Why Are My Spider Plant Leaves Turning Brown? [DETAILS]

Brown tips on your spider plant? You’re in good company. Brown leaf tips can happen on any indoor plant but are common on spider plants and dracaenas.

The spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is one of the most common houseplants around, and for good reason. It’s easily grown, with long, grassy leaves in green or striped with yellow or white, and it’s native to Africa, from tropical West Africa to Cameroon and Ethiopia south to South Africa.

Here’s the good news: brown tips are usually a message about growing conditions, not a sign your plant is dying. Plant diseases are very rarely a problem in the home. Let’s decode the message together.

6 Reasons Spider Plant Leaves Turn Brown

The RHS sums it up well: brown leaf tips can be caused by too much or too little water, by the fluoride in tap water, by bright sunlight or very dry air, or by a combination of these. Work through the list below and fix everything that fits your plant, not just the first thing.

1. Fluoride and Chlorine in Tap Water

Spider plants are one of the classic fluoride-sensitive houseplants. NC State Extension says to avoid watering with tap water because the chlorine and fluorides can cause leaf tip burn. The University of Arkansas Extension calls tip burn the most common spider plant problem and says it is caused by fluoride ions building up in the leaf tissue until they reach toxic levels.

That buildup is slow. The Pacific Northwest Pest Management Handbooks describe fluoride as an accumulative poison in foliage that can build up gradually over time, and list the spider plant among sensitive indoor foliage plants, along with dracaena. Fluoride can come from low-grade fertilizer, some sources of vermiculite and fluoridated tap water.

The fix

• Switch the water. UF/IFAS Extension says spider plant is particularly sensitive to fluoridated water, and that rainwater or distilled water is best if your water is treated with fluoride. Collected rainwater works well.
• Treat the tap water. Reverse osmosis or condensation (distillation) can reduce the problem.
• Repot and feed better. Repot in fresh potting soil and use a high-grade liquid fertilizer.
• Watch the mix and the feed. Avoid high-phosphate fertilizers and low soil pH; high calcium levels in the rooting medium, such as dolomite, can help tie up fluoride and prevent injury.

Want the bigger picture on tap water and leaf tips? See our guide to brown tips on houseplants.

2. Too Much Fertilizer (Salt Buildup)

Clemson Extension says leaf tip burn is caused by too much fertilizer or water that is high in soluble salts. The University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension agrees that excessive fertilizer may lead to tip browning, and the Missouri Botanical Garden warns against overfeeding, noting that the plant’s tuberous roots store reserve food.

Spider plants don’t need much. Fertilizing every 3 to 4 months is usually enough (more in our guide to fertilizing spider plants). Spider plants don’t generally need feeding if they’re repotted regularly with fresh compost, and yellowing leaves usually mean too little light rather than too little food; if a brighter spot doesn’t help, try a balanced liquid fertilizer every other month through the main growing season. Feed during active growth and follow the label.

The fix: Flush the soil, cut back on how much and how often you fertilize, and possibly repot. To flush, run plenty of plain water (rainwater or distilled water if your tap water is fluoridated) through the pot until it pours out the drainage holes. If you repot, wait four to six months before feeding a newly potted plant.

3. Dry Air

Iowa State University Extension calls low humidity the most likely cause of brown leaf tips on houseplants, and notes that indoor humidity is often low, especially in winter. Spider plants themselves are a little more forgiving: they don’t generally need high humidity, but if the air is very dry they may develop brown tips.

The fix: Try a humidifier, a pebble tray (a tray of pebbles and water under the pot), a terrarium or grouping plants together. Keep the plant away from heat sources such as radiators, which dry the air, and mist the leaves occasionally, especially if you notice browning.

4. Too Little Water

Inconsistent watering, especially letting plants dry out too long between waterings, causes brown leaf tips and edges. Pale, dull leaves usually mean the plant needs more water, and spider plants are quick to revive after a thorough drink. Their thick, fleshy roots store water, which helps them ride out the odd missed watering.

The fix: Let spider plants dry out briefly between waterings and check the soil daily. Put another way: let the upper inch of soil dry out briefly between waterings. When you water, water thoroughly, until water runs out of the drainage holes. Here’s more on how to water a spider plant correctly.

5. Too Much Water

Overwatering can also cause leaf-tip browning, and spider plants dislike standing in water. Root rot usually results from a soil mix that does not drain quickly or from excessive watering.

The fix: Pour away whatever collects in the saucer, and water a little less in winter. For a mix that drains, see our guide to well-draining potting soil for spider plants.

6. Too Much Direct Sun

Bright light is good; hot, direct sun is not. Too much strong sunlight can turn the leaves yellow or brown, and variegated plants can scorch in direct sun, so avoid hot, bright spots, especially in summer. Spider plants tolerate some direct sun, but midday light may scorch the leaves, and the plant is generally described as intolerant of direct sunlight.

Those cautions are the place to start. I’ve also photographed spider plants growing in full sun at neighbors’ homes, both as an in-ground groundcover and in pots. In Florida, though, an assessment of non-native plants predicted spider plant to become invasive in the state, and it is no longer recommended for planting there. If you’re in Florida, keep yours in a pot rather than planting it in the ground.

The fix: Give it bright, indirect light, or filter a sunny window with a sheer curtain. Moving it outdoors for summer? Houseplants moved straight into bright outdoor light will scorch or drop leaves, so make the change gradually over several weeks. More on how to grow spider plants outdoors.

Too little light is a different problem. Spider plants tolerate fairly low light, but growth slows and the leaves may lose their variegation.

Brown spots, not tips? That’s a different problem, and a rare one: plant diseases are very rarely a problem in the home, and this plant has no significant listed problems. The University of Illinois Extension describes bacterial leaf spot on garden plants as reddish brown spots (Pseudomonas) or small brown, angular to circular spots with yellow halos (Xanthomonas), and says fungicides don’t control these bacteria; sanitation is the main control. Remove spotted leaves, wipe your scissors with rubbing alcohol between cuts, don’t handle plants while the leaves are wet, and ask your local extension office if you’re not sure what you’re seeing.

Can My Spider Plant Be Saved?

Almost certainly. Spider plants are almost indestructible as houseplants, even if they sometimes look a bit tattered. Some brown tips will occur unless conditions are perfect, so a few are nothing to panic over.

• Trim the tips. Trimming the brown portions off with scissors improves the plant’s appearance; snip off browned tips or whole leaves. Remove fully browned or dead leaves at the base.
• Fix the cause. Trimming is cosmetic. New browning will occur if the root cause is not addressed, and the problem will return unless preventive steps are taken.
• Repot if it’s crowded. Spider plants form thick, fleshy tuberous roots and should be divided and repotted before the roots expand enough to crack the container. Use fresh potting soil for fluoride-damaged plants.
• Cut back a badly damaged plant. For a neglected plant with lots of bent, split and browning leaves, cut all the foliage down to 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 inches); a new flush of growth will come from the center as long as you look after it well.
• Start fresh with the babies. Detach good-sized plantlets once they have their own roots and pot them up in moist compost, or root them in a glass of water first. See how to propagate spider plant babies.

More on spider plant care

• Why spider plant leaves curl

Which one turned out to be behind your spider plant’s brown tips: the water, the fertilizer or the air? Tell us in the comments!