PLEASE HELP!!!!!! Im losing my Bamboo plant.
Ok this is gonna sound a lil crazy! I have some lucky bamboo I propagated it's got clean water in vases. Iv been working with these particular piece this past week meaning the water is very clean and vases washed then all of a sudden yesterday I pick up one of the vases and it smells like ammonia!!!!! What the heck is that??????? I almost feel like a kid or someone put something in my vase. I do have enemies here ! Lol no seriously I googled it and didn't find any information on it. That's what has me worried the most. Is this really that abnormal? And if so ........I do believe a kid or two dislike me for chasing them away from my flowers. Lmbo..help again please....

I dont wanna lose these pieces but its looking bad. So the original stems of LBAMBOO I propergated is yellowing. Last week I noticed one of them yellowing so I got advise to recut and I did so now its drying a good bit at the top and very slowly yellowing again and so is the 2nd piece now! they are doing this slowly but surly. and considering the above issue with the smell in the other pieces of the propagation this is looking bad uh????? please help if This can be helped!!!! im adding pics of all the pieces in a few minutes, k pics added. that 3rd pieces dont seem to have an issue except it was one of the 2 in the vase yesterday that smelled liked ammonia. I CLEANED THOSE YESTERDAY AND SO FAR TODAY NO SMELL! IM SO CONFUSED!!!









I started pulling on the roots an indeed it ripped very easy. they are still orange in color but i can tell the color is fading I guess Id call it.... im frustrated with myself the vases sit in a kitchen window in front of my face everyday. they looked like a great orange color.... I dont understand??! I change the water at least once a week if not 2 times with in 7 days. why would it rot? I have kept bamboo in fish tanks and in still water with betas! i am so confused right now......


10/05/16 4;55 pm Maryland US.... PLEASE READ UPDATE
UPDATES The Lucky Bamboo in soil is a preyellowing color . what should I do? should I wait it out a little while
PLEASSE read update.. tops of at least one of the pieces in soil and pots is a little yellow...... should i wait for it to yellow more?

should i have plastic bags over these what i am doing now is watering them 2 times a day half cup of water at a time its staying damp this way but i also have it in drafty window to dry some inbetween waterings . it seems to be drying well .. i think..... its not dry by any means but not soaked either.

Hi Pamela,

Your "bamboo" are actually Dracaena cuttings that are rooting in water. Although they can survive in plain water for a long time, it is not unusual for the stems and roots to rot at some point. Yellowing of stems is a clear indication of that plant tissue having already died. The odor may be from the decomposing nitrogen from the plant tissue.

You can try removing all of the dead (discolored) stem tissue and re-rooting those stems in water or damp soil.

Good luck!

The ammonia smell is caused by putrid water. Putrid water is caused by rotting plant material. Rotting plant material usually means the cuttings weren't oxygenated enough. The vases you had them, because of lack of surface area, in did not allow enough oxygen exchange so oxygen could get to the roots, essentially smothering them. The only way to avoid this is to change the water everyday to keep it oxygenated. Or grow them in a jar with more surface area. Sometimes adding a drop of hydrogen peroxide helps - when added to water, it breaks down into oxygen and water.

Why didn't you plant the cuttings when they grew roots?

ty so much!!!

WillC said:Hi Pamela,

Your "bamboo" are actually Dracaena cuttings that are rooting in water. Although they can survive in plain water for a long time, it is not unusual for the stems and roots to rot at some point. Yellowing of stems is a clear indication of that plant tissue having already died. The odor may be from the decomposing nitrogen from the plant tissue.

You can try removing all of the dead (discolored) stem tissue and re-rooting those stems in water or damp soil.

Good luck!

DaisyI said:The ammonia smell is caused by putrid water. Putrid water is caused by rotting plant material. Rotting plant material usually means the cuttings weren't oxygenated enough. The vases you had them, because of lack of surface area, in did not allow enough oxygen exchange so oxygen could get to the roots, essentially smothering them. The only way to avoid this is to change the water everyday to keep it oxygenated. Or grow them in a jar with more surface area. Sometimes adding a drop of hydrogen peroxide helps - when added to water, it breaks down into oxygen and water.

Why didn't you plant the cuttings when they grew roots?

I have always kept my bamboo in just water. although I got these from a friend she had them in a small amount of sand and soil, but still completely submerged in water. I took the soil sand out when I got them and I propagated them. I wish I wouldnt have now but iv taken advice given and put them in soil, and sand mixture. cut the yellowing out and washed away all roots that were rotting.

I grow my Dracaena Sanderiana also in a glass container but I am using water gel beads. It allows for the roots to find some space and oxygen at the root zone while being moist. The water gel beads are just keeping the roots moist and no ammonia scent. I hate doing the water replacement thing and so far it has worked. And I know Dracaenas hate fertilizers, so I don't give them any. I do the same for my Pothos.

I guess in your fish tanks and beta tanks there is still air/water movement there brought about by the fish and the filtration system, so the water does not turn too bad fast.

Thanks tarev for the good info! so I didnt know these guys dont like fertilizers. every once in a while i use a 10 times diluted miracle -grow fertilizer . it never seems to do much and i noticed this time even some yellowing after i did it ut im also trying other things with them too so that yellowing could be from other things.

I did not know either before Pamela, I noticed it before on my other two old ones, big mistake for me that yellowing quickly followed after fertilizer was applied killing the plant oh well..learned my lesson there. Too bad those two old ones were about 7 years old in that soil less set-up. Maybe if grown in soil it will appreciate it more with fertilizer, but I was growing it soil-less then. So this one I have now no fertilizer just keeping it moist with the gel beads.

It is different growing in soil, where we can easily flush out the excess salts later with proper drainage. My gel beads shrink in size and I just replenish with water again to make them plump and moist once more.

Also if the plant is already struggling, applying any fertilizer will not help, it has to recover first, grow new leaves and roots. The seasons are changing too, so the indoor plants are likewise adjusting.

Interesting. ty very much! I'm hard at work today fixing some soil issues ect ,now I'm going to try and propagate my bouquet of flowers..wish me luck or something.. lol I truly need it . I wish I could make some fariy dust to sprinkle on these flowers so they root, and create me beautiful flowers for fall.