Mineral and chemical build-up in the water
Brown, crispy tips on a water-grown plant point straight to the water it's standing in.
Diagnosis
Mineral and chemical build-up in the water
What's happening
Tap water carries chlorine, fluoride, and dissolved minerals that lucky bamboo can't tolerate well. As water evaporates and is topped up rather than replaced, those salts concentrate and burn the delicate leaf tips brown and crisp, while the rest of the leaf may still look green.
How to fix it
Empty the vessel completely and refill with fresh distilled, filtered, or rainwater rather than just topping it off. Rinse the stones to wash away accumulated salts. Going forward, fully replace the water every week or two instead of adding to it, and keep it filled to about two inches up the stalks. Trim the browned tips with clean scissors, following the leaf's natural shape, so it looks tidy as new growth comes in.
What fixes it
- A long-spout watering can — A long-spout can makes it easy to refill the vessel cleanly with filtered water right at the stones.
If that doesn't fix it
This is general guidance based on common symptoms; individual plants vary.
Read the full Lucky Bamboo care guide →
Reviewed June 2026 · how we check this