Cordyline fruticosa – Brown Leaf Tips

Flora Premium Plant Mister

2 Gently mist the foliage with a fine spray to provide immediate moisture to the leaves.

Spray Bottles

Fiskars 5/8" Bypass Pruning Shears

3 Trim away the dead, brown leaf tips using sterilized shears to improve the plant's appearance.

Cutting Tools

$13

GROWIT Soil Moisture Meter - Blue

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Salt or Mineral Accumulation

Excessive buildup of salts from tap water (like fluoride or chlorine) or fertilizers can burn the sensitive leaf extremities of Ti plants. This often presents as necrotic brown tips even when watering is correct.

Very Common

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How to confirm: Check for a white crusty residue on the soil surface or the edges of the pot.

build How to fix it

shopping_cart Recommended Products

1 Flush the soil thoroughly with distilled or rainwater to leach out accumulated mineral salts and fluoride.

2 Switch to using a high-quality water meter to monitor moisture levels and prevent overwatering, which can exacerbate salt buildup.

Fiskars 5/8" Bypass Pruning Shears

3 Prune away the dead brown tips using sterilized shears to improve the plant's appearance and prevent further spread of necrosis.

Cutting Tools

$13

GROWIT Soil Moisture Meter - Teal

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Inconsistent Watering

Allowing the soil to dry out completely between waterings causes moisture stress in Cordyline. This physiological drought leads to the death of the furthest extremities from the vascular system, which are the tips.

Very Common

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How to confirm: Feel the top two inches of soil to see if it has become bone-dry before the previous watering cycle ended.

build How to fix it

shopping_cart Recommended Products

1 Establish a consistent watering schedule by checking the soil moisture before each watering to ensure the plant never dries out completely.

GROWIT Analog Soil Moisture Meter

2 Use a moisture meter to monitor the soil depth and prevent the physiological drought that causes tip necrosis.

Fiskars 5/8" Bypass Pruning Shears

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3 Trim away the dead brown tips with sterilized shears to improve the plant's aesthetic and prevent further stress.

Cutting Tools

$13

GROWIT Soil Moisture Meter - Blue

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Root Rot (Overwatering)

While dry tips are common in low humidity, overly saturated soil suffocates the roots of the Ti plant. Damaged roots cannot transport water to the leaf edges, resulting in brown, dying tips.

Common

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How to confirm: Gently lift the plant from its pot to check if the roots are dark, slimy, or lack a firm structure.

build How to fix it

shopping_cart Recommended Products

1 Immediately inspect the soil moisture levels using a meter to confirm if the root zone is saturated.