Frequency of Water
Both too much and not enough water will harm palm trees and cause leaf browning and yellowing.
The majority of palms prefer to have 50% of their soil dry before being irrigated. Always be sure the soil needs water before applying it. Wash the saucer thoroughly, then drain any extra water. Overwatering can cause yellowing and eventually root damage.
When the leaf tips dry out and turn brown, this is a typical issue known as “tipping.” The most frequent culprit is tap water, which has salts, chlorine, fluoride, and other potentially dangerous substances in excess. Use distilled water or rainfall to avoid this.
If you start to see salt buildup as a white crust-like coating on the soil’s surface, you can flush the soil a few times a year. To accomplish this, remove the top layer of dirt and water your palm slowly but liberally with a volume of water that is roughly four times that of your pot. Before repositioning your Palm, allow the water in the pot to completely drain and remove any extra water from the saucer.
Nutrients in the potting soil are replenished by fertilizer, but too much fertilizer can cause leaf tips to become brown and compromise plant health. Only fertilize palm trees in the spring and summer when they are actively growing. Palms that are dormant don’t require more fertilizer. Use palm tree fertilizer at the rate suggested on the box. Keep in mind that more fertilizer is not always better. Never fertilize dry soil because doing so can cause the roots to burn.
Warm temperatures are necessary for palms to thrive. Despite being often kept warm, indoor plants are nonetheless susceptible to cold harm. Plants should be kept away from windows and doors that draft because the cold air can brown the tips of the leaves. In the winter, keep plants away from windows because leaves contacting the glass might freeze and become brown. Avoid placing items directly in an air conditioning vent during the heat.
Throughout the growing season, palms grow new leaves. A palm tree leaf gets dark as it nears the end of its natural life, starting at the tip and continuing until the leaf is entirely brown and falls off. The brown tips are normal and not cause for alarm if only one or two leaves are browning and new foliage is still coming in.
The right way to remove any brown tips from your plant is as follows:
- Amass your resources. Paper towel, some rubbing alcohol, and a pair of well-kept scissors or pruning shears are all required. (The alcohol wipes included in first-aid kits are excellent!)
- Before starting and after each cut, wipe the sharp scissors or pruning shears’ blades with rubbing alcohol. The blades should be wetted with water before cutting if you are simply removing brown, crispy leaves that have become that way due to aging, a lack of moisture, or sunburn patches. This will help to avoid damaging vital tissue.
- At the base, close to the stem, or at the soil, remove any leaves that are completely brown or yellow. Make sure not to tug on the leaves as this could harm the plant’s vital components. Remove only the afflicted section of the leaf if only a portion of it is brown or yellow.
Important: When pruning, take care not to take more than 30% of the entire plant. To avoid removing an excessive amount of leaves at once, you might need to prune in phases.
Why are my palm leaves’ tips going brown?
An educational website on cultivating indoor palms is available from the University of Minnesota Extension. For a variety of palm types, below is what is recommended regarding brown leaves and watering:
All of these palms have similar requirements for water and fertilizer despite having different light needs. In actuality, the two most prevalent issues with indoor palms—dried brown leaf tips or leaf margins—are directly or indirectly related to how they are fertilized and watered.
Keep your palms somewhat moist. Water them in the spring and summer, or other warm seasons when the days are longer, as soon as the soil becomes a little dry. During the winter, let the soil get a little bit drier.
Potting soil needs to drain well, and any containers you use need to have functional drain holes. Thoroughly wet palms, then pour or siphon off extra water that has accumulated in the tray or saucer underneath the pot.
When houseplants are most likely to grow aggressively, which is from late winter to early autumn, fertilize gently during this time. The dreaded brown tips and edges are caused by a build-up of fertilizer salts in the soil, especially if you let the soil get too dry between waterings. When in doubt, it’s better to err on the side of too little fertilization than too much. If necessary, you can always fertilize again.
And lastly, keep palm fronds tidy. Spider mites are drawn to dusty vegetation and can become a major issue, especially in the winter when indoor relative humidity is low.
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What should you do if the tips of your palm tree are brown?
You should cut the palm tree’s fronds off if they are completely brown. Dead and barren fronds are no longer supplying the palm tree with nourishment. As new fronds develop, the palm tree naturally sheds its old ones. Dead fronds may usually be easily removed with a strong tug when they are about to fall.
When fronds are partially brown but still retain a green stem, the tree is still receiving nutrients from them. As a result, you should not remove them unless they are:
- Hazardous: If withering fronds fall freely from the palm tree, they may cause harm to persons, animals, or property.
- Diseased fronds should be removed and quickly thrown away since they can spread a fungal illness to other palm palms.
- Infested fronds should be removed and quickly thrown away since any insects or pests that have moved into the dying fronds may cause a nuisance on the property.
- In order to ensure the safety of onlookers, overhanging dead fronds along a road surrounded with trees should be removed since they could physically obstruct or restrict a driver’s field of vision.
You’ll need to be properly outfitted with the necessary pruning equipment and protective clothing in order to trim an outside palm tree. Check out our palm tree trimming guide so you’ll know exactly what to do when it’s time to get rid of the brown fronds.
