brown tips on Dracaena
Quick answer
If your Dracaena has brown tips, the most likely cause is: Dracaena species (especially D. fragrans and D. marginata) are hyper-sensitive to fluoride, chlorine, and mineral salts found in municipal tap water. These chemicals accumulate in the leaf tips over 4-8 weeks, causing cell necrosis that manifests as crispy brown or yellow tips.
Start here:
- 1. Switch immediately to distilled water, rainwater, or reverse osmosis (RO) water.
- 2. Flush the soil thoroughly (3x pot volume) with distilled water to leach out accumulated salts.
Why Dracaena gets brown tips
Dracaena spp.
Dracaena species (especially D. fragrans and D. marginata) are hyper-sensitive to fluoride, chlorine, and mineral salts found in municipal tap water. These chemicals accumulate in the leaf tips over 4-8 weeks, causing cell necrosis that manifests as crispy brown or yellow tips.
How to reverse brown tips on Dracaena
- 1
Switch immediately to distilled water, rainwater, or reverse osmosis (RO) water.
- 2
Flush the soil thoroughly (3x pot volume) with distilled water to leach out accumulated salts.
- 3
Trim brown tips with sterilized shears, following the natural leaf curve but leaving a tiny sliver of brown to avoid re-wounding healthy tissue.
Keep brown tips off this Dracaena
Avoid tap water entirely. Use well-draining soil with 30% perlite to prevent salt buildup. Avoid fertilizers with high superphosphate content which often contains fluoride.