Why does your Dryopteris filix-mas have brown leaf tips? Diagnose the cause and fix it with our step-by-step guide.
Dryopteris filix-mas is a moisture-loving species that requires high ambient humidity. When the air is too dry, the delicate frond tips desiccate and turn brown before the rest of the leaf.
This fern prefers consistently moist, well-draining soil. Allowing the substrate to dry out completely between waterings causes hydraulic failure at the furthest points of the fronds, resulting in brown tips.
Accumulated salts from tap water or excessive fertilizer can burn the sensitive tips of fern fronds. This creates a 'tip burn' effect as the plant attempts to sequester excess minerals.
While less common in well-ventilated areas, stagnant air and high moisture can promote fungal pathogens that cause necrotic brown patches starting at the tips.
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