Do you see orange roots on your Lucky Bamboo plant?
Lucky Bamboo is one of those rare indoor plants that grow well in water as well as soil.
When you grow this plant in water, you will often get to see how the roots are thriving in the pot.
But why do they get orange?
This is the question I’m going to discuss in the following guide.
So, be sure to check it out completely.

Jump To:
Why Are My Lucky Bamboo Roots Orange?
Lucky Bamboo always has orange roots!
Yes, the orange color you see on its roots is not something related to any possible issues in the plant.
So, there is no need to worry at all.
When the plant gets mature and older, you will have more roots with such color.
Initially, you will see some roots in white or brown colors.
However, as the plant starts to grow in the pot, you will see red-orange-colored roots on it.
Having said that, there might be an existing issue in the roots, which you shouldn’t neglect at all.
In the following sections, you will find some helpful tips to fix the root rot problem in your Lucky Bamboo plant.
It is a common cause of concern in this type of indoor plant.
So, do check out the next section for more insightful details.
How To Identify Root Rot In Lucky Bamboo Plants
Here are a few tried and tested ways through which you can identify this problem –
1. Inspect The Leaves
The first signs are always there on the leaves!
In the beginning, you don’t have to remove the plant from the pot entirely.
Just look at the leaves and see how they look.
Do they appear dull and droopy?
Did some of the leaves change their color to yellow?
If you can pick up these signs, it would be easier to attend to the issue quickly.
These are also the early signs of overwatering or some other issues in your plant.
2. Take A Look At The Lower Stem As Well
In the next step, you should carefully check the stem of your Lucky Bamboo plant.
If you have many shoots in the pot, you should try to inspect as many of them as possible.
Generally, when root rot occurs, it moves to the stem as well.
It begins from the bottom of the stem, as it tends to turn soft and mushy.
You will also see a change in its color when it advances further.
The stem might turn slightly brown or black as it begins to rot.
You can perform this type of inspection every 3-4 days if you feel there might be some issue with the plant.
3. Remove The Plant From The Pot Or Vase
Finally, it’s time to remove the plant from the pot.
Once you are done with the above inspections, you can follow the same process for the roots of your plant.
Since Lucky Bamboo roots are fragile, you should take utmost care to remove them carefully.
Otherwise, the roots will break off easily and will cause permanent damage to your plant.
While inspecting the roots, make sure you check them from all sides.
If the plant is in the water, it’d be easier for you to follow this process.
But the soil-based plant will make things a little difficult for you.
So, try to get rid of the sticky soil from the roots and see whether they are thriving or not.
4. Check For The Decaying or Damaged Roots
When you remove the roots from the soil, the first thing you should notice is the decaying or damaged roots.
These roots will look dark brown or black in color.
If you see such roots underneath the plant, it is an indication of root rot.
Now, the next step you need to do here is to see and understand the overall damage by this issue.
5. Touch And Feel Some Of The Roots
The other way to confirm the root rot in your plant is by actually touching the roots.
Although the roots do change their color from orange to brown or black during this process, you will also see the changes in their texture and structure.
So, try to get a feel of them.
If they seem mushy or break down easily, you have a root rot problem in your plant.
And that’s the final confirmation as well.
In the following guide, I have shared a few suggestions that should help in getting back those orange-colored roots on your Lucky Bamboo.
Things You Need To Remember While Solving The Roots Issues In Your Lucky Bamboo Plant
Here’s what you need to do –
1. Prune The Damaged Roots
If you see too many damaged and dead roots on the plant, it’s better to get rid of them.
The easiest way to do this task is by using the light pruning technique.
When your prune such roots from the plant, it gives a signal to the plant to come up with new roots.
The pruning method also helps in preventing further damage to other fresh roots.
So, prune those unwanted roots from the plant.
Note: Even though this method seems easy, you shouldn’t remove all the roots from your plant.
The remaining roots are always beneficial in the revival process.
It would help if you only pruned 1/4th of the roots while carrying out this task.
2. Repot The Plant
In the next step, you will have to repot the plant.
Once you know the Lucky Bamboo plant has a root rot issue, you shouldn’t keep it in the same pot.
There is absolutely no point in having the same potting medium for such a plant, as it will cause even more damage to the plant.
On top of that, you might lose your plant entirely if the root rot persists.
So, repotting is the only option you will have in such cases.
While repotting, you should ensure that you also add some fresh mix to the pot.
