Q&A for How to Remove Brown Tips From the Leaves of Houseplants

Brown spots on the edge of a leaf are typically due to dehydration, while brown spots in the center are usually signs of disease or mold. For dehydrated plants, just water more frequently or move the plant to a shadier spot. To treat disease or mold, you should cut off the infected leaves.

As with most other houseplants, the likely cause of browning tips on a peace lily is over or under watering. Peace lilies tend not to need much water, you can allow the soil to dry out significantly between waterings.

Yes, though it likely won't prevent the plant from continuing to develop browning tips, which is usually caused by over or under watering.

It depends on the plant. Most house plants should be watered when the top inch or so of the soil is dry.

Yes, but leave just a little bit of brown on each leaf to avoid stressing the plant.

Try moving the plant farther away from the window or light source. It may be getting too much light.

You can use a watering can or a half full water bottle.

If it's brown and dry, then cut the whole leaf, but not too far from the main branch so that it will grow a new leaf. If it still green but just the tip is brown, then use a sharp pair of scissors to just trim the edges.

The leaves turn brown because of the change of seasons, like winter or autumn.

A palm leaf will eventually turn brown starting from the tip. However, should you wish to snip the browning edges, then do so. Once you've snipped any plant, make sure that you have a spray bottle handy to lightly spray where you've been snipping. This helps keep the freshly cut edge moisturized.

Possibly scale insects. Are the spots raised from the surface of the leaf like little 3 dimensional short wide round domes? If so, they are scale. Spray with some oil-based insect killer to smother them. Once they have grown up enough to crawl away from their mother and attach to plant leaf or stalk, they won't move again and will be trapped under any horticultural oil. If the spots are flat like they are part of the leaf, then it is probably a fungus, possibly blackspot. If so, spray with a fungicide. Either way, cut out any severely infected or infested leaves and stems before you spray and then clean your tools with rubbing alcohol before cutting on a different plant–-no sense in spreading insects or diseases.

Cut the leaves which turned brown not far from the branch so that news leaves may be come out. Keep watered sufficiently (neither too much nor too little) and ensure it is getting good indirect light.