Raychis

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Why are my leaf tips going brown and crispy?

A brown tip is the far end of the plumbing failing, and half a dozen different things cut the supply. Work down the list in order, and start with the two that account for most cases on a windowsill.

Look at where the brown stops

A narrow brown rim following the outline of the leaf, on most leaves at once, points at the air or the water. A brown patch in the middle of the blade, on one side of the plant, points at light or heat. And a leaf where the brown has a yellow band between it and the green is usually telling you about salts.

Work down the list

  1. Dry air

    What you would see
    Narrow brown tips on nearly every leaf, worst from November to March, on calatheas, marantas, ferns, dracaenas and spider plants.
    The check
    Find the nearest radiator. Central heating drops indoor humidity to around 30 per cent, and the plants that suffer are the ones from rainforest floors where it never falls below 60.

  2. Watering that swings between dry and drenched

    What you would see
    Brown crisp margins as well as tips, older leaves yellowing underneath, and the plant wilting between waterings.
    The check
    Lift the pot when you think it needs water. If it is already light and the compost has shrunk from the sides, the plant has been running dry between cans.
    Drought stress and underwatering

  3. Salts from hard water and fertiliser

    What you would see
    Brown tips with a yellow band between the brown and the green, plus a white chalky crust on the compost surface or the outside of the pot.
    The check
    Run a finger over the compost surface and the pot rim. Anything chalky is accumulated minerals, and the fix is to flush the pot through with plenty of water three or four times.
    Nutrient deficiencies

  4. Roots that have rotted

    What you would see
    Brown tips on a plant that is being watered generously, with the compost permanently wet and the lower leaves yellowing.
    The check
    Slide the plant out and smell the root ball. Damaged roots cannot supply the far end of a leaf, so overwatering produces the same brown tips as drought.
    Root rot and overwatering

  5. Sun or wind on tissue that was not ready for it

    What you would see
    Bleached or brown patches on the side of the plant that faced the light, or brown margins on the windward side of an evergreen after a cold dry spell.
    The check
    Ask whether the plant was moved, or whether the weather changed. Scorch appears all at once and then stops, where a disease keeps spreading.
    Leaf scorch and sun damage

  6. Sensitivity to what is in the tap

    What you would see
    Persistent brown tips on spider plants, dracaenas, cordylines and prayer plants that have had none of the causes above.
    The check
    Switch to rainwater or to tap water left standing overnight for a couple of months. This group reacts to fluoride at levels that bother nothing else on the windowsill.

  7. Physical damage

    What you would see
    Brown tips on the leaves nearest a doorway, a walkway or a pet, with the rest of the plant unmarked.
    The check
    Watch where people brush past. A bruised leaf tip browns days later, and the plant gets treated for a problem it does not have.

  8. Red spider mite

    What you would see
    Dulled, faintly silvered leaves that go brown and crisp from the tip inwards, on a plant in a warm dry room.
    The check
    Hold white paper under a shoot and tap it. Specks that stay put are dust, and specks that start walking after five seconds are mites.
    Red spider mite

Still not sure which one it is? Photograph the leaf and compare it against the full library.

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