hi~ hope i'm not too late. but i've had this problem before, and what i did was just rinsed everything, rocks, roots and all in running water and rubbing the rocks with my fingers and gently swished the roots around to get rid of some of the slimey-ness. after that, i put everything back into a very clean container and it's been doing fine ever since. i also got into the habit of cleaning the container and water a lot more often. i don't like using chlorine on anything that has to do with my plants and pets. i always worry that i would leave some residue that would harm them. hope this helps!

Sounds like a pest, try spraying insecticide on the leaves and remove any sticky residue on the leaves, if you think this is NOT the case then another thing it could be is a fungus infection on the leaves, witch does spread, if you think this is the case, mix a bit of baking soda with water and spray on the plant changing the ph and killing fungus, Or buy any sort of fungicide spray this is just my theory, Also place it by a window that receives....meh .. just enough light to cast a shadow, White and orange roots sound healthy to me, also i don't think the braid being too tight will cause white sticky stuff too appear, If all else fails, Try to propagate whatever healthy growth you have left on any of the near death or dying stalks :), Also check this guys channel for any additional info https://www.youtube.com/user/LuckyBambooExpert I really hope this helped even in the slightest bit, i see no one answers on this forum hopefully i got to you in time lol,

I solved my issue, mdln. I sliced off the yellowing nodes with a sharp knife.dipped the tips in hot wax. I also have them in only water. (No rocks/gravel) so then there is nothing blocking the pores. Since making this post, I already see signs of new shoots growing. Good luck!

Hello It seems your plant is rotting from bottom upwards. I recommend you cut of the plant stem above the roots, making sure that you cut of the rotting parts of the plant in a straight line. Make sure when you cut the plant, that the scissors or knife you use is CLEAN. Treat the plant as a cutting and leave it in filtered water to propagate another plant. I recommend you grow the plant in filtered water, not soil. Once the plant has grown a decent amount of roots you can add in a few clean pebbles. Be sure to change the water every week. You don't have to boil the water. Make sure you keep the plant out of direct sunlight. The dry, flaky stuff and bumps on the stems are fine. Trim off any dead parts of the leaves with CLEAN scissors. To also help the plant, mist it with filtered water everyday. Hope your plant survives. If you have any questions just comment in this post and I will reply as soon as I can. Good Luck. :) Be sure to post updates. :)