) and I removed the lilly when I noticed the yellowing of the bamboo(today).

The stalk feels hollow and crunchy. I'm assuming this part has had it. Do I cut it off and wax the top then leave it or has the whole plant died? Did the flower cutting affect it? (although only one of the two bamboos has been affected.)

I can never seem to grow bamboo for very long max 1 year, then they go yellow and die, so I just replace them.

I will try the fertilizer thing but it looks like you can easily put too much fert and kill them this way too!!

what can I do?

thanks!

Could be something from the other cutting put in there & removed.

Could also be that these plants only last so long in water; I don't know as I don't grow them. I will say anything like cuttings that I grow in water alone, I always add a few bits of aquarium grade charcoal bits (from the pet store) to keep the water from getting yucky or growing algae.

I'd throw the yellowing one out & if you like replace it - sorry!

Generally one should only fertilize a plant in active growth.