Have you noticed brown spots on the leaves of your houseplants…
… or any unsightly brown areas in the foliage?
If so, you may be wondering what the problem is…
There are a number of reasons why houseplant leaves appear brown…
… but most of them can be prevented and even addressed.
Hear it from Tana!
I’ve never been a serious gardener my whole life…
But having houseplants at home is something I need…
… since houseplants have helped me by providing greeneries…
… at home, in the middle of a city life.
Houseplants have also calm me down better…
… once I get home from work.
Hence, the two conditions just doesn’t match up for me…
Especially this one time when I noticed brown spots…
… on most of my houseplants leaves.
My first thought was that I put them in a location…
… where the sun is the brightest.
This guess was based on common knowledge…
… that crisp brown edges usually are due to excessive heat.
However, I place most of my houseplants indoors…
… several feet away from window light.
So, why are there brown spots on my houseplants?
Having the same problem?
Then you’ve come to the right place…
We will discuss in this article how to fix brown spots on houseplant leaves…
… and the most common reasons why they appear.
What Causes Brown Spots On Houseplant Leaves?
Table of Contents
Brown spots on houseplant can be caused by six different things. They include:
- Excess light/scorching
- Low humidity
- Pests
- Leaf spot diseases
- Watering problems
- Fertilizer problems
Taking each condition one by one, let’s explore the cause and find a solution for your plant…
Excess Light/Scorching
Usually, houseplants grow in shade of the forest understorey…
This means that they have adapted well…
… to the lower light levels found inside your house.
It is important, though, to remember that too much light…
… whether it’s natural or artificial, can cause plants to burn or scorch.
If your houseplants have been burned or scorched…
… you’ll find brown spots on their leaves…
… brown tips, or even pale yellowed leaves.
You will also see these symptoms combined in severe cases…
Hence…
To determine whether your plant is suffering from these symptoms…
… first determine the direction of lighting it receives.
Is direct sunlight passing through the window…
…or is direct light coming from an artificial light source?
Leaving the leaves too close to artificial light or direct sunlight…
… may make them burn, resulting in brown leaf tips and brown spots.
If you could move the plant farther from the window…
… you could reduce the intensity of the light.
The plant can also be moved away from direct sunlight…
… so that it only receives bright, indirect light, which suits many houseplants.
Moreover…
The intensity of the light may also change with the seasons which can lead to scorching…
If you had a happy plant in a south-facing window over the winter…
… you may need to move it farther away or to a new location in the summer as the light intensity increases…
In case only a few leaves have been damaged you can prune these off safely…
If the plant is badly affected you should wait until new growth has begun…
… before pruning the damaged leaves.
When removing scorched leaves, try to mimic the natural shape of the plant’s leaves…
If the tips are scorched, you can cut them off with clean, sharp scissors…
In spite of the fact that scorch damage cannot be reversed…
… the plant will hopefully grow new, healthy leaves in due course…
… and the old leaves can then be removed to make your plant’s appearance more healthy.
Low Humidity
The humidity in your home and especially around the plant…
… may be contributing to crispy brown leaf tips.
If this is the case, you may need to change the humidity level…
If you notice leaf droppage and flower buds are falling off…
… and too much or too little light is not the cause…
… the culprit could be too little humidity.
When humidity levels are too low, plants such as Calathea…
… will quickly develop brown spots or leaf tips.
As winter approaches, it’s common for humidity inside a home…
… to fall dramatically, since cooler air contains less humidity…
… and central heating will also dry out the air.
A digital hygrometer is an excellent investment…
… if you struggle to keep your houseplants healthy.
At a glance…
You can see how humid your home is…
… and adjust the humidity levels accordingly.
Plants need much higher humidity than what is found in the home…
… so you should place the plant on a pebble tray so that it can grow.
Pebbles should be placed in a dish and water should be poured over them…
… so that the water does not quite reach the top of the pebbles.
You should place your plant pot over the pebbles, but not directly in the water…
… because this will contribute to raising the surrounding humidity.
If you want to raise the humidity around your plants…
… you can group plants closely together.
After the plant has recovered, use clean, sharp scissors to cut out just the brown tips…
If you notice a leaf that is more than 2/3 brown, it may need to be removed entirely…
Pests
There’s nothing more depressing than finding leaves covered in little brown spots…
That’s when spider mites have taken over…
Besides mottled leaves, you may also see fine webbing…
… on the underside of the leaves, which also indicates the presence of spider mites.
Washing spider mites off with room temperature water…
… is one of the easiest and least expensive ways of control.
Ensure that infected plants are washed once per week…
… making sure to rub off any webbing that’s present.
Maintain a high humidity level around your plants…
… during the time in between washings to prevent the spider mites from spreading.
Houseplant leaves may also be damaged by other sap-sucking insects…
Mealybugs, aphids, thrips, and scale are common culprits…
All these bugs feed by sucking the sap from the leaves…
… and stems of your houseplants, damaging a small area…
… around where they feed, causing brown or yellow spots on the leaves.
Regularly checking your houseplants for signs of pests is good practice…
If you suspect an infestation, immediately quarantine your plant…
Rust
The brown spots on your plant’s leaves are actually collections of spores..
