How to Remove Brown Tips From the Leaves of Houseplants

Brown tips on the leaves of houseplants can be caused by several things. The soil may have gone dry, or it may be too damp; the plant may be sitting in a draft, or there may be insufficient humidity; or the plant may be overfertilized. Luckily, this is an easy problem to solve.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Scissors

1. Try to find the cause of the brown leaf tips. Feel the soil with the tip of your finger before you water to determine whether the plant is damp or dry.
2. Apply only the recommended amount of fertilizer, or apply at half-strength more frequently.
3. If the plant is sitting on top of a heat-producing appliance such as a television, move it to where the temperature remains constant.
4. Remove brown leaf tips with a sharp pair of scissors.
5. Cut back the tips of the leaves until you come to healthy, green leaf tissue.
6. Contour the tips of the leaves to match the others on the plant. No flat-tops, please.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not cut leaves that exude a milky sap, such as poinsettia or dumb cane.

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