You may witness brown leaf tips if you do not maintain their proper environment (It does not matter if you are growing Areca palm indoors or outside). In this article, I will talk about why Areca palm leaf tips turn brown and how to deal with it.
There are two major reasons that can turn the Areca palm's leaf tips brown:
- Too much water.
- Too much direct sunlight.
Yes, there are other reasons. But will talk about those once I finish the discussion of the major reasons.
In case of overwatering and too much direct sunlight the tips are going to turn brown.
Still, there is a way to differentiate these two.
A dark brown leaf tip (slightly mushy) indicates your areca palm is overwatered. Conversely, if you notice a crispy light brown leaf tip, it's due to too much direct sunlight.
I was out of the station for a month and forgot to bring my areca palm inside. This happened with my areca palm.
This is a sign that your areca palm is getting more than enough direct sunlight.
Note: Due to underwatering your areca palm may have a similar symptom.
Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of an overwatered areca palm. But you can get an idea from this article.
If the tips are brown but darker than the picture I shared, it must be due to overwatering.
Touch the tips with your fingers. Are they mushy and dark brown? If yes then stop watering until the soil dries out completely. Then water in such a way that it should only keep the soil moist.
Follow these to avoid brown tips:
- Place your areca palm in an area where it can get too much indirect sunlight. An open-shaded area will be the best. ( As good air circulation is the key to keep this plant happy )
- Do not water frequently. Wait until the soil gets dry.
- Do not expose your areca palm to the cold air. (Sudden extreme cold can be harmful)
To keep the leaves green and nice, fertilize at least once a month. Go for organic compost like vermicompost.
After repotting, it is very common to have the browny leaf tips issue. It's nothing but an environmental stress. Avoid the things I asked to avoid and it will recover really fast.
For the larger areca palm planted outside (not potted), you do not have to worry much. They recover faster and you really can't do anything to protect them from direct sunlight.
It's best to choose the planting location wisely. You can plant some shade trees near your areca palm to protect them from direct sunlight.
Note: Direct morning sunlight and evening sunlight are enough.
Yellow leaves with brown tips on areca palm:
If you witness something like this:
It's time to be worried. You need to check the roots. Root rot is dangerous. The only way to save it is to remove the rotten roots and change the soil. Mix fungicide with the new soil.
Hope this article helped you to recover your Areca palm. I will keep writing plant diseases and their treatments. Subscribe to this site. (This is what motivates me the most)
