Why do plant leaves develop brown edges?
Written by
Nguyen Minh
Reviewed by
Prof. Charles Hartman, Ph.D.Brown edges of leaves can frequently function as a way for your plant to signal distress. While leaves damaged by unfriendly bugs or infections generally do not exhibit brown edges, crispy brown margins are typically a consequence of care mistakes. Too much water saturates roots, too little water dries roots, and tap water contaminants, including chlorine and other chemicals, build up around roots like undetectable pollution. Your first clue is in the pattern you observe, for instance, do you see brown edges after fertilizing or during winter dry spells?
Watering Imbalance
- Soil too wet >2 days risks root rot
- Bone-dry soil >5 days triggers cellular collapse
- Solution: Check moisture at root level with a probe
Humidity Gaps
- Tropical plants need 50-70% humidity
- Low humidity (<40%) desiccates leaf margins
- Solution: Group plants or use pebble trays
Water Quality
- Chlorine levels >0.8 ppm harm sensitive species
- Fluoride causes tip burn in dracaenas
- Solution: Filter water or let it sit 24 hours
Patience is a requirement for recovery. After a 10-week period at 65°F and 60% humidity, I brought a calathea back to life from having about 80% of the leaf edges brown. The new leaves all came out unscathed from the recovery process while I trimmed off all the damaged leaves. I use tools such as hygrometers and moisture meters, which take the guesswork out of the equation and let the data inform the next steps.
Read the full article: Understanding and Fixing Brown Leaf Edges on Plants
