Too much direct light, fluoride in water, or over-fertilizing. Move out of direct sun, switch to filtered or distilled water, and skip fertilizer.

Chemicals in tap water or dry air. Use filtered or distilled water and trim the brown tips.

Mushy or rotting roots

Stale water or debris in the vase. Change the water regularly and rinse the roots and pebbles.

Algae growing in the vase

Light hitting a clear container of standing water. Use an opaque container or change the water more often.

Houseplants

Not a real bamboo but an easygoing dracaena, often grown in water, with stalks trained into curls and spirals.

The free tool tailors timing to your climate and lets you save this plant.

Light

Low light

Where to put it

Tolerates low to moderate light but does best in bright indirect light. Keep out of direct sun, which scorches the stalks.

Watering

Top up or change water every 1–2 weeks; if in soil, keep lightly moist.

Soil mix

Usually grown in pebbles and water; in soil use a standard well-draining potting mix.

Pot

A watertight vase or bowl with pebbles to hold the stalks upright, or a draining pot if grown in soil.

Repotting

Refresh pebbles and rinse roots yearly; pot up in soil every 1–2 years if grown that way.

Propagation

Cut a stalk below a node and root the top section in fresh water. Easy.

Pets

Toxic to pets if eaten.

Yellowing stalks. Too much direct light, fluoride in water, or over-fertilizing. Move out of direct sun, switch to filtered or distilled water, and skip fertilizer.
Brown leaf tips. Chemicals in tap water or dry air. Use filtered or distilled water and trim the brown tips.
Mushy or rotting roots. Stale water or debris in the vase. Change the water regularly and rinse the roots and pebbles.
Algae growing in the vase. Light hitting a clear container of standing water. Use an opaque container or change the water more often.