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Brown leaves · Aloe vera
Why is my aloe vera turning brown?
Soft brown leaves that start at the base usually mean too much water and rotting roots, while dry, firm brown patches or tips point to sunburn, cold or thirst. Feel the leaves and the soil first: for soft leaves in damp soil, unpot the aloe, cut off rotten roots and replant in dry cactus mix; for dry brown spots, adjust the light, temperature or watering. Water only when the soil has dried out completely.
Check these first
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Squeeze a brown leaf. Soft, mushy or see-through tissue means rot; dry, firm or papery tissue means sun, cold or thirst.
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Push a finger to the bottom of the pot. Soil that is still damp days after watering points to overwatering or poor drainage.
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Note where the brown is: at the base of the leaves and spreading upward suggests rot, on the sun-facing side suggests sunburn, at the leaf tips with thin, curling leaves suggests thirst.
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Think back over recent days: a move outdoors or into a hotter, sunnier window, a cold night by the glass, or a long gap between waterings.
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Check that the pot has a drainage hole and that it is not standing in a saucer or cover pot full of water.
Causes and fixes
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Overwatering and root rot
How to tellLeaves turn brown or translucent and soft starting at the base, the soil stays damp and the plant may wobble in its pot.
What to doUnpot it, cut away dark, soft roots and any mushy leaves, let the plant dry for a few days and replant in dry cactus mix in a pot with a drainage hole, ideally terracotta. From then on water deeply only when the soil has dried out completely, and very little in winter.
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Sunburn after a sudden move
How to tellDry brown or bleached patches on the leaves facing the sun, appearing soon after the plant went outdoors or into a much sunnier spot. The leaves stay firm.
What to doGive it a little shade for now and move it into stronger sun gradually. Aloe likes full sun, but plants used to indoor light need time to adjust. Scorched marks will not fade; they are cosmetic and you can trim badly damaged leaves at the base.
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Underwatering
How to tellLeaf tips dry out and turn brown, and the leaves look thin, flat or curl inward; the soil is bone dry and has been for a long time.
What to doWater deeply until it drains, then let the soil dry out completely before the next watering. That is about every two weeks in spring and summer and once a month or less in winter.
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Cold damage
How to tellBrown or dark patches, sometimes soft or water-soaked, after a cold night outdoors or with leaves pressed against cold glass.
What to doBring it indoors before nights drop below 10 °C and keep it above 5 °C at all times, with the leaves off the window glass. Cut off leaves that have turned mushy; firm, marked leaves can stay.
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Salt build-up from tap water or fertilizer
How to tellBrowning leaf tips together with a white crust on the soil or pot, on a plant that is otherwise watered correctly.
What to doFlush the pot by running plenty of water through it, then let it dry out fully. Use rainwater if you can, and feed only from late spring to late summer at half strength, about once a month.
Stop it coming back
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Water deeply, then wait until the soil is completely dry before watering again.
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Grow it in a gritty cactus mix in a pot with a drainage hole.
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Give it as much light as possible, and move it into stronger sun gradually.
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Keep it away from cold glass in winter and bring it indoors before nights get cold.
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Do not leave water standing in the saucer or cover pot.
When to worry
When to worry
An outer leaf at the very bottom slowly drying to brown while the centre keeps producing firm new leaves is not a concern; pull or cut it off. Sun or cold marks on firm leaves are scars, not disease. Worry when leaves go soft and brown from the base, several at once, or the centre of the rosette turns mushy: that is rot. Act quickly: unpot, cut away all soft tissue and rotten roots, let the plant dry and replant in dry cactus mix. If the main plant is lost, any healthy offsets (pups) at the base can be potted up on their own.