Why are my indoor palm’s tips becoming brown?
For an indoor palm to remain healthy, it needs to be watered properly. A plant may experience withered leaves and brown leaf tips and margins if it doesn’t receive enough water. However, you should never let them dry out or sit in water. Palms need to be maintained moist. When the palm is actively growing, you can let the soil dry out just a little bit below the surface in between waterings, and you can let the soil dry out a little bit more deeply in between waterings in the winter. Pour water into the drainage tray until it spills out, then quickly empty the tray.
How frequently do palm trees need to be watered?
If you want to give your home a lush, tropical appearance, one of the most popular indoor plants is the palm tree, or Arecaceae. Aside from its lovely appearance, which can go well with any design, it can grow in dimly lit areas, requires little care, and is hard to kill. The only drawback of this plant, I suppose, is that some of its varieties can be rather expensive. If you decide to purchase one, you should try your hardest to maintain it.
Fun fact: Because of the palm tree’s adaptability to indoor settings, it has been a common houseplant since the Victorian era.
The Madagascar-born Areca palm, commonly referred to as bamboo plants, is one of the greatest indoor palm tree varieties. It enjoys a warm climate and can reach heights of 6 to 8 feet. There are currently over 2,600 different species of palm trees, each of which has unique maintenance needs. However, indoor palm trees typically enjoy strong, indirect light, a humid climate, and up to once or twice a week of watering.
Indoor Palm Plant Care Tips
You must conduct thorough research because each type of indoor palm tree necessitates a distinct type of care in order to keep it alive and healthy. Some plants favor the shadow and a darker, more humid climate. Fertilizer may be required for some plants. Additionally, it’s preferable to put your indoor palm tree in a location where there won’t be a lot of traffic that will rub against or pull on the fronds and damage the plant. Remember that trimming the top of a palm tree will cause it to die.
Here is everything else you need to know about caring for your indoor palm tree, from the amount of sunshine it needs to typical issues and how to fix them.
Sunlight
Place your indoor palm tree in a location where it can get bright, indirect light as the first step in caring for it. It can, however, survive dim lighting, particularly in the winter. Avoid placing your indoor palm tree in the sun since too much direct light may cause your plant to die.
The leaves of your indoor palm tree are turning yellow, which is a sign that it isn’t getting enough light, a common problem.
Yes, your indoor palm tree can survive in lower light levels, but if the environment is too gloomy, it will stop growing and its leaves will start to turn yellow because there isn’t enough light to sustain photosynthesis. The optimal location for it is somewhere that can receive medium to bright, indirect light.
Water
Watering your indoor palm tree when the top 1-2 inches of the soil are fully dry is the next item on our list of ways to take care of it. Typically, this occurs two to three times per week. Additionally, remember that your indoor palm tree needs proper drainage. Never allow the root ball of your plant to sit in water as this could result in its demise.
The leaves on your indoor palm tree are becoming brown or yellow, which indicates irregular watering or tap water that hasn’t been filtered.
Solution: Your indoor palm tree may become stressed from irregular watering, especially if the soil is too dry. It’s ideal if you can plan out when to water your plants. Make sure the earth feels dry as well. If so, water your plant appropriately.
Your water’s quality could be another contributing factor. Because tap water contains salts, chlorine, minerals, and fluoride, the tips of the leaves burn, curl, and turn brown, making it unsuitable for use with plants. Use a water filtration device or overnight storage in an open container to filter the water.
Humidity & Temperature
Placing your indoor palm tree in an area with typical room temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit is another tip we have for caring for them. Although your indoor palm tree may survive remarkably well in conditions of ordinary humidity, it is advised to water it frequently, set it close to a humidifier, or use a pebble tray to keep insects away.
Common Issue: If the leaves on your indoor palm tree are turning yellow, the soil around the plant is completely dry, and the humidity level is low.
Purchase a humidifier if at all possible for your plant. The experts concur that this is the finest option. A few times a week of routine misting will also work. To keep your indoor palm tree happy and healthy, stay away from cold drafts, air conditioning vents, doors, and abrupt temperature fluctuations.
Food
Feeding your indoor palm tree with a water-soluble fertilizer on a regular basis during the growing season is another tip we have for you. Additionally, since palm plants are prone to potassium deficiencies, give your plant extra potassium and manganese. If the fronds of your plant are turning brown or yellow, that is the biggest indication that it has this illness.
Common Issue: Excessive fertilization may be to blame for the leaves becoming brown.
Solution: Applying too much fertilizer to your indoor palm tree will cause fertilizer burn, also known as plant burn. Salts used in fertilizer wick moisture away from plants. Keep in mind that anything in excess is unhealthy for your plant. It’s best to apply fertilizer according to the suggested time and amount to prevent plant burn.
Pests & Other Problems
Mealybugs, scale insects, and spider mites are just a few of the typical pests that might harm your indoor palm tree. Make use of an insecticidal soap to get rid of these pests.
Expand your knowledge of plants. For additional information on various houseplants and advice on how to keep your plants alive and healthy, visit our blog on plant care.