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Home » Indoor Plant Guides » Why Is My Lucky Bamboo Stalk Shriveling?

August 24, 2021

Why Is My Lucky Bamboo Stalk Shriveling?

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Is your Lucky Bamboo stalk shriveling?

If you see something like this in your plant, it could be a problematic situation.

Generally, it’s a sign that the plant has an underlying issue, and you will need to fix it as soon as possible.

In today’s guide, let’s learn more about this issue in detail.

lucky bamboo stalk shriveling cover image

Jump To:

  • Why Is My Lucky Bamboo Stalk Shriveling?
  • 5 Tips To Fix Shriveled Lucky Bamboo Stalk 
    • 1. Avoid Direct Sunlight
    • 2. Stop Overwatering Your Plant
    • 3. Stop Fertilizing Your Plant
    • 4. Change The Soil
    • 5. Move The Plant Into A Soil-Based Medium
  • FAQs

Why Is My Lucky Bamboo Stalk Shriveling?

It mostly happens due to negligence towards the plant.

When you don’t take proper care of the plant, the stem of this plant will begin to show such signs over the period.

Along with the care negligence, you will also see shriveled stalks because of underwatering, overwatering, overfertilization, too much sunlight, etc.

But in general, overwatering and excess sunlight will be the main cause of this issue.

Now, let’s have a look at the ways to fix this issue in your plant.

5 Tips To Fix Shriveled Lucky Bamboo Stalk 

Here are some effective methods through which you can fix the shriveled stalks on this plant – 

1. Avoid Direct Sunlight

As mentioned earlier, the plant will depict shriveled stalks or wrinkles on its surfaces because of too much sunlight.

This plant is known to do well in bright light. 

But that doesn’t mean you should keep it in direct light throughout the day.

If you exposed this plant to harsh sunlight for an extended period, it’s likely to show such signs after some time.

Ultimately, this will also affect the leaves, and they will begin to turn yellow in the process.

So, to keep these things at bay, you should move the plant away from the current place.

Furthermore, you should find a place in your home that doesn’t receive direct sunlight for most of the day.

It should be well-lit, though.

Do not keep the plant in a shaded place.

2. Stop Overwatering Your Plant

Overwatering can bring a lot of issues to your plant, and the shriveled stalks are just one of them from the list.

When you overwater the plant, it leads to root rot.

The root rot eventually turns into stem rot, and that’s why you get to see this type of stalk on the plant.

This is how one issue leads to more significant problems in plants.

Also, it’s quite typical in plants that grow in indoor conditions.

The plants we keep in such places generally do not receive enough sunlight and air.

These two things often help keep the moisture under control in the pot, which is why you won’t see such conditions in outdoor plants regularly.

Therefore, it’s pretty essential to stop overwatering your plant.

Now, this is an absolute must for the plant that you grow in the soil.

For the ones that grow in the water, you should change the water every 3-4 days.

If the same water stays in the pot for more than a week, it can also create major issues in the plant.

So, do follow these watering guidelines religiously.

3. Stop Fertilizing Your Plant

All of us want to see some amazing growth in our indoor plants.

But the truth is most indoor plants grow quite slowly.

No matter how much effort you put into it, you won’t be able to see exponential growth in the plant.

It will just grow at its own pace.

As for the shriveled stalk, you should stop overfertilizing the plant.

As I said earlier, it’s not going to change the growth rate significantly.

And you will do more harm to your plant than any good.

So, avoid fertilizing this plant frequently.

You should only fertilize it once every quarter or so.

4. Change The Soil

The soil is another important factor in any plant’s growth.

If you have been using garden soil or used soil for this plant, it may have brought fungus or bacteria from its previous environment.

These issues can also cause trouble to the plant and will transform the appearance of the stalks.

So, try to change the soil in your plant’s existing pot.

Repot it with a fresh batch of soil and water it well.

5. Move The Plant Into A Soil-Based Medium

That’s right!

Even though the Lucky Bamboo plant looks great in the water-based pot, it grows well in the soil-based medium.

Growing it in water may lead to rotting issues if you don’t change the water regularly.

Later, this may progress into shriveled and mushy stalks.

Therefore, if you want to fix this problem right away, you need to transplant it to a new pot with well-draining soil.

Important: If you feel the stalks are not going to make it, you can cut them off and save the entire plant.

Along with this, you should also propagate them for backup.

Well, these are the few things that need to be done when your Lucky Bamboo stalk begins shriveling. 

In the following section, I have shared some FAQs related to this topic.

Do take a look at them if you have any similar queries in your mind.

FAQs

1. How Do You Revive A Bamboo Stalk?

Once your Bamboo stalk begins to rot or wrinkle, it becomes difficult to revive it from this position.

There is hardly anything you can do to save the stalk if it’s already not doing well.

So, the only thing that is left in this situation is to cut the stalk and try to root it separately.

This way, you can still have a new plant that will continue to grow as your old plant.

2. What Do I Do If My Lucky Bamboo Can’t Support Itself?

There are a couple of things you can do if your Lucky Bamboo is falling over.

The first thing you should try to do is to support the plant using stakes or an adjacent wall.

This should help fix the issue.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to have a tall plant in the house, you can simply cut the overgrown parts of the plant.

But follow this technique sparingly, as you don’t want to end up removing most of the growth in your plant.

3. Does Lucky Bamboo Grow Better In Soil Or Water?

Lucky Bamboo grows well in both these growing mediums.

However, if you wish to grow this plant for a long time, you should consider moving it to a soil-based medium.

The soil will help provide support and nutrients to the plant.

4. Why Is My Lucky Bamboo Stalking Turning Yellow?

The Lucky Bamboo plant stalk can turn yellow for several reasons.

These reasons include overwatering, underwatering, overfertilization, excess sunlight, etc.

Apart from that, the plant’s stalk can also turn yellow due to bug issues.

So, you will need to check it thoroughly to rule out each possibility correctly.

5. How Do You Stabilize Lucky Bamboo?

If the plant is not standing up firmly, you can support it with stakes, strings, or any other tool that you find useful in this situation.

The other thing you should do is transplant it to a soil-based pot, especially if you are growing it in a water-based pot.

Overall, these things should help fix the problem, and your plant will grow steadily afterward.


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  3. 7 Reasons Why Your Rubber Plant Is Growing Sideways
  4. 5 Reasons Why Your Jade Plant Is Too Tall

About Harshad Sawant

I'm Harshad Sawant, a houseplant gardener and the founder of Indoor Mint.

Join me as I distill my 15+ years of hands-on gardening experience into valuable guidance right here on this blog.

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Hey there!

I'm Harshad Sawant, a houseplant gardener and the founder of Indoor Mint.

Join me as I distill my 15+ years of hands-on gardening experience into valuable guidance right here on this blog.

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