Don’t have pruning shears? Regular scissors are totally fine as long as you disinfect them. To make it even easier to disinfect, keep a few packets of alcohol wipes near your garden supplies.
It’s really important to cut the entire leaf instead of just the yellow part. This is because partially trimming the leaf can introduce bacteria and make your plant sick. Don’t forget to address the cause of the yellow leaves. Always keep 4 inches (10 cm) of fresh water in the container and put it in indirect light.
Your plant will look better and put more energy towards growth once you trim the dead leaves.
Cutting the stalk stops it from growing, but it will send up shoots right below the cut you made. Want to give your lucky bamboo a slight trim? You don’t have to cut off the top of the stalk. Just cut off the leaves from the top of the plant instead.
Don’t want the offshoots to grow back? No problem! Just cut the offshoot where it meets the main stalk.
If the stalks aren’t too bad yet and you think you can heal them, cut off yellow parts and stick the stalks into a separate container with fresh water.
Nodes look like rings or joints around the bamboo stalks and offshoots usually grow near them.
Don’t forget to do this step or you’ll have trouble getting your new lucky bamboo to stay upright in its new container!
The pebbles anchor the cutting so it stays completely vertical and the roots grow evenly.
Feeling impatient? It’s totally fine to remove the cutting if it’s put out shoots after a month. The amount of time it takes for the cutting to grow roots is really variable, so your cutting may be ready a lot sooner than an older cutting.
For a fuller display, put the new bamboo into a vase or container that has older, established lucky bamboo stalks. Don’t forget to change the water! Replace the water once a week so it’s always fresh for your plant.
