4 Reasons Why Your Spider Plant Has Brown Tips and How to Fix the Problem

When your spider plant has brown tips on its leaves, here are the most common causes and their solutions.

You love your spider plant, especially those cute little baby plantlets it seems to be growing all the time. But then you notice that your spider plant has brown tips on its flowing, ribbon-like leaves. What’s going on? Here’s how to figure out what’s wrong with your spider plant and correct it so the leaf-browning stops. Left unchecked, brown leaf tips turn into entirely brown, crispy leaves, and an even more sad-looking plant, and nobody wants that.

Related: 6 Common Houseplant Care Mistakes You’re Probably Making, And How to Avoid Them

Causes for Brown Tips on Spider Plant Leaves

Here are some possible reasons your spider plant has brown tips on its leaves, along with actions to take to improve the plant’s appearance.

1. Your spider plant is too dry.

The most common cause of brown leaf tips is your spider plant has gotten too dry. Too little water causes the tips of the leaves to dry out and turn brown.

Solution: Water your spider plant regularly and consistently. Watering frequency depends on variables like light, humidity, and air temperature, so there’s no hard and fast rule on how often to water your spider plant. Experiment and figure out what your plant needs. Here’s how: Water your houseplant and then check the moisture in the soil with your finger every couple of days. When the top inch of soil dries out, water the plant again. Your goal is to keep the spider plant’s soil consistently moist.

Tips

Those brown-tipped leaves won’t turn green again. That leaf tissue is dead. Trimming off the damaged leaves will instantly make your plant look a little better. 

2. The humidity is too low.

If the air around a spider plant gets too dry, its leaf tips can dry out and turn brown. Spider plants are tropical plants that need 50% to 60% humidity. You may naturally have this much humidity in your home during the summer, but in winter, indoor humidity levels tend to drop.

Solution: Add moisture to the air. You can do so with a humidifier or by moving the plant to a more humid place, such as a bathroom or kitchen. You can also put the spider plant on top of a pebble tray or mist the plant regularly with a spray bottle of water.

Related: The 6 Best Humidifiers for Plants, According to Testing

3. There’s too much fertilizer.

Spider plants like a moderate amount of feeding. Give the plant too much fertilizer, and it builds up in the soil, leaving salts and minerals that can damage a spider plant’s roots. Those damaged roots are unable to absorb water and nutrients from the soil, causing the plant’s leaves to begin to dry out and turn brown.

Related: The 10 Best Fertilizers for Indoor Plants of 2024 to Help Your Greenery Thrive

Solution: Flush the plant’s soil with running water. Hold the spider plant under a faucet and keep it there until water runs out of the pot’s drainage hole for 30 seconds. This washes out those harmful minerals and salts. Going forward, fertilize just once a month during the plant’s growing seasons of summer and spring. You can also repot your plant into fresh potting mix.

4. Your plant is in a draft.

Another reason that spider plant leaf tips can turn brown and crispy is exposure to sudden temperature changes. Similar to you, spider plants do best in temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Cold drafts from doors or windows, or very warm air from a heating duct blowing on the plant can cause brown tips.

Solution: Move the plant to a spot with a more consistent air temperature.

Related: 9 Essential Tips for Keeping Your Houseplants Healthy

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