Plant care guide
Anthurium Brown Leaf Tips: Dry Air, Salts, Thirst or Light?
Updated
Why does my Anthurium have brown tips?
Brown leaf tips on an anthurium usually come from dry air, salt build-up from feeding or hard tap water, or a root ball left too dry. Bleached leaf centres with brown tips point to too much light instead. Brown wedges that start at the edge and spread inward are a disease sign, not tip burn.
What to do first
Check the mix 5 cm (2 in) down and look for white crust on the surface or pot rim. Flush salts if you see crust, water thoroughly when the mix is nearly dry, move the plant away from heaters and direct sun, and cut back on fertilizer.
Brown tips on a glossy anthurium leaf are frustrating, because the damage shows on every leaf you look at. The good news is that tip browning is usually a growing-condition problem, not an infection. It stops once you find and change the cause.
The RHS notes in its anthurium growing guide that anthuriums want warmth, humidity, rainwater and acidic compost. Tip burn usually means one of those has slipped.
Sort the cause
| What you see | Most likely cause |
|---|---|
| Brown tips and edges, plant in a heated room or near a radiator | Dry air |
| Brown tips with yellowing lower leaves, white crust on the mix or pot rim | Excess fertilizer or salt build-up |
| Brown tips, slow growth, mix often bone dry and the pot light | Not enough water |
| Bleached leaf centres with brown tips, plant in strong light | Too much light |
| Yellow, water-soaked patches at the edge that turn into brown V-shaped wedges | Bacterial blight, not tip burn |
What each cause looks like
Dry air. The RHS says anthurium leaves may start to brown at the edges when the air is too dry, particularly in centrally heated homes. Clemson Extension’s houseplant disorders factsheet lists hot, dry air among the causes of brown tips and margins. NC State Extension’s Anthurium andraeanum profile describes a plant of warm, humid rainforest that does not tolerate cold drafts or sudden temperature changes.
Salts from fertilizer or tap water. UF/IFAS Extension’s interiorscape anthurium guidelines (EP159) pair yellowing lower leaves with brown tips to excess fertilizer. The same guide says overfeeding indoors builds soluble salts and injures leaf margins and tips. Clemson describes white crusty deposits on the mix as a sign of salt build-up. The RHS adds that hard tap water is alkaline and can harm these acid-loving plants.
Thirst. UF/IFAS links tip burn with root damage and reduced growth to too little water. A small pot near a heater can dry out faster than you expect.
Too much light. UF/IFAS pairs bleached leaf centres and brown tips with excess light. The RHS warns that direct summer sun scorches the leaves.
Rule out blight first
Check whether the brown stays at the very tip or advances from the edge. UF/IFAS Extension’s anthurium disease guide (PP292) describes bacterial blight starting as yellowed, water-soaked lesions on the leaf margins. These grow quickly into dead, V-shaped lesions. Isolate a plant with those signs from other aroids and see our anthurium brown spots guide for what to do.
What to do
- Feel the mix. The RHS suggests checking 5 cm (2 in) below the surface and watering only when it is nearly dry. UF/IFAS advises letting the plant dry slightly, then watering thoroughly.
- Flush salts if you see crust. Clemson suggests periodically drenching the pot to leach salts, scraping off the crust, and repotting in fresh mix if build-up is heavy. Empty the saucer afterwards.
- Feed less. UF/IFAS suggests a dilute 20-20-20 fertilizer at 50 ppm nitrogen once a month indoors. Skip feeding until new leaves look clean.
- Change the water. The RHS recommends rainwater or filtered water at room temperature. Clemson suggests letting tap water stand for 24 hours for plants that react to fluoride or chlorine.
- Raise humidity. The RHS suggests standing the pot on a tray of moist gravel and keeping it away from direct heat.
- Fix the light. Move a bleached plant to bright, indirect light, such as an east- or west-facing window, as the RHS advises.
Keep the plant at 18–30 °C (65–86 °F), the range the RHS gives, and out of cold draughts.
What to expect
Brown tissue will not turn green again. Judge the fix by the next new leaves. If you cut damaged leaves, disinfect the blades between plants, as UF/IFAS advises for blight.
If older leaves are also yellowing in wet mix, check the roots with our anthurium overwatering guide. Our anthurium watering guide covers timing. For other symptoms, start with common anthurium problems. Tap-water chemistry is covered in chlorine, fluoride and hard water for houseplants.
References
- UF/IFAS Extension: Cultural Guidelines for Commercial Production of Interiorscape Anthurium (EP159)
- UF/IFAS Extension: Anthurium Diseases, Identification and Control in Commercial Greenhouse Operations (PP292)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC 2251: Houseplant Diseases & Disorders
- RHS: How to grow anthuriums
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox: Anthurium andraeanum
How this guide was put together: UF/IFAS Extension, Clemson Cooperative Extension, RHS and NC State Extension guidance.