There are many species of Pandanus and one common issue for all the variants is brown leaf tip. Pandanus are less prone to pests and diseases. The only issue I have faced till now is with the leaf tips. In this article, I will tell you why my pandanus leaf tips are turning brown and what I did to cure it.
It is not necessary that the reason must be the same for my Pandanus plant and yours. Thus, I will share major possible reasons and their treatments.
Note that: a few other common names of this plant are pandan plant, screw palm, and screw pine plant.
Reasons and treatment for brown tips of Pandanus
If I tell you 5 possible reasons, you might be wondering what can be the exact reason. This is why I will explain the symptoms a bit and that will help you to treat accordingly.
| Reason |
|---|
| Low Humidity |
| Overwatering |
| Underwatering |
| Salt Buildup |
| Direct Sunlight |
Do you know the perfect growing conditions for a Pandanus plant? You should know the basics like sunlight, water, and nutrient requirements.
I usually try my best to provide their perfect growing conditions and this helps my plant to avoid most of the leaf issues.
Let's start with the most common reason first:
Direct Sunlight
Pandanus love to grow in partial shade. You can say they need bright but indirect sunlight.
Check if your Pandanus is getting direct sunlight too much. I have one variegated pandanus plant and I provide it only morning sunlight. No issues found till now.
Let's check what happened with the one that gets direct sunlight too much.
Note: You can also witness yellow spots.
Treatment: You can easily bring your plant inside or under the porch area where it will only get indirect bright sunlight. ( For potted plants )
Underwatering issue
As pandanus has a lot of varieties, all of them can't tolerate drought. When you see the top 1 inch of the soil is dry, water it thoroughly.
Due to underwatering, the lower leaves and the bottom leaves will start turning yellow first. A few of the leaf tips will start getting brown and crispy.
Watering properly can fix this issue.
This is what underwatering Pandanus leaf looks like:
Now move to the last major reason:
Over-fertilization or chemical damage can affect the pandanus leaves
A lot of fertilizers contain salt and other chemical compounds.
If you overuse chemical fertilizers, the leaves may turn brown (especially the leaf tips)
I have experienced this before. Last winter, I used a weed-control chemical, and a few drops landed on the Pandanus leaves. The leaves turned brown the next day.
It's best to use organic compost.
Sudden cold
A sudden cold can damage the healthy leaves of Pandanus. Do you know why?
When the temperature decreases, the humidity decreases too. On a sudden cold, plants do not get enough time to adjust to the new weather.
This leads to brown tips.
You should bring the plants inside to protect them from sudden cold. If you are not sure when to do so, you can check this chart: when to bring plants inside in winter.
I am not going to explain the over-watering point that much.
I assume that overwatering can be easily detected by you. Check the soil and do not leave the soil moist or wet for more than 3 days.
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