brown tips on Aglaonema
Quick answer
If your Aglaonema has brown tips, the most likely cause is: Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema commutatum, A. modestum, A. pictum) develops brown leaf tips and brown leaf margins when the surrounding indoor air is too dry for the tropical understory species, because the plant prefers higher humidity than a typical heated living room provides and the leaf margins desiccate before the rest of the blade shows stress, even though the rhizomes still need the top of the potting medium to dry only 1 to 2 inches between waterings rather than being kept constantly wet.
Start here:
- 1. Mist the foliage of chinese evergreen twice a week with a spray bottle of water on a mist setting whenever indoor humidity is very dry, focusing on the undersides of the leaves where moisture is absorbed most readily.
- 2. Set the pot on a pebble tray filled with water so evaporation raises the ambient humidity around the central crown without waterlogging the substrate, since chinese evergreens also prefer higher humidity than typical heated rooms provide.
Why Aglaonema gets brown tips
Aglaonema commutatum
Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema commutatum, A. modestum, A. pictum) develops brown leaf tips and brown leaf margins when the surrounding indoor air is too dry for the tropical understory species, because the plant prefers higher humidity than a typical heated living room provides and the leaf margins desiccate before the rest of the blade shows stress, even though the rhizomes still need the top of the potting medium to dry only 1 to 2 inches between waterings rather than being kept constantly wet.
How to reverse brown tips on Aglaonema
- 1
Mist the foliage of chinese evergreen twice a week with a spray bottle of water on a mist setting whenever indoor humidity is very dry, focusing on the undersides of the leaves where moisture is absorbed most readily.
- 2
Set the pot on a pebble tray filled with water so evaporation raises the ambient humidity around the central crown without waterlogging the substrate, since chinese evergreens also prefer higher humidity than typical heated rooms provide.
- 3
Water only when the top 1 to 2 inches of the potting medium become dry to the touch, then water thoroughly so excess drains from the bottom of the pot.
Keep brown tips off this Aglaonema
Keep chinese evergreen in a room where ambient humidity stays moderately elevated year-round, especially during winter heating months; use a pebble tray or humidifier to keep air moisture around the foliage, and avoid placing the plant directly above a heating vent or radiator that dries the leaf margins.