Operation Abandoned Plant Rescue

Several weeks ago, when students were moving out we found these poor bamboo plants abandoned outside near our parking lot. They were planted in dirt and all dried out with some nasty crust on the vases so we took them in and tried to revive them. The process is well-documented here. After conducting some quick internet research, we learned that bamboo is supposed to planted in water with river rocks (not dirt with some odd fish tank pebbles as we found them).

We cleaned off all the dirt, rinsed them, added river rocks to their vases, trimmed the sun-burnt leaves, and they are actually doing quite well we are happy to report. Bamboo is kind of a finicky plant we are coming to realize, although everything online says they will grow anywhere. We have to change their water once a week and it has to be filtered and room temperature. Quite a few parameters for a little plant!

Rinsing the roots

All the ingredients for 'happy bamboo'. River rocks, clean vases, no more dirt on the roots.

Adding rocks carefully to each vase.

Process complete.


Here they are now all lined up in their happy home. The dead parts have since been trimmed off as well.