Do not use the same potting mix from the previous pot.
In case your plant is relatively old, you can also add some fertilizers to it.
If not, it’s just fine to avoid it completely.
3. Place It Near A Sunny Location
Done with repotting?
Great!
Now, move your Lucky Bamboo container to a place where it can receive decent sunlight in the day.
This is an important step in this whole process, as it does help a lot in keeping the moisture under control in the pot.
When you move the pot in such a place, the outside heat will help evaporate the excess moisture present in the soil.
This way, you will not have much problem when it comes to root rot or stem rot.
The other benefit of keeping your Bamboo plant in a well-lit space is the sunlight!
The Lucky Bamboo thrives in full sunlight, though it doesn’t require direct sunlight on its leaves.
Therefore, it’s essential to find the right place in your living room or bedroom for this plant.
You may also keep it on the kitchen window sill if you want.
4. Check Your Watering Frequency
This is the last thing you should remember while fixing the roots issues in your Lucky Bamboo plant.
If you continue to follow your current watering routine, the roots will change their color from orange to brown and black.
The Bamboo plant doesn’t require too much water.
If it is kept in a soil-based pot, you should water it every 7-10 days.
You may also increase the watering time span in a cooler atmosphere.
For small plants, you should check the moisture in the soil.
On the whole, these are some of the things you need to remember when you want to fix the root rot problem in your plant.
Note: You don’t have to use any chemical products to revive the plant at this stage, as it might be under too much stress due to rot and overwatering.
So, keep such things at bay and try to follow the basic process initially.
If you feel there is any fungus attack on the stem or leaves, you may use some of these products after a day or two of repotting.
However, again, always use them with mild intensity.
Now, let’s look at the following section, where I have shared some FAQs on this topic.
FAQs
As mentioned in the guide above, the Bamboo roots have white-brown colored fresh roots and red-orange colored older roots.
The older roots will always have orange color to them.
When the root rot begins, the leaves of your Lucky Bamboo will start to shrivel.
Some of them even turn yellow and fall off eventually.
The soil will look wet almost all the time, as the roots will stop taking excess water inside the plant.
Overall, the growth of the plant will stop, considering it will enter into survival mode.
The best way to make your Lucky Bamboo grow more branches is by using the pruning technique.
You can also feed the plant regularly to see vigorous growth.
If you want to know more about this whole process, check out this guide on the blog.
Yes, you can surely grow this plant in water.
However, you will need to replace its water every few days.
For more growth, you can make use of some of the liquid fertilizers available in the market.
If the plant is mature, you can water it every 7-10 days.
You can also increase the watering session gap for upto 15 days, especially when the weather conditions are not favorable.
For smaller plants, you can follow the same watering frequency, though it’s essential to check the soil condition each time you think of watering them.
Over To You
Still, wondering about the orange roots in your Lucky Bamboo plant?
Don’t worry!
It’s the natural color of these roots!
Meanwhile, please feel free to comment down below if you have any other questions related to the roots issues.
I will try to answer them as soon as I can.
Please share this guide with your friends and family if any of the suggestions helped fix this problem.
Hi Harshad,
What is the right potting mix for switching a water-based bamboo plant to a soil-based plant?
Also, do you have a guide for trimming/pruning a plant? Ours has tripled in size, we must repot, and I wonder if I can keep the size down.
Thank you for your “rot” advice too!
Hey Cyndi,
You will need to use well-draining soil for this plant.
It should have more quantity of sand as compared to other soil ingredients.
Whenever you transplant the lucky bamboo plant from water to soil, place some rocks at the bottom of the pot.
It will help in ensuring proper drainage in the pot.
Apart from that, keep the soil moist in the new pot, but don’t allow the plant to sit in completely wet soil.
Do not add any fertilizers to the plant for at least a few weeks.
Also, the potting soil shouldn’t contain any fertilizers, as it can easily burn the root system on the newly transplanted plant.
Regarding trimming, I haven’t shared a specific guide yet, but you can check out this guide on cutting lucky bamboo stalk in half.
It will help you understand the right method for this task.
Right now I’m not getting a lot of sun can I put my bamboo under a grow light Also when I bought it it was full of sand and rocks and it was real slimy so I clean the roots off and put it in a clear glass jar thank you
Hey Dottie,
Yes, you can keep this plant under a grow light.
Although you may not see vigorous growth in your plant when you place it in such a condition, it should generally do alright.