How To Deal with Leaf-Tip Browning on Houseplant Leaves

Leaf tip browning on your houseplant leaves is an irritating condition that generally affects some types of houseplants. Tropical plants, spider plants, and those with long, strappy leaves are particularly susceptible. The major difficulty while confronting leaf-tip burn is understanding that it's a sign of a bigger problem, usually a bigger one instead of a problem in itself. Once your houseplant has burned leaf margins or tips, there is no good way to reverse the damage at the injured location. The only useful thing is to solve the underlying issue and hope your plant resumes its healthy growth.

Ideally, you can notice leaf tip browning early enough such that your plant’s appearance won’t get completely ruined.

The following factors can potentially cause leaf-tip browning:

Watering Problems

Leaf scorching is a symptom of low humidity and insufficient or erratic watering. It is particularly true for rare tropical plant species, which dislike arid environments in most centrally heated houses during winter. Such houseplants are developed to thrive in humid conditions ranging from 60% to 100% in their natural rainforest homes. Any home during wintertime can easily go to 20% humidity levels which leads to leaf scorching. The best solution to this problem is increasing the humidity by misting your plants, using pebble trays, or relocating your plants to a spot with higher humidity levels, such as your bathroom or kitchen.

Fertiliser Problems

Fertiliser salts can result in leaf scorching, specifically if a heavy dose of fertiliser is applied. If you see leaf scorching on your houseplant shortly after feeding a large dose of plant fertiliser, there is probably an issue with your fertiliser. Immediately flush the plant's soil with clean water multiple times to remove accrued fertiliser salts and avoid this mistake in the future.

Damage By Cold

Closely associated with water stress, various houseplants are not adapted to cold, drafty environments such as staying by a winter window. Cold damage affects the plant's extremities first, meaning its leaf tips and margins. If your tropical houseplants show leaf scorching during cold weather, try to increase the temperature and humidity around them as well.

Sun Damaging the Leaves

Usually, sun damage indicates yellowing the entire leaf or scorched spots on your plant's leaves. Nevertheless, if your houseplant has been subjected to an alternation of direct sunlight, it's getting, that could be the real culprit. Keeping your houseplants away from the sunny windows can protect them from sun damage as leaf scorching can also occur from the radiation coming through the window.

Damage Through Chemicals

Chemical damage to your houseplants is less likely to cause leaf scorching, but it's not impossible. Cleaning chemicals and household pesticides can burn your plants, so be careful what you apply to your plants. Eventually, a plant's leaf tip burn is mostly a cultural issue as bacterial and fungal diseases are commonly more widespread around the leaf surface and typically involve the plant's stem. The ideal way to correct this problem is to learn what cultural conditions likely cause leaf browning or burn and fix them.