I have some questions on lucky bamboo

[Belmont]

Hey all, I just purchased my first plant ever, a 40cm Lucky Bamboo plant from the local Home Depot, I'm looking forward to caring for the little fella and watching it grow into a not-so-little fella. That said, I have a few questions about the state of it.

First, I understand lucky bamboo roots are supposed to be orange. Mine has few roots, and only one or two short ones are orange all the way through, they're all orange close to the stalk, but fade to a grey/orange, and then to a translucent towards the tips. Should it be that way?

Second, there's a series of black specks on the stalk, about halfway up. there's about 20 of them clustered together in a vertical area about 5mm across, and 20mm long, is it anything to be concerned about?

Third, and last, is there any discoloration you can see? I'm using this plant as a sort of benchmark, memorizing the overall shades of green, and features, so if it looks off, it's not good to use it as a benchmark for a healthy looking lucky bamboo plant.

Thanks for your time, I appreciate it.

 

[Fuzzygreenery]

It doesn't seem like the plant would have a lot of roots to gain moisture from. You might want to dip it in some rooting hormone, and see how the roots look afterwards.
I wouldn't worry about those black specks too much. They don't look harmful. Although you might want to wait it out while your lucky bamboo grows; it could develop or it could stay as it is, or even disappear.
Thirdly, the plant looks fine to me. I've never had a lucky bamboo but comparing images it seems like there's no discolouration I can see.

 

[Belmont]

Thanks! I read somewhere that black spots are indicative of fungus, is the only real reason I was concerned. I'll look into seeing if I can get my hands on some rooting hormone, that's actually something that didnt even cross my mind. I appreciate it, thanks again.

 

[Fuzzygreenery]

No problemo mi amigo ^_^

 

[Plantdoctor]

Doesn't need rotting hormone, the idea is you grow in water,basically it is a houseplant and doesn't grow that big.

Bought one 2 months ago,hardly any growth in leaves or roots, but it is still alive.

If you want a proper bamboo to grow outside, this probably isn't it.

 

[Belmont]

I'm not looking to grow outside, there's no way it would survive. I'm just trying to find some knowledge about it so I know how to take care of it better

 

[Plantdoctor]

Just sit it in a vase of water,change water regularly, that is all there is to it.

 

[Belmont]

Yeah, that's what I'm doing too. Got it from a lonely jar in the middle of Home Depot, so I figured it's best to make sure it's healthy.

 

[Fuzzygreenery]

It can be grown in either soil or water. However, water is preferred. Don't use tap water, though, unless you can do that in your area; in some areas you can use the tap water if you allow it to sit opened for two days. Every three to four months you should change out the water because standing water attracts bugs and bacteria. Take your plant out of the pot. Rinse the pot out in hot water. Examine the roots to make sure they are a healthy white, yellow or orange color. Then put it all back together again and add clean new bottled or purified water.

 

[Belmont]

Soil is better if you're after fast growth, but I prefer water cause it looks nicer IMO. Tap water isnt neccisarily safe after a couple days, either. Letting it sit lets the chlorine (And some other chemicals if present) evaporate, but fluoride, which is toxic to bamboo, doesnt evaporate. Also, 3-4 months is a little long, a month is about the longest Im brave enough to go, on account of bacteria and whatnot taking a liking to the water. Thats what Ive found from the interwebs anyway.
Altho, I didnt know for sure about white roots being okay, no article Ive read mentioned it. Good to know.

 

[Fuzzygreenery]

Just what I found here: http://luckybambooshop.com/faqs/

 

[Belmont]

Oh nice, lotsa stuff I didnt know on there. Thanks, again lol

 

[Fuzzygreenery]

No problemo

 

[Belmont]

Quick update, I imagine this is the last one this post will see. Updating incase somebody stumbles across this in a while with the same questions.
Plant is doing great, tremendous root growth. Stems have grown slightly, too. Roots are slightly green I suspect because they were in sunlight, I built a sleeve out of paper for the jar its in and they have begun returning to normal.

To answer my original questions in short:
1. Still unsure if the root color is normal, but it doesnt seem to matter.
2. The original patch of specks hasnt changed. I noticed a few specks appearing on other sections, they seem benign. I will update if the plant begins to die or the
specks change.
3. In all pictures Ive posted of this plant, there hasnt been any considerable discoloration.

On the offchance someone has questions or concerns about their lucky bamboo, reply here, make a new post, or PM me and Ill do my best to help