Dry air
Leaf tips and edges turn brown and crisp, new leaves curl or stay small, and buds drop. Common in winter on ferns, calatheas, palms and other tropical houseplants.
During the heating season, indoor humidity often drops below 40%, far less than the 50–60% tropical plants are used to.
What can you do?
- Move the plant away from radiators, stoves and draughts.
- Stand the pot on a tray of clay pebbles and water, without the pot itself sitting in the water.
- Group plants together or move them to a cooler, more humid room such as a bright bathroom.
- Trim brown tips with clean scissors, leaving a thin brown edge so you don’t cut into the green leaf.
Prevention
For warm, dry rooms, choose plants that cope better with dry air, such as succulents, cacti or snake plants. In winter a humidifier helps more than misting, which only works briefly.