Find out what to do about brown spots on leaves. Discover what causes them and what you can do about them. It’s not possible to get rid of existing spots, but you can prevent them from occurring in the future. The plant with a leaf spot in the video is anthurium. The healthy plant with yellow variegated spots is a croton.
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Hello and welcome to <strong>HealthyHouseplants.com</strong>, where we teach you all about gardening in the great indoors. If you’d like to support our show, please use our Amazon affiliate link below.
Today, I’m going to answer a viewer question, which I often get quite a bit. This one came from Arlene Wiggins, who asked: She just purchased a spider plant on sale from a big box store, and it has brown spots on the leaves. Is there anything she can do to get rid of the brown spots?
My answer: you can’t get rid of existing spots on leaves, but you can prevent new ones from forming. You can also cut off affected areas, which stimulates new, hopefully healthy growth, assuming good plant care conditions.
I demonstrated with an anthurium, which commonly gets leaf spots. These are often caused by fungal pathogens. Overwatering or underwatering can contribute to this issue. It’s important to prune out affected leaves and sterilize your pruners between plants using one part bleach to nine parts water.
Leaf tip burn, seen at the edges of leaves like on a Dracaena, is another common issue. Brown tips won’t turn green again but can be trimmed off. Proper watering will help prevent this.
Sunburn can also cause browning, usually in the middle of the leaf. I showed an example with Matilda, a fiddle leaf fig that suffered minor sunburn. The damaged parts remain, but the plant can recover and grow healthy new foliage.
If fungal spotting covers a lot of the plant, prune carefully—remove only up to one-third at a time. Allow new growth to come in before cutting more. Good care practices lead to vibrant plants with minimal visible damage over time.
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FAQ About Treating Leaf Spots and Brown Tips on Houseplants
Can you remove brown spots from leaves?
No, once brown spots appear on leaves, they cannot be removed. However, you can prevent new spots by maintaining proper plant care and cut off damaged areas to stimulate new growth.
What causes brown spots on houseplant leaves?
Brown spots are often caused by fungal pathogens, improper watering, or sunburn. Ensuring correct watering practices helps prevent these issues.
How should you prune leaves with brown spots?
Prune out affected leaves completely to prevent the spread of any pathogens. Always sterilize your pruners between plants using a bleach solution.
Can brown leaf tips be fixed?
No, brown leaf tips cannot turn green again, but you can trim off the brown areas. Proper watering can help prevent future brown tips.
What is the best way to help a sunburned houseplant recover?
Move the plant out of direct sunlight and continue caring for it properly. Although the burned areas will remain, new healthy foliage can grow over time.
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