What I think is, a very large % of issues that people come here looking for solutions for, are related directly to the results of soil choice and either the watering habits necessitated by those choices, or just plain poor watering habits. Because choosing a soil that supports little or no perched water makes it difficult for a grower to water poorly (unless they just don't water) most of the blame for poor watering practices is rightly assigned as the result of the dilemma excessively water-retentive soil present the grower. Do I water thoroughly enough to flush the soil of accumulating salts and risk the soil remaining wet for so long it affects root health/function; or do I water in sips, so the soil is appropriately moist, and suffer the consequences of a build-up of solubles in the soil. For me, it's a no-brainer. I want the soil that allows me to water appropriately any time I want to, without my having to worry about the soil remaining wet for so long it affects root health/function - no worries about root health - no worries about salt build-up ...... what's not to like? It's easy to suggest that inappropriately evaluating the level of soil moisture is the cause of these problems, but when you look realistically at the issue of how difficult it is to maintain adequate aeration in soils that support perched water, we see clearly that the bulk of the blame lies with a soil's measure of water retention, and more specifically with the ht of the perched water table. Even when you use small sips of water to water soils that support significant volumes of perched water, the water tends to accumulate at the bottom of the pot - not to mention the fact that watering in sips very often leaves the root mass dry in some places and too wet in others. IOW, it's extremely difficult to keep soils evenly moist when they support perched water. The norm is a layer of soil at the bottom of the pot that remains soggy until the water is used. It's DURING this period when the soil supports too much water that root death and depression of root function occurs. Neither of these things are desirable and should be avoided whenever possible. One robs energy from the plant because the plant has to expend energy to replace lost rootage, and the other inhibits the plant's ability to function normally. Well-aerated soils that support no or minimal amounts of perched water, do away with these negatives entirely, and offer the grower much greater latitude in the areas of fertilizing and (over)watering. ****************************************************** There are 2 ways to look at growing. Placing grower convenience at the forefront will find you growing much differently than if you place the plant's well-being foremost. Neither way is right or wrong, it's just two different ways of looking at growing. One grower might look at 'what to do with the effluent after watering a big plant in the gritty mix' as an insurmountable obstacle because it requires more effort than using a soil that absorbs and holds onto all that excess water. I don't look at it as an obstacle at all - just something that needs to be dealt with in my pursuit of maximizing plant health. Large plants are set above drainage saucers on small blocks, so after the effluent leaves the pot it cannot find its way back into the soil. All my plants, even the small ones, are watered so 15-20% of the total volume of water applied exits the drain. The effluent goes into the drainage saucer and evaporates - usually within 2-3 days, depending on the weather (humidity levels). If, for some reason, it didn't all evaporate between waterings, I'd make a note of that and remove some of the water with a turkey baster or similar after watering. So far, that hasn't been an issue. Al

Once water hits the ground, it picks up minerals that plants may or may not like, lime is common (which raises the PH.) Bottled drinking water is ground water and is more expensive than distilled. Very few bottled waters have no other substances besides pure H2O. Distilled, rain/melted snow, and condensate from dehumidifier or A/C are sources of 'plain' water. I couldn't tell from what you said if your plant is in water or a pot?

Hey, i am having somewhat of the same problem, although my bamboo are half the size of what you got there, I'm sure that they are probably not over watered and doesn't look like over fertilization, there is a chance the soil may be too hot on the inside, or might be to much heat, then again it could be one in a million things. How are they doing now? Have they recovered ?, if so what was the issue?.

Aside from having turned sideways from your last pic, that looks so much more promising than in your original pic! Go, baby, go! I took this pic for you of a variegated lucky bamboo plant of mine. About a year ago, the 2 stumps on the right were the entire plant. I cut them to use the tops as cuttings. Soon after, the stems to the left started to come up. The stumps never did make new tops, but each grew a new one from the base, just under the surface, as yours is doing. I'll probably cut the stumps to the right off soon at the soil level, now that their destination is clear. The other cool thing this pic shows is that the new trunks to the left are about twice the diameter of the older ones. The rock is there to keep squirrels from digging around in the pot. This whole thing has made me curious if this is what this kind of Dracaena usually does. I've only had this kind for about 4-5 yrs, so there hasn't been time for much experimentation yet. The tops that were removed are doing great in other pots, BTW. No sign of new tops or side branches forming on tham. I've pinched the growth tip from one to see how it responds.