Brown Tips on Spider Plant Leaves

Cultural Conditions

• A spider plant that exhibits brown tips can be suffering from problems with its environment. Low humidity or very dry soil can cause tip browning. Water spider plants regularly, allowing them to dry out some between waterings. Never allow any plant to dry completely before watering, however. Do not leave spider plants in windows where they receive bright, direct light. This can scorch or burn leaves as well.

Overfertilization

• Spider plants require little fertilizer. They are actually very sensitive to salts and can become burned easily by excess feeding. Fertilize only occasionally during the growing season with a liquid fertilizer and do not leave the plant standing in water, especially right after feeding. Do not fertilize within four months of dividing or repotting spider plants.

Elemental Toxicity

• Spider plants are extremely sensitive to fluoride and boron, which are elements often found in tap water. The most common sign of elemental toxicity is widespread browning of leaf tips on the spider plant. This browning can spread to the edge of the leaf but rarely kills the plant. You can trim the browned tips, but there is no way to repair them.

Preventing Elemental Toxicity

• Water your plants using distilled water if tip burn becomes a problem. Select fertilizers low in fluoride and boron, since tip burn is a sign of an uncomfortable level of these elements in spider plants. If you are using potting soil with additional amendments, check the package, as these mixes sometimes contain added fluoride or boron. Repot the plant with a mix that does not contain these elements, being sure to wash as much of the old soil from the root ball as possible. Maintain a soil pH of 6.0 to 6.5 to reduce availability of fluoride and boron.