Saving Yellowing Lucky Bamboo: Water Quality and Light Fixes

Common Causes of Yellow Tips

• Hard water minerals – use distilled, filtered, or rain water.
• Water level dropping below roots – even briefly exposes roots, causing permanent tip burn.
• Insufficient light – needs bright, indirect light (north window ideal).

What to Do Now

• Trim yellowed tips with scissors, following the leaf’s natural shape.
• Switch to pure water and maintain constant level above roots.
• Move to brighter location.

Long-Term: Move to Soil

Lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) deteriorates in water after ~1 year. Pot in peat-based mix once roots are 1+ inch long for a longer-lived plant.