Why Is My Bamboo Plant Turning Yellow? [Find Out Here]

Bamboo plants are an aesthetically pleasing addition to anyone’s home. But if you have one, you might wonder, why is my bamboo plant turning yellow? Read below to find out more!

Bamboo plant leaves or stalks can turn yellow for multiple reasons. Four main aspects affect bamboo plants becoming yellow besides disease: watering, sunlight, fertilizer, or temp.

Suppose you know about the causes of yellowing. In that case, it’ll be easier for you to tackle each one to revitalize your bamboo plant. So, in this article, we’ll dive deeply into the causes of bamboo yellowing and how to deal with them.

Why Is My Bamboo Plant Turning Yellow?

 Tap Water

Tap water is one of the primary offenders investigating yellowing leaves or stalks. Usually, bamboo plants mature in a container of water with another medium, like rocks. Some also develop in soil pots. In either case, the bamboo’s water is essential for your plant’s health.

You should not use tap water for watering a bamboo plant. You fail before you start since tap water has chemicals like fluoride and chlorine that can damage the plants. Steady exposure to these compounds in the water can result in your bamboo plant yellowing and dying.

• Bring out a jug of distilled or spring water for the bamboo plant.
• You can use the water for your plant in a garden with an accumulating rain system. Certify that the water doesn’t travel over an asphalt roof top since compounds could be present in the run-off.
• Aquarium water is also a usable option since it has the beneficial fertilizer naturally produced by fish.

Wrong Water Temp

When you remove or add water to the plant, certify that it’s the ideal temperature. If your water temp is too low, it can turn your bamboo plant yellow.

• Rather than utilizing cold water, ensure that it is at room temp.
• Let the water sit at room temperature for one or two hours to certify that it is the right temp.

Infrequent Water Change

Fresh water can make all the difference between a healthy and a yellow, withering bamboo plant. Change the old water and use fresh water frequently for plants that grow in water. Fresh water helps keep your plant healthy since it contains plenty of nitrogen and oxygen for nourishment. It also has trace elements that the bamboo requires.

• Alter the water at two-week intervals for the ideal results.
• Don’t let the water stay stagnant.
• Old water promotes the ideal conditions for bacterial, fungal, and mold infestations.
• Alter the water instantly if it turns dull, murky, filthy, green, black, or has a foul odor.
• Alter the water and rinse the stones and container if you see any green algae on the container sides or rocks.

Maintain a water level about two inches deep, and ensure adequate water to immerse the roots. Uniformity is essential to sustaining a healthy plant, so provide a steady water level.

Poor Soil Humidity

If you keep your bamboo plant in soil, less or infrequent watering can dry the dirt, which can turn the plant yellow. To avoid that, add stones to the earth to prevent soil dislocation when you add water. Maintain a moderate level of moistness in the soil.

• The general rule for checking if an in-soil bamboo requires watering is to poke your forefinger into the dirt up to your first joint, about one inch deep. If the earth feels dry, then you need to add water.
• Be cautious and don’t overwater the bamboo. Make sure that the container also has decent drainage. Since your bamboo is in a dirt bed, you must mist the leaves at two or three-day intervals to sustain a healthy plant.

Direct Sunlight

If your bamboo plant turns yellow, it might have sunburn because of direct sunlight. The plant cannot thrive in direct sunlight but prefers living in bright, indirect sunlight. If your bamboo is getting direct sunlight, relocate it. Less indirect light can also cause your bamboo to weaken so that it can turn yellow or pale.

Excess Fertilizer

The yellowing of a bamboo plant is almost always because of excess fertilizer. If your bamboo turns yellow, it should be the first thing that comes to mind. Most plants can thrive for years without compost. So, if you have to use fertilizer, ensure that you use one with a specific makeup for bamboo plants. Fertilizer feeding should be a rare “treat” for your bamboo plant.

Improper Temperature

If your bamboo plant turns yellow and you rule out all other possible causes, the season might be too cold. The bamboo plant grows best in ambient temps ranging from 65°F to 90°F.

How Can I Fix My Bamboo Plant Turning Yellow?

Alter The Water To Revitalize A Yellowing Plant

The solution for in-water bamboo plants turning yellow is frequently changing the water. That can sometimes help when the plant doesn’t absorb too many chemicals that damage it. Sometimes, the plant’s health might be too far gone, so you can’t revive it. That is particularly the case if the stalk becomes yellow rather than only the leaves.

Keep Your Bamboo Plant Out Of Direct Light

One of the popular spaces where people keep a bamboo plant is on the kitchen countertop, next to a window, or on a table. Ensure that the plant isn’t in direct sunlight since it can burn the bamboo as its natural environment is under the thick greenery of a rainforest.

Mist The Bamboo Plant’s Leaves To Boost Humidity

A poorly humid environment is an issue for bamboo plants. Since it prefers humidity, you might need to fix a dry plant by misting its leaves at two or three-day intervals. That can provide the bamboo and its leaves with the high moisture it needs. It should prevent the plant from becoming yellow if poor humidity is the reason.

Trim The Bamboo Plant If It Is Turning Yellow

If your bamboo has some yellow leaves, you can cut them with sterile scissors. That is crucial if your plant deals with excess water or direct sunlight. Best to take them off so that new leaves can mature.

Collect And Root The Bulbs Of A Yellowing Bamboo Plant

If nothing else works and your plant dies, you only have one option: snip the bamboo’s green buds and root them.

1. Cut the bulbs below the growth node on the stem to keep them whole. That is what grows new roots for the plant.
2. Immerse the trimmed end of the buds in a hormone solution to promote root growth.
3. Fill a container with water to grow the buds and let them grow roots.
4. Once you get many roots, you can relocate the new plant into a water or dirt-filled container.

Revive A Bamboo Plant With A Dead Stem

If the roots are still alive, but the upper section of the stem is yellow, you can save your bamboo plant. The plant’s base is the first thing to observe when your plant starts to turn yellow. You can quickly evaluate its health by checking the base, which should typically be reddish or orange. Diseased bases look brown, black, or gray. You have to cut them off from the stalk.

Trim the yellow section alongside the line where you can still see green. Once you trim the stem, it usually stops maturing its height, but it can grow new sprouts that can grow tall.

• Cover the cut section of the stem in candle wax to avoid rotting and illness.
• Keep the stem in water or dirt and take care of it.

If the stem is still turning yellow and no new sprouts mature, you can’t salvage the bamboo plant, and you have to discard it and get a new one.

Final Words

So, why is my bamboo plant turning yellow? Well, now you know that it can be multiple causes, and you must rule out each one to find the reason and treat it appropriately. Once you find the cause, you can quickly correct it in time and have a healthy bamboo plant in your home.