Plants that are kept indoors need special care. Keep in mind that they are in pots, and therefore the amount of soil they have is limited. What’s more, inside the house there is a microclimate whose characteristics are different from those outsideSince there is no wind, no rain, and temperatures remain more or less stable throughout the year.
So when we ask ourselves Why do the tips of the leaves of indoor plants dry out it is very possible that we find the causes in the way we take care of them. But this is not the only thing we will have to think about.
Reasons why indoor plant leaf tips dry out
There are several causes, some of them are very easy to solve, but there are others that are not so easy, since sometimes dry tips are a sign that something serious is happening to the plant:
- Rub against the wall, and / or are in a passage area
- Dry environment
- Air currents
- Needs a bigger pot
- Lack or excess of water
- Pests and / or diseases
Now that we know them, let’s talk in more detail about each of them.
Rubbing against the wall – They are in a passageway
Image – Be.Green
Plants grow. When we buy one we have to be very aware of this, as it will mean that will need more and more space: a bigger pot, more soil, and also being further and further away from the wall. If we put, for example, a kentia glued to it, the tips of the leaves that are touching the wall will not take long to dry.
And something similar will happen if we put them in an area that we pass through every day. The corridors, as well as the entrances and exits of the rooms are places in which the tips of the leaves of the plants dry frequently. Why? Because every time we pass near them, even if we don’t touch them, an air current is generated that causes them to dehydrate; and if we also touch them, little by little we will break them too.
What to do?
The first thing is not to worry too much. That is to say, this is an aesthetic problem more than anything, which has an easy solution. Simply we have to put our plants further away from the wall, and avoid going near them if they are in a transit area or, if that is not possible, change rooms.
Dry ends will not recover, but can be trimmed if desired.
Dry environment
The plants we have indoors They tend to originate in tropical rain forests, where air humidity is high. By For this reason, at home the leaves tend to dry out, since the environment is usually dry, unless we are on an island or near the coast. In any case, if you have doubts, we recommend that you consult this information with a meteorology website in your country (for example, you have the AEMET website if you are in Spain). If you see that it is below 50%, then you will have to take some measures so that your plants do not get worse.
What to do?
There are several things you can do:
- Spray the leaves with rainwater or lime-free in summer.
- Place containers of water around the pot.
- Group the plants, putting them close to each other but without touching.
Air currents
Image – Flickr / John Lillis
Do you have your plants near the air conditioner, fan or a window that you open frequently? So here is why the tips are drying out. These air currents dry out the environmentand that’s just what plants don’t want. If the environment is dry they have more difficulties to take better advantage of the water that the roots of the substrate absorb.
What to do?
It is not something too serious either as long as it is detected in time. In fact, you just have to take the plants to another areawhere drafts do not reach.
Needs a bigger pot
There comes a time when the roots have already taken up all the space they have available, and the tips of the leaves dry up. The growth stops, and if it continues like this for a long time, the whole plant will weaken. By ello, it is important to be transplanted occasionally.
What to do?
If we see that the roots protrude through the holes in the pot, we have to plant it in a larger one. But if they do not stand out but more than two years have passed since the last transplant, we have to see if it needs a change by grasping it by the base of the main stem and pulling them up gently, as if we wanted to remove it. In the event that the earth bread comes out without falling apart, it will be convenient to plant it in a larger pot.
Transplants will be done once spring has settled and temperatures begin to exceed a minimum of 18ºC.
Lack or excess of water
If there is something that we can never forget all of us who have a plant indoors, it is irrigation. It is important to keep it hydrated so that it has a chance to grow, but it is also important that it receives the amount of water it needs and every time it plays. In fact, in general you have to water a couple of times a week during the summer, and once a week the rest of the year; Although everything will depend on the climate in the area and the type of plant, since there are some, such as succulents, which resist drought better than others.
But how do you know if you have a lack or an excess of water?
- Lack of water:
- The plant can appear “sad”, with the fallen leaves (as if they were hanging)
- New leaf tips will turn yellow and dry
- The substrate will be dry
- If it has flowers they will abort and dry
- Excess of water:
- The tips of older leaves will begin to lose color, and may dry out.
- The substrate will be very humid, it may even have fungi or verdina
- In case it has flowers, they are likely to wilt
- The roots will die, almost always turning first dark brown and then black.
What to do?
In the event that there is a lack of watering, what we will do is take the pot and put it in a container with water. We will leave it there for as long as it takes until we see that all the earth is wet again. From then on, we will water more often.
However if we have watered it too muchwe will have to do the following:
- Remove the plant from the pot: we will take the opportunity to remove the soil that is loose, and incidentally see how the roots are, since if at first glance we see that they are black or that they are beginning to be attacked by fungi (something that we would know for sure if they were covered with white or pink mold ), we would have to treat them with multipurpose fungicide (for sale here!).
- Wrap the ground or root ball bread with absorbent paper: If it absorbs moisture quickly, we will remove it and put a new one.
- Leave it in a dry and protected place for about 12 hours: so the earth will have time to dry out something else.
- Plant it in a new pot with substrate, also new: since plants that have suffered excess water are very vulnerable to fungal attack, we cannot risk planting them in the same pot and with the same soil that they have had until now. If you are not sure which substrate to use, don’t worry: here! you have a guide that will help you choose the most suitable for your plant.
- Treat with fungicide: regardless of whether the roots were fine or not, and whether we have already treated them or not, it is worth treating the entire plant with fungicide. It is better prevent.
Pests and / or diseases
Image – Wikimedia / Gilles San Martin
Although they are indoors, the plants can also have pest and / or disease problems. If we talk about the former, mealybugs, red spiders, white flies and aphids are very common; and if we talk about the latter, powdery mildew, mildew and rust are common when overwatered. Although there are others, such as those transmitted by viruses and bacteria, that can also affect them, they are rarer.
How do you know if they have pests and / or diseases? Identifying the symptoms:
- Dry or discolored ends
- Seeing the insect itself
- Appearance of gray, white or pink mold in any of its parts
- Red or orange spots on the leaves
- Leaf and stem rot, a common reaction in cacti and succulents
- Deformed blades
What to do?
The first thing is to know if what you have are pests or diseases. If it is a pest, it is easy because we will see the insect somewhere, and it will almost always be on the underside of the leaves.. When in doubt, there is nothing like using a magnifying glass. We will inspect the entire plant well, and if we see that something is moving, then it has a plague. And if so, I recommend treating it with natural and effective insecticides, such as diatomaceous earth (for sale here!) or the potassium soap:
If you have any disease, the first step is to see if it is fungus. To do this, we just have to run our finger over it, and if it gets dirty, we can undoubtedly affirm that there is someone that is harming it. Treatment consists of treating with a fungicide, such as copper.
But if it has viruses or bacteria, then unfortunately we can only cut the affected parts and wait. There is no treatment that eliminates them. Besides that, it is important that we take the diseased or pest plant to a separate roomaway from the others. In this way we will prevent them from being infected.
Has it been useful to you?