… and the brown rings under the leaves usually refer to rust.
Rust is a fungus that normally occurs in moist environments…
It is easy to diagnose rust spots because you can wipe some off with a cloth…
Find out whether the color transfers to the material…
… to determine whether you have a rust problem.
The plants that have rust should be quarantined…
… and treated with a sulfur-based fungicide.
First, cut off the rust-y leaves, tie them in a plastic bag, and throw them away…
Bacterial Leaf Spot
You may have bacterial leaf spot if your plant leaves…
… show sunken, wet-looking brown spots…
Plants that are kept in excessively humid or poorly ventilated conditions…
… are more likely to suffer from bacterial leaf spots.
The presence of bacterial leaf spots on your plants can be a serious problem…
Infections that affect the leaves and stems may be treated with removal…
… but more widespread diseases can be fatal for your plants.
If your plant is infected, you should isolate it…
… to prevent infection of your other houseplants…
Anthracnose
There are several types of anthracnose, a fungal disease…
… that causes dark lesions on leaves and stems.
The leaves have numerous, irregular spots that grow slowly over time…
You can recognize it by the irregular appearance of the spots on the leaves…
Although they are normally not harmful to houseplants…
… they can spread easily and impair the appearance of your plants.
Plants that are affected should be quarantined, their affected foliage removed…
… and they should be treated with a copper-based fungicide.
Root And Stem Rot
Root rot and stem rot are typically caused…
… by excess watering and poorly draining soil.
If you notice brown and black spots on the roots…
… and stem of your plants, you may have an issue.
The affected plants should be replanted…
… in fresh soil with their roots removed.
Follow these steps after watering your plant in order to save it…
Make sure your pot has drainage holes…
… and empty the catch tray after you’ve watered it.
Fungal Leaf Spots
You can treat a plant with neem oil according to the instructions on the bottle…
… the next time you notice little brown spot on one of the leaves.
Remove the affected leaves and destroy them…
… then apply neem oil as directed on the bottle.
Neem oil may not be able to prevent further infection…
… which may require destruction of the plant.
Watering Problems
If your leaves are browning or dying, this may indicate…
… that the soil is saturated and you are experiencing an issue with underwatering.
Check to see if the soil is completely dry; if it is…
… then this might indicate a problem with waterlogging.
Give your plant a thorough drink of water…
Do not just let it sit in wet soil; drain the drip tray once the soil has drained completely…
Your plant should start to perk up after a few hours…
If you want to avoid the problem again, make sure…
… you understand the watering needs of your plants.
Some plants need soil that is moist, but not too soggy…
… while others require that the soil does not become wet between waterings.
The winter months signal the beginning of the dormant period…
… in your indoor houseplants, when they are much less water-dependent.
However, when the spring arrives and the daylight hours increase…
… your plants’ need for water increases.
Watering issues can sometimes be brought on by the change in season…
… because of the change in water needs.
Fertilizer Problems
In the event that you can see brown leaf tips on your plants…
… a build-up of too much fertilizer salt may be tripping your plants up.
Initially, you should remove any crusty build-up from the top of the soil…
It is necessary to thoroughly wash the soil to remove any excess salts…
… which is something that you should do at your sink…
… so as not to cause water to spill all over.
Allow the excess water to drain out of the soil…
… and do not water again until it has dried.
Rinse the soil thoroughly with water…
After the soil has been thoroughly rinsed, allow it to dry out…
It may be necessary to completely repot your plant in fresh soil…
… if there is a significant salt build-up.
Your soil may also require a monthly flush if a large salt deposit has accumulated…
Fertilize your houseplants cautiously to prevent problems…
You may have underestimated how much fertilizer your houseplants need…
Know your plants’ fertilizer requirements and use it carefully…
Troubleshooting Brown Spots On Houseplant Leaves
You might have trouble figuring out precisely why your plant is malfunctioning…
Once you have followed all of the steps and still cannot figure out…
… the reason for brown spots on your plants, you should take some time…
… to observe the plant and review its care requirements…
… to ensure that the correct conditions are being provided.
While you are trying to identify the problem, I suggest doing the following:
- Leaves or foliage that are damaged should be removed.
- Between using plant tools, make sure they are thoroughly clean and sanitized to avoid spreading infection.
- Make sure to water the plant only when the soil is dry, but don’t let the leaves wet.
- You should closely observe your plants to identify any problems, taking into account the type of care they receive and the environment they are in.
For houseplants with brown spots, prevention is the best medicine…
To avoid brown spots on their leaves, it is important…
… to understand and supply what your plant needs.
Keep your plant as healthy as possible by providing it…
… with the correct amount of sunlight, water, humidity, and fertilizer.
To sum it up…
Turns out that brown leaves on houseplants…
… is not primarily cause by sunburn.
There are 9 other reasons in addition to excessive light…
… such as low humidity, pests, and rot.
Worry not, because this article have provided solutions…
… to the problem of brown leaves on houseplants.
Conclusion
Brown leaves on houseplants may be worrying…
So keep this article as your guide…
Or comment down below for further inquiries…
You can also contact us for more information…
Have an awesome gardening journey!
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