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Brown leaf tips · Peace lily
Why does my peace lily have brown tips?
Brown tips on a peace lily usually come from too much fertilizer and salt building up in the soil, or from the plant drying out and wilting again and again. Flush the soil with plenty of plain water, feed only at a quarter of the label strength, and water when the surface starts to dry. Direct sun, hot dry air and cold drafts can also brown the tips.
Check these first
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Look at the soil surface and pot rim for a white or crusty layer, a sign of fertilizer salts.
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Think about how often you feed it and at what strength; more than a weak dose every 6 to 8 weeks in spring and summer is too much.
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Ask whether it has been wilting between waterings; frequent wilting browns the edges.
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Check the light: is any direct sun reaching the leaves, or is it close to a hot window?
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Check for heaters, air conditioning or cold drafts nearby.
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Feel the soil: if it is always wet and leaves also yellow, look at the roots for rot.
Causes and fixes
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Too much fertilizer or salt buildup
How to tellTips and edges brown on many leaves at once, often with a white crust on the soil or pot. Roots may also look burnt.
What to doFlush the pot by running plenty of plain water through it and letting it drain. Feed only every 6 to 8 weeks in spring and summer at a quarter of the label strength, and flush between feeds. Repot into fresh mix if the crust keeps coming back.
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Drying out between waterings
How to tellThe plant has wilted several times, and brown tips or yellow edges appear after it recovers. The soil often dries hard between waterings.
What to doKeep the soil evenly moist but not soggy, watering when the surface starts to dry. Check it more often in warm weather.
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Direct sun or heat
How to tellLeaves on the window side look washed out and may curl, and their tips and edges scorch brown. The plant also tends to flower less.
What to doMove it out of direct sun into medium or bright filtered light and away from hot glass and heaters.
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Dry air
How to tellTips turn brown and crisp in winter when the heating is on, or near a heater or vent, while the soil is fine.
What to doMove it away from heaters and vents into a spot with steadier, less dry air, and keep the soil consistently moist.
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Cold or drafts
How to tellAfter a cold spell or time by a cold window or door, the leaf tips darken or turn black and the damage creeps toward the centre of the leaf, worst on mature leaves.
What to doKeep it above 15 °C and away from drafts and air conditioning. Trim off badly damaged leaves.
Stop it coming back
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Feed weakly, at a quarter strength, only in spring and summer, and flush the soil now and then.
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Water when the surface starts to dry so the plant never wilts hard.
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Use room-temperature water that has stood for a while.
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Keep it out of direct sun and away from heaters, air conditioning and cold drafts.
When to worry
When to worry
A few brown tips are cosmetic: the brown parts will not turn green again, but you can trim them off with clean scissors or remove a badly damaged leaf. Worry when browning spreads quickly across many leaves, leaves also yellow and wilt in wet soil, or roots look dark and soft. That points to root damage from salts or rot: flush the soil, cut away dead roots, repot into fresh mix and hold off fertilizer until new leaves appear.
