A big problem is the brown tips on spider plants. They are unsightly to look at and they indicate that the care can be improved.
Spider plants or Chlorophytum comosum according to Winsconsin Horticulture are easy to care for houseplants.
Knowing what causes the discoloration on the leaf tips is the first step to remedying the situation.
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Brown Tips on Spider Plant Leaves
The brown tips on spider plant leaves can be caused by over- or underwatering, too much sun, hard water, pests, or diseases. If you catch the problem early enough, you can change your plant care to nurse it back to full health.
Most Common Reasons For Brown Tips on Spider Plant Leaves
1. Over or Underwatering Your Spider Plant
A spider plant needs water about once a week but they are generally pretty forgiving if you give them a little extra.
Anything more than a couple of times a week though and your plant could be drowning in too much water. When this happens, the tips of your spider plant foliage turn brown.
When your plant “drowns” it essentially has root rot underneath the soil that you can’t see. The plant can no longer send nutrients and water to the other healthier areas when root rot occurs.
You should re-pot your plant if it’s suffering from overwatering and make sure it has good drainage so the water doesn’t pool up.
Your leaves will also turn brown if you aren’t giving your spider plant enough water. It’s best to track when you water your plant every week on a calendar so you can have a consistent schedule.
You’ll also be able to vary up your schedule if you’re noticing your plant is not doing well. You can touch the soil of the plant for a moisture check.
If there is, wait a day or two before watering again.
Read more about root rot in spider plants.
2. Your Spider Plant Gets Too Much Sun
Your spider plant needs sun in order to grow healthily, but it won’t appreciate direct sunlight for too long. That’s because the soil will end up drying out and your spider plant enjoys a little moisture.
This is a bigger problem if your spider plant is outdoors and planted because you’ll need to uproot the plant if you notice brown areas on the tips of the leaves from sun exposure.
Spider plants can do very well in shaded areas where they receive indirect sunlight, so planting them where they get the brunt of the sunlight won’t be a good idea.
Having your spider indoors is much easier to maintain because you can move around the pot whenever you notice the brown spots appear.
The sun will dry out your soil but it’s also possible the heat from direct sunlight could burn the leaves too. Always check your soil levels to see if the heat or the lack of moisture is the problem.
This will help you determine what next steps you need to take to nurse your spider plant back to health.
3. Plant Pests And Diseases
You could be giving your spider plant just the right amount of water with the right amount of sun and still get brown tips on the leaves. The reason is, your plant might be getting attacked by a disease.
Spider plants can show that they are unhappy by curling their leaves.
Or if you’ve noticed any black spots appearing on the leaves of your spider plant, then you definitely have a disease issue called leaf blight.
This usually happens when the environment is too hot or too humid for the spider plant.
The black spots will actually start off as brown spots, so keep a close eye on the progression of the leaf to see if it is indeed leaf blight. Remove any black leaves immediately so they don’t spread the disease to another leaf.
If you see the black starting to reach your stems then you have a major problem because your spider plant will not be able to recover. You’ll have to get a new plant and start over.
4. Your Water Is Too Hard
Homes essentially have two kinds of water, soft and hard. Hard water is when there are extra minerals and other elements in the water that have not been filtered out.
Soft water means there is a filtration system that gets rid of those minerals and elements.
Using hard water with your spider plant can cause browning because the additional minerals will build up in the soil over time. This has a two-fold negative effect on your spider plant.
The additional minerals can change the pH level of your soil and ruin the environment in which your spider plant flourishes in.
The other problem is how the build-up of minerals crowds out any of the healthy nutrients your plant needs.
A third issue is chlorides and fluorides that your spider plant is susceptible to.
If you do have hard water you’ll need to flush out the soil once a month with distilled, filtered, or rainwater to make sure the soil stays in good shape for your spider plant.
Alternatively, let your tap water sit for 12-24 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you get rid of brown spots on spider plants?
If the leaf is completely brown and wilted away, then you should be able to easily pick the leaf off the plant. If there is any resistance, do not continue to pull because you could be causing more harm to the healthy parts. You can also use garden sheers or sharp household scissors to cut off any damaged leaves.
Why Should I Trim Brown Tips on My Spider Plant?
The brown tips of your spider plant will take away nutrients that your plant could use for the healthy parts. By cutting them off, you help the plant grow and redirect those nutrients to the green leaves who have a better chance of surviving.
Is It Possible for a Spider Plant with Browning Tips to Recover?
If you notice your spider plant has brown tips but they haven’t covered more than 50% of your leaves then there is a chance the plant can still recover. If the brown has taken over a majority of the leaves or reached the stems then it is unlikely that your spider plant would recover.
Diagnosing Brown Tips on Spider Plants
The reasons for brown tips on spider plant leaves are:
- over- or underwatering
- too much sun
- pests, or diseases
- hard water
Daniel has been a plant enthusiast for over 20 years. He owns hundreds of houseplants and prepares for the chili growing seasons yearly with great anticipation. His favorite plants are plant species in the Araceae family, such as Monstera, Philodendron, and Anthurium. He also loves gardening and is growing hot peppers, tomatoes, and many more vegetables.