Burnt or dry leaves

Leaves that fall to the ground decompose and release nutrients

At some times of the year it is common to discover that some of our plants have dry-tipped leaves. This happens frequently in the case of plants of interior and due to excess heat. The funny thing is that the plants do not need to be exposed to summer temperatures to suffer from this problem, since a excess heat in the environment can also lead to dry leaves.

Our burnt tips They can also appear if the environment is too dry, typical of air conditioning systems, or if the plant is exposed to a window with direct sunlight. The burns usually appear on the tips of the leaves or in some areas of the leaves. In the first case, they are due to environmental drynessin the second by the excessive direct sun exposure through windows.

Because this symptom appears more frequently in large-leaved plants it is desirable cut out the damaged part with scissors and trying to preserve the shape of the leaf. If the plant has wide and large leaves, it is recommended cut the whole leaf. The good news is that the spots do not spread so it is only a matter of time before the plant looks green again.

When discovering burns on the leaves of your indoor plants, remember to check where the plant is located and other aspects such as environmental dryness, the frequency of irrigation and the season of the year. In this way, you can modify the conditions to avoid stains.

Why do the tips of the leaves turn brown?

Air currents

When we acquire an indoor plant and place it in a walkway area, or near a window that we usually have open, it is very common for plant leaves to turn brown. They can even become like this too if you are very close to a wall.

To avoid or solve it, it will be enough to put it in an area where there are no draftsfar enough away from the walls.

Lack of water

The brown tips they are usually the first sign that the plant is going thirstyeither because of the lack of irrigation or because there is little rainfall.

While the brown tips will not turn green again, you can prevent it from getting worse simply by watering the plant more often.

Ferns want a lot of water

Related article:

How to know if a plant lacks water

The soil or substrate does not hold water

Substrate for plants

This cause may be closely related to the previous one. If we have the plant in a very porous soil, or in a pot with a sandy type substrate, the roots may have difficulties to absorb the amount of water they need.. In addition, if the soil that we have put in the pot has a tendency to compact excessively, it will not be able to absorb the water either.

What to do in these cases? It will depend on where we have the plant:

  • Land: Before planting, you can mix the soil with peat or mulch if the water seeps in too quickly, that is, if it does not take more than a couple of seconds. In the case that it is already planted, you can put a layer of about 4-5cm thick of these substrates to keep it moist for a longer time.
  • Flower pot:
    • Sandy type substrate: unless we have succulent plants, it is best to transplant the plant and put substrates that contain peat, mulch or compost.
    • Substrate too compacted: when this happens, you have to immerse the pot in a container with water and leave it there for at least 30 minutes so that the soil is well soaked.

The roots have no space or are damaged

We often make the mistake of not transplanting the plants for a long time, because of this, we force them to be in a container where little by little the roots run out of space and nutrients. The less thought day, the leaves start to get uglywith brown tips. In addition, if we water or fertilize them in excess, they can be damaged.

Therefore, if we have a plant that has not been transplanted or / or fertilized for a long time, it is highly recommended to move it to a larger pot with new substrate, and / or fertilize it with specific fertilizers from spring to late summer.

daphne smells

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Transplant plants

Sun

Sunburned leaves

Sunburned leaves are probably one of the most common causes. We buy, for example, a precious Cycas rolledWe put it outside in full sun and the next day we see that it has some burned leaves. Why? Because that particular plant has not been acclimatized.

What to do in case of sunburned leaves? Well, the first thing is to put it in semi-shadowwhere you can recover from what happened. We will leave it there for a couple of weeks, and we will cut off those leaves that have been very damaged and have hardly any chlorophyll. After that time, we will gradually and gradually expose it to the sun, starting in spring. The ” calendar ” to follow could be this:

  • First fortnight: two hours of direct light, either early morning or late afternoon.
  • Second fortnight: four hours of direct light, either early morning or late afternoon.
  • Third fortnight: six hours of direct light.
  • Fourth fortnight: eight hours of direct light.

At all times, you have to go reviewing the sheets to see if they suffer burns or not. In case we see that they are burning, we will decrease the exposure time.

Excess fertilizer

Excess fertilizer

The subscriber is one of the most important tasks that everyone who has plants must do, but as necessary as doing it, is to do it well, carefully reading the label on the container, since If we overdo it, the roots will burn and die.

To try to fix it, we can water conscientiously. Thus the excess of mineral salts will move away from the roots.

What are the causes of yellow leaves on plants?

Lack of minerals

leaf lacking in minerals

Plants need a series of minerals in order to grow and develop. If any are missing, the leaves will turn yellow quickly, usually from a lack of iron or magnesium. Let’s know how to differentiate it:

Cold

yellow leaf

If we have bought a tropical plant and have left it outside, or we have, for example, a tree that, although it resists frost, is the first winter that passes with us, it is normal for the leaves to turn yellow from the cold.

In these cases, avoid exposing sensitive plants to low temperatures. With garden plants, you will not need to do anything, as long as we know that you can really adapt to living in these conditions.

Lack of water

If a lot of time passes and we do not water, the leaves will wrinkle and yellowto the point where they could fall. Fortunately, there is a solution: give it a good watering.

Excess of water

There are many maples with yellow leaves

Related article:

Why does my plant have yellow leaves?

Without water there is no life, but with an excess of it plants have great difficulties to exist. For this reason, it is very important to control watering, and water only when the soil is dry. If the lower leaves start to yellow, you are probably suffering from excess water.

Getting it back is difficult, but you can try the following:

  1. First, it is removed from the pot, being careful not to break the root ball.
  2. Afterwards, it is wrapped with several layers of absorbent paper.
  3. Then it is placed in a bright room for as long as necessary, until the soil has lost all moisture.
  4. After that time, it is planted in a pot that has previously had a layer of volcanic clay.
  5. After 3-4 days, it is watered.

End of his life

The leaves, even those of those perennials, have their own life expectancy. Depending on the species, they can live for a few months to a few years before yellowing and dropping. So if we observe that the lower leaves start to get ugly, but otherwise ok, there is nothing to worry about.

It’s autumn

Autumn leaves

During the fall, many trees and bushes wear their beautiful yellow ball gown. Why? Because chlorophyll productionwhich is what gives the green color to the leaves, stops. In doing so, carotenoids emerge, which are responsible for transferring the energy of sunlight and also giving them their yellow color.

Tree leaf in autumn

Related article:

Autumn: why do trees change color?

Conclusions

tangerine with yellow leaves

At certain times of the year it is common to discover that some of our plants have dry-tipped leaves that can appear if the environment is too dry, or if the plant is exposed to a window with direct sun. The burns usually appear on the tips of the leaves or in some areas of the leaves. In the first case, they are due to environmental dryness, in the second due to excessive exposure to direct sunlight through the windows.

Because this symptom appears more often in large-leaved plants It is convenient to cut out the damaged part with a scissors and trying to preserve the shape of the leaf. If the plant has wide and large leaves, it is recommended to cut the entire leaf. The good thing is that the spots do not spread so it is only a matter of time before the plant looks green again.

When discovering burns on the leaves of your plants remember to check where the plant is located and other aspects such as the dryness of the environment, the frequency of irrigation and the season of the year. In this way, you can modify the conditions to avoid stains.

Burnt or dry leaves

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