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Brown leaf tips on spider plant: causes and fixes

Chlorophytum comosum

Quick answer

Brown, crispy tips on your spider plant have a few possible causes, and on this plant the likeliest is tap-water fluoride and accumulated salts.

Spider plant
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Most likely cause

Tap-water fluoride and accumulated salts

How to tell

Spider plant is one of the more sensitive houseplants to fluoride and salts in tap water, so tips brown slowly over months even with otherwise good care. Fluoride injury can appear without any visible crust. A white crust on the soil surface or the pot rim shows mineral or fertilizer salts, not fluoride specifically.

The fix

Switch to rainwater or distilled water and flush the pot occasionally to wash out built-up salts.

Other possible causes

Not a match? Compare the signs below to find the one you have.

Dry heat from a radiator or vent

How to tell

Tips brown mainly on the side facing a radiator or heater vent. Spider plant does well at 40–60% humidity, so ordinary room air is rarely the cause on its own.

The fix

Move it away from the heat source. It doesn’t need misting or a humidity tray.

Inconsistent or under-watering

How to tell

The soil dries out hard between waterings, so the tips (the last to get water) crisp first.

The fix

Water more evenly: check the soil regularly and don’t let it go completely bone dry, then soak thoroughly.

Fertilizer burn

How to tell

Tips brown within a week or two of feeding, sometimes with a white crust on the soil surface or the pot rim. It follows feeding too often or too strong.

The fix

Flush thoroughly with plain water and feed less often, always diluted.

Too much direct sun

How to tell

Dry brown patches or scorched edges show up where strong sun hits the leaf. Spider plant wants bright, indirect light.

The fix

Move it back from the glass, or filter the strongest sun with a sheer curtain.

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