brown tips on Hoya
Quick answer
If your Hoya has brown tips, the most likely cause is: Hoya (wax plant) has thick, semi-succulent leaves that tolerate average home humidity, but when the plant dries out too far between waterings or sits in harsh afternoon sun, the leaf tips are the first tissue to die and turn brown because they sit at the most distal end of the leaf's vascular system. The crisp brown tips cannot be revived once they form, and the damage then spreads inward along the leaf edge as the underlying stress continues.
Start here:
- 1. Move the Hoya out of harsh afternoon sun, which will scorch the foliage, and place it where it gets bright light filtered by sheer curtains or a half-day of morning sun from an east window.
- 2. Water moderately, only when the top of the potting medium is dry, so the Hoya roots always have enough moisture to keep the waxy leaves fully turgid and the tips never desiccate.
Why Hoya gets brown tips
Hoya spp.
Hoya (wax plant) has thick, semi-succulent leaves that tolerate average home humidity, but when the plant dries out too far between waterings or sits in harsh afternoon sun, the leaf tips are the first tissue to die and turn brown because they sit at the most distal end of the leaf's vascular system. The crisp brown tips cannot be revived once they form, and the damage then spreads inward along the leaf edge as the underlying stress continues.
How to reverse brown tips on Hoya
- 1
Move the Hoya out of harsh afternoon sun, which will scorch the foliage, and place it where it gets bright light filtered by sheer curtains or a half-day of morning sun from an east window.
- 2
Water moderately, only when the top of the potting medium is dry, so the Hoya roots always have enough moisture to keep the waxy leaves fully turgid and the tips never desiccate.
Keep brown tips off this Hoya
Group Hoya with other houseplants to hold humidity steady around the waxy leaves, keep the plant away from blasts of hot air from heat registers, and inspect the leaf tips regularly so you can water before they begin to die back.