Frequently Asked Questions

ABOUT LUCKY BAMBOO:

I need the care instructions for a Lucky Bamboo plant, can you help?
Lucky Bamboo plants are very easy to grow. A low light level is best and always keep your plant submerged in at least 1” of drinking quality water. Remember to never let your plant dry out.

I just bought my Lucky Bamboo Plant and I'm not sure how to plant it or what to plant it in. Do I put it in soil, rocks, etc, or just submerge it in water? The package recommends me planting it in water, but another insert from your company says to plant it in soil or water. I have another bamboo in rock pebbles. Which is the better choice? Do I need to buy a bigger pot to put it in?
All your suggested mediums (ways) are fine. There is no real advantage to soil. You can plant it in soil if you want. However, the best results occur by always keeping your plants submerged in at least 1” of drinking quality water and by remembering to never let it dry out. If you transplant it to another container in soil or water, all you have to remember is to never let your plant dry out.

I recently bought a Lucky Bamboo plant that came packaged with a small pot and spongy foam around it. Also, there was a gel polymer in the bottom of the pot. I was wondering if I am supposed to keep any of that with the plant when I transplant it.
You can leave the plant the way it is with the foam and polymer. You don't have to do anything other than keeping your plant submerged in at least 1” of drinking quality water. When you transplant, it is not necessary to keep the gel if you don't want it. However, the gel polymer will not hurt the plant at all.

How can I manipulate the Lucky Bamboo plant into spirals?
Once the main stalk is cut, it will not grow much for the life of the plant. The only part of the cane that will grow will be the sprout. If you want the sprout to curl, rotate your plant toward the nearest light source. A low to medium light level is best and remember to never let your plant dry out.

I bought a Lucky Bamboo plant 3 weeks ago. I change the water regularly. One of its stalks has turned yellow. I discarded it and washed the other stalks, but I now see one of its leaves turning pale yellow.
The best care for a sick plant is to rinse off the roots with fresh water (do not use soap). If this doesn't work, try changing the plant’s location to a low or medium light area.

I was sent Lucky Bamboo as a gift, and I followed the care instructions but it is turning yellow & drying up. I do not have it in direct sunlight. What can I do to help this plant?
The amount of sunlight should be ok. Remember to water it when needed and to never let your plant dry out. Your stalks should always have at least 1” of water (drinking quality) at all times.

We have a Lucky Bamboo plant and its roots have always stayed wet and water has been changed frequently, but recently we've noticed that there is a reddish tint around the roots. Is there anything we should do about it? It is in its original container with foam. Also, it's sprouting well and seems to be thriving, but we're concerned about this reddish situation around the roots.
Regarding the reddish tint around the roots, if your plant is doing well, it's probably nothing to worry about. We have had plants for years and the roots do seem to change color, however, the plants are fine.

I have a Lucky Bamboo plant and parts of the shoots have turned yellow and are rotting. Can I save this plant? Will it survive if I cut the yellow shoot off and put the green part in the water or is there no hope for this plant?
Once a shoot starts turning yellow, we have found it is almost impossible to revive. It is best to discard the shoot immediately, so it does not affect the rest of the canes.

We just bought some of Lucky Bamboo and want to know if they can be cut to shorten them in order to stagger the height and where in the stem to cut them if that’s possible.
It is very difficult to re-cut once the plant has been cut from the mother stock. Our experience is only about 50% of the plants we try to cut will survive.

I have a small, three straight stalk Lucky Bamboo plant. Recently, I moved to Arizona. I now have it in the kitchen and it does receive quite a bit more light. All of the sudden, many of the leaves have become very light green, and some are a little brown on the ends. Could it be getting too much light or be adjusting to the move? I water it about once every 7/8 days. Am I over watering or under watering? Do you think it needs fertilizer?
Too much light could be the main problem. You can try moving your plant to lower light locations (maybe the bathroom) to see if it makes a difference. This could also be a problem if your plant got too hot during transportation. Make sure you plant is always in water (about 1"); never let your plant dry out. We have had plants live over 10 years without ever fertilizing them.

ABOUT MONEY TREES:

I need to know how to care for and repot Money Tree plants.
You can transplant them into the next size larger pot with houseplant soil. Keep them in areas with low to medium light. Let your plant go dry between watering.

I recently received a mini Money Tree as a gift; it is planted in a ceramic egg, and the only instructions are to plant it in a 4" pot. My son said I would probably need to break the egg around the mini Money Tree. Is this what I need to do or do I plant the "nest egg" with the plant inside of it? I see it has a hole in the bottom of the egg. I thought maybe if I planted the roots would go out the hole.
To water it, just fill the saucer and the bottom of the egg will soak up the water. The novelty of keeping your plant in the egg container will last a very long time. When you feel your plant can no longer stay in the egg, you can transplant it by just pulling the stem out of the egg and putting the bottom of the stem in a pot with houseplant soil. Don't worry about breaking the roots, they will grow back. It will grow new roots by itself very easily.

Help! Everything was fine, but now the upper half of my Money Tree, the leaves (both old and new), are sagging. I have been watering and draining it with no luck. Could it need to be transplanted?
If the roots are aggressively coming out of the bottom of the pot and your plant is not holding water, it is time for a transplant. Otherwise, it is hard to diagnose the problem without seeing the plant.

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