--- title: "Brown Tips on Plant Leaves: Causes and Fixes | Mend Petal" description: "Brown, crispy tips on houseplant leaves? Answer a few questions to see whether dry air, fertiliser salts, fluoride, watering, sun or cold is to blame." url: https://mendpetal.me/brown-leaf-tips/ --- Brown tips checker # Brown tips on plant leaves Most often dry air: Iowa State Extension calls low humidity the most likely cause, especially in winter with the heating on. The rest come from letting the plant dry out too long, fertiliser salts in the compost, fluoride in tap water (for spider plants, dracaenas, ti plants, prayer plants and calatheas), strong sun, and cold or hot draughts. ## Read the leaf Brown tips are dead tissue, and they do not turn green again. Where the brown sits, and what the plant is, narrows the cause before you change anything. **Tips only** Dry air; fluoride in sensitive plants **Edges and tips** Fertiliser salts; drying out too long **Patch in the middle** Sun scorch; overwatering (RHS) **Trimmed** Cut leaving a thin brown edge (NC State) Where the brown sits is the first clue. Overwatering more often browns the middle of the leaf than the tips, the RHS notes; dry air and fluoride brown the very tips. ## The causes, in the order to rule them out ### 1. Dry air Iowa State names low humidity as the most likely cause of brown tips and edges, and the RHS says dry air is a common problem over winter when the heating is on, often with buds and flowers dropping early too. NC State notes that heating and air conditioning can hold indoor humidity at only 10 to 15%. **Fix:** group plants together, stand them on trays of damp pebbles, or run a humidifier, and move them away from radiators. Sources differ on misting: the RHS lists regular misting for humidity-loving plants, while NC State finds it raises humidity only briefly and rates a humidifier best. ### 2. Watering Iowa State says inconsistent watering, especially letting a plant dry out too long between waterings, browns tips and edges. The RHS says brown tips may mean over- or, more likely, underwatering, and suggests checking the roots to tell. **Fix:** water thoroughly when the top few centimetres feel dry, rather than in sips or on a schedule. ### 3. Fertiliser salts Fertiliser and hard-water minerals collect in the compost, and Clemson describes the sign: a white to grey crust on the soil surface or pot rim. **Fix:** scrape off the crust, then leach the pot by pouring through at least twice its volume of water and letting it drain completely (University of Maryland Extension). At every watering, tip away what drains into the saucer after 10 to 15 minutes, flush once or twice a year, and repot every one to three years (Missouri Botanical Garden). ### 4. Fluoride in tap water A few plants are sensitive to the fluoride in tap water: Missouri Botanical Garden names spider plants and dracaenas, and Iowa State adds ti plant, prayer plant and calathea. Letting water stand overnight lets chlorine escape but does not remove fluoride, and perlite in the potting mix contains some fluoride too (Missouri Botanical Garden, NC State). **Fix:** water sensitive plants with rainwater, distilled water or water from a dehumidifier, and leave perlite out when you repot. For dracaenas, Clemson also advises keeping the compost pH at 6.0 to 6.5. Damaged leaves will not recover, but new ones will grow clean. ### 5. Sun, heat and cold Strong, direct sun through a south-facing window in summer scorches brown patches (RHS), and UC IPM lists heat through a window and draughty spots among the causes of brown tips. The RHS adds that radiators scorch leaves and draughts dry leaf edges. **Fix:** move the plant out of direct summer sun, away from heaters, and about 15 cm (6 in) in from cold glass (NC State). ## Should you cut the brown tips off? You can, for looks. NC State suggests that if less than a third of a leaf is damaged, you trim off all but a slight amount of the dead tip, which stops it dying back further. The RHS gives the same advice for palms: do not cut into the green part; leave a narrow brown margin. Iowa State’s caution applies: trimming only improves appearance, and new browning follows if the cause is not fixed. ## A worked example: a spider plant by the radiator The chart above starts with a spider plant with brown tips, watered from the tap, fed rarely, no crust on the pot, standing near a radiator in the heating season. Dry air comes out first and fluoride a close second, because spider plants are among the sensitive species and the water comes from the tap. Draughts and heat come next for the radiator. Fix the easy one first: move it away from the radiator and group it with other plants or stand it on damp pebbles. Switch to rainwater at the same time. Old tips stay brown, so judge by the new leaves over the following weeks; if they still brown in moist air with rainwater, flush the compost and look at the roots. ## Common mistakes - **Cutting into green tissue** when trimming: NC State and the RHS both say to leave a thin brown edge. - **Leaving tap water to stand to get rid of fluoride.