brown tips on Wandering Jew
Quick answer
If your Wandering Jew has brown tips, the most likely cause is: Brown, crispy leaf tips and margins are one of the common problems that wandering Jew (Tradescantia fluminensis, T. pallida Purpurea, T. zebrina, Zebrina pendula, Tradescantia albiflora) develops indoors; the soft, slightly succulent leaves lose moisture faster than the roots can replace it when the air is dry, when watering is irregular, or when fluoride and chlorine in tap water accumulate in the leaf margins over time.
Start here:
- 1. Trim off the brown tips with clean scissors, following the natural shape of the leaf, then switch to a more consistent watering routine that lets the top inch of the potting medium dry before the next thorough soak.
- 2. If the tap water is hard or chlorinated, switch to rainwater, distilled water, or filtered water, and flush the soil periodically to wash built-up salts away from the root zone.
Why Wandering Jew gets brown tips
wandering jew
Brown, crispy leaf tips and margins are one of the common problems that wandering Jew (Tradescantia fluminensis, T. pallida Purpurea, T. zebrina, Zebrina pendula, Tradescantia albiflora) develops indoors; the soft, slightly succulent leaves lose moisture faster than the roots can replace it when the air is dry, when watering is irregular, or when fluoride and chlorine in tap water accumulate in the leaf margins over time.
How to reverse brown tips on Wandering Jew
- 1
Trim off the brown tips with clean scissors, following the natural shape of the leaf, then switch to a more consistent watering routine that lets the top inch of the potting medium dry before the next thorough soak.
- 2
If the tap water is hard or chlorinated, switch to rainwater, distilled water, or filtered water, and flush the soil periodically to wash built-up salts away from the root zone.
Keep brown tips off this Wandering Jew
Keep the potting medium evenly moist but never waterlogged, maintain average room temperatures away from cold drafts and heating appliances, and avoid letting the soft leaves dry out between waterings so the variegated colouring and crisp leaf margins are preserved.