Why Plants Get Brown Tips on Leaves
My dracaena plant has developed brown leaf tips all over. In addition the new leaves coming through in the middle seem to be coming through already brown and soft and liable to splitting and coming off.
I have started misting daily and water once every 2 weeks or so. I’ve sprayed bug spray on it in case of mealy bugs but that doesn’t seem to have solved it. The pictures the plant is a bit dusty as have recently decorated!
Hi Rhian,
Brown tips on the leaves of plants indicate the following:
Too Much fertilizer: Too much fertilizer is worse than too little. Feed a plant only when it’s actively growing and producing new leaves which is usually in the Spring and Summer. If not needed, food is not absorbed, salts in the food collect in the soil burning the roots and causing unsightly brown or black tips on the leaves. Always dilute the fertilizer ½-1/4 the recommended strength.
Never use water that has passed through a water softener. The salt in the water damages roots and causes brown leaf tips. If your household water contains a great deal of fluorine or chlorine, let it sit out over night before using it so the chemicals can evaporate; you can also collect rainwater, or buy distilled water.
Water a Dracaena Marginata well and don’t water again until the top 50% of the soil is dry. In low light, it could take up to three weeks for the soil of a Dracaena marginata to dry out.
You can read all my care tips for a Dracaena Marginata on the Popular Houseplant section of the website.