They say that animals are the new children and plants are the new pets, and tips for saving your dracaenas are when we see that one of our plants is turning a different color or is looking like it is coming down with something – we tend to worry.
It’s actually quite common to see the tips of Dracaena leaves turn brown which means that there are a lot of resources out there that you can utilize to find out why it happened and how you can fix it.
Even though your Dracaena looks like it’s in urgent need of intervention, do not panic because you have come to the right place.
We will talk about what Dracaenas are in more detail so that you know what else to expect from them, why their tips are turning brown, and what you can do to fix it.
What Is A Dracaena?
The Dracaena plant is quite a popular one because it is hardy and can go without water for two weeks which takes a lot of responsibility off of your shoulders, especially if you are new to owning plants.
They can even tolerate bright indirect light as well as low light conditions, so you can essentially put them anywhere in your home, and they will thrive either way.
As well as being hardy, the Dracaena plant is nice to look at with it typically having leaves that look like fireworks and long thin stalks. As indoor plants, they can grow up to 10 feet in height and two feet wide depending on the kind of Dracaena variety.
Another reason why Dracaenas are often brought into homes is that they have the ability to purify the air and can remove a variety of harmful pollutants.
One of these pollutants is Benzene which typically comes from heating and cooling systems, solvents, and automobiles which can make you have a headache and feel nauseous.
Why Are The Tips Turning Brown?
Unfortunately, there is no one clear reason as to why the leaves have turned brown and some are more serious than others.
No matter what has caused this side effect, you cannot reverse it and your Dracaena will have to keep their brown leaves, but you can stop it from spreading.
If you feel that the brownness of the leaves is too unsightly, you can cut trim them.
Moisture Levels
This is the most common reason why brown tips appear on Dracaena plants and come down to how much it is being watered. Watering your Dracaena plant too much can cause plant death which you will not be able to come back from.
You must be consistent with how much you water your Dracaena plant as watering it too much or too little will cause the brown tips but it is said that watering it too little is better than watering it too much.
The pot in which the plant is in should be well-drained and should be watered only when the top layer of the soil is dry which should result in you watering it every 10 to 14 days.
In the winter months, however, the Dracaena plant can go longer without being watered for longer. As you water it, do it until you see the water drain out of the holes on the bottom of the plant pot.
This is why it is advised to place a saucer underneath the pot so that it can catch the excess water but remove it afterward so that the plant is not sitting in the water for long.
RELATED: What A Drac: 9 Reasons Why Your Dracaena Is Changing Color
Water Quality
Depending on where you live, the quality of your faucet water may be the cause of your Dracaena turning brown at the tips. Impurities in your tap water such as chlorine and fluoride can be harmful to your plant.
To combat this, you can use bottled water, distilled water, or rainwater as it will be much healthier for your plant. If you still want to use water from your faucet, it is highly recommended to install a water filter.
Repotting
Sometimes, your Dracaena will need to be repotting, and you can tell when it is time for this when you notice that the soil dries really quickly.
To repot the Dracaena, gently shake it from the pot and scrape away loose soil from around the roots, then repot it in a plant pot that is the next size up.
To make sure that you are on top of the repotting situation, test the soil about once a week by touching it with your finger to see if it is too wet or too dry.
Dry Air
During the winter, people usually have a lot more heating on in their homes which can lead to the Dracaena getting a lot less water from the air.
Since the tip of the leaves is furthest from the stalk, they turn brown because there is not enough water to reach them.
To help with this issue, you can simply spray your Dracaena plant with water in a misting bottle. If you are looking for a more long-term solution, then you can also try placing a pebble tray underneath the plant pot to collect the excess water that seeps out during watering.
Therefore, as the water from the tray evaporates, the humidity around the Dracaena will increase.
Overfeeding
Fertilizers can be great for helping give plants the nutrients that they need, but there is such a thing as overfeeding especially when you use a fertilizer that is too strong.
It is best to choose a balanced liquid fertilizer that is specially designed for houseplants and check that you are not feeding them too much or too often.
Some say that Dracaena plants should be fertilized only twice a year, once in the spring and once in the early autumn.
Summary
As hardy as Dracaena plants are, they are not totally indestructible, and their leaves can get brown tips for numerous reasons. Luckily, these issues are not hard to fix, and your Dracaena should bounce back in no time.
Keep in mind that once the leaves have turned brown, you won’t be able to turn them back without trimming them, so it’s good to get to the bottom of the problem sooner rather than later.
