Houseplant Turning Brown?—Tips on How to Fix It So You Won't Get Too Blue

No matter how much we love houseplants, encountering browned leaves is almost unavoidable. We plant lovers put forth good effort in providing plant care, but we all falter at times. Often the first sign of faltering is a brown leaf.

Browning does not always translate to “brown”, per se. On colorful Tradescantia, foliage takes on a beige cast and looks dull, devoid of the iridescence it has when healthy. Rosemary’s pine-like foliage can completely blacken on a stem or two. And mini Hosta kept as a houseplant can show crisp, light-brown leaf tips. But frustrated plant lovers seem to use the same term when calling out in dismay, “Why is my houseplant turning ‘brown’?”

So, why does plant browning happen to good people? Browning can signal plant stress. And causes of stress typically center around: 

*Over- or underwatering

*Inconsistent watering

*Over- or underfeeding

*Issues with light, temperature, or humidity.

This list expands for garden plants, which face more pests and diseases than their indoor cousins do. For houseplants, it is more common that we humans who are providing plant care are inadvertently causing the stress.

So… what are we doing wrong?

Watering Issues

Issues with watering top the list of possible plant care problems to investigate when foliage browns. Browning leaf tips signal dehydration. But overwatering also causes browning, with “wet feet” creating a stressed state. When roots rot beneath soil, plant stress may go unseen. Then browned foliage (sometimes accompanied by mushy stems and leaves) lets us know there is a problem. With water being taken up by roots and stems to vessels within leaves, a disruption to the water supply at the root level can make its mark in the location which is last reached by water. That location is the leaf tips.

How do we know we are watering just right? Our houseplants tell us. Green (or burgundy or whichever base color of foliage a plant has) will prevail, letting us know we are on track. While some exotic plants need specialized plant care, it seems the majority of plant care descriptions indicate that most houseplants want 1) water once the top layers of soil dry out, and 2) good drainage.

Inconsistent Watering

When browning appears, I run the faucet and rush to action. But this takes things from dry to nearly drowning in the name of love and care. It is better to avoid extremes and get into a rhythm by determining the amount of water and pattern of watering our plants like best, then doing our water dance to that rhythm. Consistency is aided by having a schedule. 

Feeding Issues

We know fertilizers can burn tender roots. But in an effort to provide good plant care, most of us have surely overfed plants by mistake. 

The plant care issue of overfeeding is not only addressed by holding back on fertilizer, but also remembering to dilute it well. Some recommend in-soil fertilizer spikes—solid, not liquid. As long as the nutrients in the spikes match the houseplants’ nutritional needs, spikes deliver good nourishment over time. And I love diluted fish emulsion for my plants. Most houseplants feed on this without issue. (And perhaps it is the brief period when a slightly fishy smell lingers that ensures I do not fertilize too frequently.)

Issues with Light, Temperature, or Humidity

Scorching of indoor houseplants may not happen often. But reading plant care tags and online guidance is vital to positioning plants in “no-scorch zones” where they can thrive—example, north-facing windows for plants that like consistently low light.

And speaking of windows, drafty windowsills can allow plants to get chilled to the point of browning.

Dry air can wreak havoc too. Using humidifiers, misters, and pebble trays filled with water at the base of plant pots become part of a good plant care routine when issues with humidity arise.

Other Issues

Water quality can cause leaf browning: Salt, chlorine, and fluoride build up in plant tissue, sometimes browning foliage. You can leach out salt and other substances by flushing your plant pot with far more water than you would otherwise apply, letting it drain and dry, and eventually using filtered water for future watering.

Browned leaves also show up on plants which undergo dormancy, so with unfamiliar houseplants, I often check to be sure the plant I aim to green up is not preparing for a much-needed nap. 

And, of course, yellow and brown leaves can develop as a plant reacclimates itself to a new container. However, re-potting is also part of good plant care, reducing stress by addressing too-tight growing conditions. (Sometimes browned leaves are just plain unavoidable.)

Summing Up

From one houseplant lover to another, the best thing I can say about seeing leaves go brown is, “Don’t get blue.” We must remember that brown leaves actually help us, in that they signal that a problem must be addressed through different, adjusted plant care.

Do not throw your plants away; most can be saved. But do not expect browned tissues to green up and turn supple again. They will not. You must trim them. But do not trim a houseplant down to its base. Trim judiciously, and let the plant gradually fill in its foliage gaps.

And keep this in mind: Seeing brown leaves causes us to investigate more and learn more about plant needs and plant care. And isn’t continued learning really at the root of what we love best about tending plants? (Granted, we do like a little green too. But be assured, that will come.)