Tropical Style

Can I Change the Color of My Lucky Bamboo Plant?

It may not generate good fortune, but also a lucky bamboo plant (Dracaena sanderiana) will brighten your home. Hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 and 11, the plant — that is not bamboo in any way, but a part of the Dracaena family — favors consistently warm temperatures, that explains why it is often grown as an indoor plant. Sometimes, they’re even grown in water instead of soil, but although you can change the color of the water, then it likely won’t change the color of the plant.

Green Plants, Yellow Leaves

Most plants are green due to a chemical called chlorophyll, which is needed for plants to create food from sunlight, water and oxygen. A lucky bamboo leaves might start to turn yellow, but this isn’t a fantastic thing: This usually means that the plant is suffering ill health due to stress, chemicals such as fluoride from the water, or extreme temperature changes. These plants do best in consistently warm temperatures with direct sunlight and distilled or bottled water instead of tap water. The yellow or brown areas of the leaf are dead, and should be cut away.

Food Coloring

Adding a few drops of food coloring to water is a fun way to see how water moves through a plant. It does not damage the plant, as stated by the University of California at Santa Barbara’s science, and it could even tint the white petals of a flower, thereby changing its color. In the event of lucky bamboo, nevertheless, you can tint the water, but you might not discovered a change of shade in the glowing green foliage. Experiment with dark and bright colours and allow up to 24 hours. Bear in mind that lucky bamboo plants grown in water should eventually be implanted in soil for best growth, nevertheless.

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