** It removes chlorine, not fluoride (Missouri Botanical Garden). - **Flushing the pot but leaving it standing in the run-off,** so the salts soak straight back up. - **Feeding more to “perk it up”,** which adds to the salt build-up UC IPM lists as a cause. General information from the extension and botanic-garden pages listed below, not professional advice. ## Frequently asked questions **Why does my plant have brown tips on its leaves?** Most often dry air, especially with the heating on (Iowa State). Other causes are letting it dry out too long, fertiliser salts, fluoride in tap water for sensitive plants, strong sun and draughts. **Why does my spider plant have brown tips?** Spider plants are sensitive to fluoride in tap water, and the RHS suggests watering them with collected rainwater. Dry air and irregular watering brown their tips too, so raise the humidity at the same time. **Should I cut off brown leaf tips?** Yes, if you like: trim off the dead part but leave a thin brown edge rather than cutting into green tissue (NC State, RHS). It is cosmetic, so fix the cause as well. **Will brown tips turn green again?** No. Missouri Botanical Garden says damaged leaves will not recover. New leaves will grow without brown tips once the cause is fixed. **How do I flush salts out of the compost?** Scrape off any crust, then pour at least twice the pot’s volume of water through the compost in a sink and let it drain completely (University of Maryland Extension). Do it once or twice a year. ## Sources All opened and checked on 3 November 2026. 1. [Why does my houseplant have brown leaf tips and edges?](https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/faq/why-does-my-houseplant-have-brown-leaf-tips-and-edges). Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, updated 3 February 2026. 2. [How to help a poorly houseplant](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/houseplants/how-to-help-a-poorly-houseplant). Royal Horticultural Society. 3. [Leaf damage on houseplants](https://www.rhs.org.uk/prevention-protection/leaf-damage-on-houseplants). Royal Horticultural Society. 4. [How to grow spider plants](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/spider-plants/growing-guide). Royal Horticultural Society. 5. [Palms indoors](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/trees/indoor-palms). Royal Horticultural Society. 6. [Extension Gardener Handbook, chapter 18: Plants Grown in Containers](https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/extension-gardener-handbook/18-plants-grown-in-containers). NC State Extension, 1 February 2022. 7. [Why does my indoor plant have leaves with brown tips?](https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/gardening-help-faqs/question/1578/why-does-my-indoor-plant-have-leaves-with-brown-tips). Missouri Botanical Garden. 8. [How to Water Indoor Plants](https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/visual-guides/how-to-water-indoor-plants). Missouri Botanical Garden. 9. [Environmental Problems of Indoor Plants](https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/insects-pests-and-problems/environmental/environmental-problems-of-indoor-plants). Missouri Botanical Garden. 10. [Houseplant Diseases & Disorders (HGIC 2251)](https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/houseplant-diseases-disorders/). Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center, updated 28 February 2025. 11. [Dracaena (HGIC 1504)](https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/dracaena/). Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center, published 16 March 1999. 12. [Watering Indoor Plants](https://www.extension.umd.edu/resource/watering-indoor-plants). University of Maryland Extension, updated 10 March 2023. 13. [Pest Notes: Houseplant Problems (Publication 74172)](https://ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/houseplant-problems/). UC Statewide IPM Program, University of California, updated August 2020. 14. [Diagnosing Houseplant Problems from Improper Environmental Conditions](https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/diagnosing-houseplant-problems-improper-environmental-conditions). Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, reviewed January 2024.