Brown Tips on Your Houseplants? Here’s What It Means and How to Fix It

Noticing brown tips on your houseplants can be frustrating, especially when you’re doing your best to care for them. The good news? Brown tips are usually a sign of environmental stress, and a few small changes are often all it takes to bring back that lush, green look. Let’s explore the common causes and solutions to help you get your plants back in top shape.

Common Causes of Brown Tips on Houseplants

1. Low humidity
Many common houseplants come from moist tropical forests and thrive in humidity levels higher than most indoor spaces provide. Brown tips are often the first sign that the air is too dry for their liking. Besides brown tips, low humidity can also lead to curled, crispy leaves or wilting. Low humidity can be especially challenging during the winter when our homes are kept warm through forced-air and central heating.

2. Over-fertilizing
It can be tempting to feed plants more, hoping to encourage faster growth. But too much fertilizer actually harms them, causing salt buildup in the soil, which can pull moisture from the roots and brown the leaf edges. If you notice stunted growth alongside brown edges, over-fertilizing might be the culprit.

3. Poor watering practices
Both under-watering and over-watering can cause root die back, leading to brown tips. Ensuring a steady watering routine that meets each plant’s needs will help avoid this stress.

4. Temperature stress
Extreme temperatures, especially drafts from windows, vents, or heaters, can dry out or shock plants. This sudden shift stresses plants, leading to browning tips or even wilted leaves.

5. Leaf age
Sometimes, brown tips on your houseplant isn’t a result of anything you’ve done, but a natural sign of leaf aging. In that case, prune away unsightly leaves and carry on!

Step-by-Step Solutions to Fix Brown Tips

1. Raise the humidity
Increasing humidity is the best way to give plants the moisture they crave. Here are a few easy ways to make their environment more tropical:

• Use a humidifier: For multiple plants or larger spaces, a small room humidifier works wonders.
• Plant grouping: Clustering plants together creates a small “microclimate” where humidity levels stay higher.
• Misting: Many people enjoy providing a gentle misting once or twice daily, especially in dry winter months. While this certainly doesn’t hurt, we haven’t found that misting is as effective a treatment as the suggestions above.
• Humidity trays: Like misting, humidity trays are a popular but unproven remedy for low humidity. To try this method, place pebbles in a tray under your plant pot and add water. Theoretically, as the water evaporates it will raise the humidity around the plant.

2. Adjust Fertilizer Use
If brown tips are appearing on newly fed plants, it may be time to lighten up on the fertilizer:

• Diluted feeding: Use a weaker mix than recommended on the label, particularly with young or sensitive plants.
• Soil flush: Once a month, flush the soil with clean water to rinse out any accumulated salts. This is especially helpful if you suspect over-fertilization.

3. Water Consistently and Check Soil
Overwatering can sometimes appear as large brown patches on leaves, while brown tips can sometimes indicate underwatering. Getting the watering right can make all the difference:

• Check soil moisture: Your plants’ water needs can change considerably throughout the year. Check them on a regular basis, but be sure your plant needs a water before you give it a drink. Every plant has different needs, but moist common houseplants like the top inch or two of soil to be dry before getting a thorough watering.

4. Move Plants Away from Drafts or Heat Sources
To avoid temperature stress, try placing your plants in more stable environments:

• Avoid heat sources: Keep plants away from heat sources like baseboard heaters, radiators or AC vents, which dry out plants’ leaves.
• Protect from drafts: In colder months, be mindful of chilly air near doors or windows that could shock your plants.
• Give your plant the best winter care: Learn more about how to ensure your houseplants thrive during the coldest months of the year.

Pruning

Brown tips on houseplants don’t always indicate severe damage, but they can affect the plant’s appearance. If it doesn’t bother you, though, there’s no need to remove leaves with brown tips or edges. If you do decide to prune, here’s a quick guide:

1. Use clean scissors: Make sure your scissors or pruners are clean to avoid introducing pathogens to the plant.
2. Trim carefully: Only cut away the brown part of the leaf, taking care not to trim into the green section. This keeps the leaf alive and functional, while improving its look. If the browning is significant and the plant has many healthy leaves, cut off the leaf at the leaf stem (petiole) but don’t cut too close to the main stem. The rest of the leaf stem will fall off on its own and this avoids damaging any dormant buds.

If the browning continues after making these changes, revisit your care routine. Sometimes, adjusting one or two factors can make a huge difference, even if it takes a bit of time to see results.

Brown tips can be frustrating, but by tuning in to your plant’s needs, you can get them back to full health. A few small adjustments in humidity, watering, and placement will go a long way toward lush, green foliage. If your houseplants still have brown tips after trying these techniques, visit us or email us a photo for some extra guidance. Your plants—and your indoor space—will thank you!