In most of my articles related to plant diseases, I talk about maintaining the plant's ideal growing conditions. When I first noticed my pineapple leaves turning brown, I spent an hour researching what type of climate the pineapple plant loves. In this article, I will discuss all the possible reasons pineapple leaves turn brown.
The most possible reasons are: Underwatering (in most cases, potted plants face this issue), and sudden cold.
The ideal growing conditions for a pineapple plant:
| Factor | Optimal Conditions |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 70% to 80% |
| Temperature Range | 20°C to 30°C (68°F to 86°F) |
| Salt Tolerance | Moderate; tolerates slightly saline conditions |
| Sunlight | Full sun; at least 6-8 hours daily |
| Watering | Consistent moisture but well-drained soil |
There's a lot more, like the type of soil, nutrition, etc...
Reasons - Pineapple leaves are turning brown
| Causes | Symptoms |
|---|---|
| Overwatering | Mushy brown areas on leaves |
| Underwatering | Brown tips or edges |
| Sunburn (A myth to me) | Dry, crispy brown patches |
| Nutrient Deficiency | Brown with yellow margins |
| Fungal Infection | Brown spots spreading across leaves |
| Cold Damage | Brown or blackened tips |
| Pest Infestation | Small, irregular brown spots |
- In case of overwatering or low water drainage in the soil, you can notice the leaves turning mushy and browning.
Treatment: Change the soil and use cactus sandy soil or orchid mix soil. - If you witness the tips and edges turning brown that indicates underwatering.
Treatment: Keep the soil a bit moist making sure that the soil is really good at water draining. - Sunburn: People often say this, but in my personal experience this is a myth. Pineapple needs a lot of sunlight. (8 hours a day would be great)
You can face sunburn only in the summer in Zone 10b or 11.
Treatment: If you are growing your pineapple in those warmer regions, just cover your plant in the extreme heat at midday.
These are the major reasons and you can really cure it if you follow my guides.
Now move to some other possible reasons.
Cold damage
This is one of the reasons that hit my pineapple plant last year. In warmer regions on sudden cold, you can witness brown spots at the edges and in the mid portion of the leaves. I do not consider this that much serious.
The cold damaged brown spots will not harm your plant that much, the newer leaves will grow fine and nice, and you don't have to do anything.
In the above image, you can see my pineapple plant. I planted this in a shady place and did not care that much. Due to the lack of sunlight, the green leaves started to lose their color.
Not only that, but in a few days, the leaves started turning brown from the tips.
Let me explain this. The discoloration or the yellowing leaves is due to a lack of direct sunlight, and the brown tip you are seeing is due to underwatering.
Over time, you'll become adept at distinguishing the causes based on symptoms.
A friendly tip to keep the pineapple leaves green and healthy: The leaves are better and faster at absorbing some nutrients than the roots. Apply foliar spray once in a month.
Pineapple leaves are turning brown due to cold damage
In this case, you don't have to do anything. They either died, and you will see it in a couple of months, or they made it, and you will see that too.
Pineapples are very hardy. I have around 50 in my yard. Some look like the freeze killed them, but I will just let them be, and hopefully, they send a new pup.
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