The entire splendor of a dragon tree lies in the leaf crown, which gives the popular houseplant the look of a palm tree. It is all the more annoying when the aesthetics of an otherwise he althy and well-maintained plant are affected by brown spots on the tips of the leaves.
Why does my dragon tree have brown tips and what can I do about it?
Brown tips on the dragon tree are often caused by excessive dryness in the air. To combat this, mist the plant with water mist from a spray bottle every few days. Also pay attention to the location to avoid drafts and direct proximity to the heater.
First determine the problem precisely
Although the dragon tree is a very easy-care houseplant, it can also show signs of damage due to a number of possible care errors or due to pest infestation. A distinction must therefore be made not least between the following “symptoms”:
- Yellow spots on the leaves
- Brown spots on the leaves
- Falling Leaves
- brown leaf tips
While spots spread across the leaves can be a sign of a location that is too cool, too sunny or a lice infestation, brown leaf tips are more likely to indicate a different problem.
The chosen location is often the problem
In nature, dragon trees grow in locations with relatively high humidity. In most households, however, they are used specifically to add greenery to the windowsill, which is usually located directly above a radiator. This means that the plant is not only regularly the victim of drafts when ventilating, but also in the low-light winter period it is surrounded by dry and actually too warm heating air almost around the clock. This not only affects the roots of the plant, but also the leaves. As a rule, brown tips on the leaves of the dragon tree are a sign that the air is too dry.
Simple countermeasures can quickly provide relief
Now it's not exactly easy to permanently increase the humidity in a normal household. Especially if you don’t want mold on the walls. However, you can still use a trick to ensure that your dragon tree no longer gets brown tips on the newly growing leaves. Simply mist the dragon tree every few days with the fine mist of water from a spray bottle (€27.00 on Amazon). This way it gets the humidity it needs on the leaves and at the same time less dust can stick to the leaves.
Brown leaf tips on cuttings or after repotting
Sometimes the young shoots of recently rooted cuttings also have brown tips. Cuttings should also be sprayed with water while the roots are not yet sufficiently developed. This also applies after repotting, when the roots first have to take root in the substrate again.
Tip
Brown tips can also occur when switching to hydroponics if the roots do not grow quickly enough into the planter's water container. In this case, you can deliberately keep the water level a little higher in the beginning.
