The browning of a pothos plant’s leaves can be very upsetting for anyone who owns one. There are multiple things at play in this situation, which are simple to fix. Once you’ve made a few slight modifications, your plant will become as lively as ever.
Pothos may turn brown for several reasons, including pest infestation, fungus infections, poor fertilizer treatment, excessive or insufficient light, and other climatic influences. Overwatering or underwatering of the soil can both contribute to this issue. Inadequate hydration has caused the pothos plant’s leaves to turn brown.
What Causes Pothos Leaves To Turn Brown?
Your pothos display of lovely green, golden, and yellow hues is likely something you’ve liked. You’ve grown accustomed to relying on its lovely visage to give your workplace, study, Florida room, or patio a cheerful, tropical atmosphere. You must immediately identify the problem and alter its environment to fix it as soon as it turns brown.
Excessive Direct Sunlight
The leaves of the Pothos can scorch and become brown from too close to full sunlight. The brown sunburn marks appear on the white/yellow/cream patches on highly variegated types like Golden Pothos and Manjula.
There may have been too intense direct sunlight if the leaves are turning brown. Pothos leaves can become discolored as a result of inadequate light exposure. Even though Pothos can endure low light levels, giving your houseplant moderate indirect light is the best way to prevent brown leaf tips.
Unusual Temperature
All varieties of plants are dangerously vulnerable to extreme temperatures, whether they are hot or cold. Pothos is negatively impacted by temperatures between 60 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit (15 and 32 degrees Celsius). Brown leaves are thus the first indication that your Pothos might be harmed by extreme temperatures. It becomes even more complicated, though, when it comes to houseplants.
The ideal temperature for Pothos is between 70 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees to 32 degrees Celsius). Hot conditions have the power to rapidly turn rich green foliage brown within a few hours.
Humidity
When it concerns humidity, Pothos doesn’t have particular preferences. Since it is from the South Pacific, you could assume it needs humid surroundings to survive. However, it thrives in somewhat dry circumstances.
Maintaining a warm, stable climate for your Pothos will be most beneficial. Browning leaves may be a result of abrupt temperature or humidity fluctuations.
Your plant might benefit from a sprinkling if your temperature remains constant and you notice this. A consistent atmosphere can be achieved by misting your plant once each week.
Overwatering
Overwatering is a significant contributor to dark pothos leaves. Root rot results from spending too much time in a damp environment. Consequently, the leaves start to develop sizable brown patches. Additionally, browning of leaves commencing at the tips is possible.
Let the potting completely dry out first before taking any other corrective action. Don’t overwater the plant; instead, begin watering gradually. After watering, the soil and roots should be damp, but the soil should be between one and two inches dry before the next watering. Always feel the soil with your fingertips before watering; if the top layer is damp, wait until it dries.
Leaves Getting Old
Whenever they reach their full size, Pothos leaves occasionally develop brown edges. At some point, after they have done developing, leaves that are nearer the stem’s base or on older stems may start to turn brown on the edges.
This is a natural occurrence, and the plant will carry on producing fresh stems from its base and leaves at the stem’s tip. Using a pair of clean secateurs or scissors, remove any old leaves whose edges are beginning to turn brown.
Your Pothos may look unkempt since these broken leaves won’t regenerate. So that it doesn’t harbor mould or disease, I like to remove these leaves as soon as I see them.
Pests
The most frequent pests that attack Pothos plants are scale insects and mealybugs. Small yellow blobs with a black mark occasionally adorn the centers of scale insects.
Mealybugs are white and fluffy. Both erode the plant’s defenses as they siphon its juice, which may cause the leaves to become brown.
Infestations can be avoided by maintaining a clean environment for your plants. Wipe the leaves with a cloth once weekly to keep your Pothos free of pests. If you have noticed them on your Pothos, many ways exist to get rid of pests or suspect an infestation. Neem oil, fumigant soap, and rubbing alcohol all work well.
On encounter, the bugs will be suffocated to death by the soap with neem oil. It will do the trick after you sprinkle it on your leaves. To eradicate the infestation, carefully brush individual leaves with denatured alcohol using a cotton ball or cloth dipped in the liquid.
Why My Pothos’ Leaves Tips Fading To Brown?
Your Pothos leaves’ tips are turning brown for a variety of causes. It is probably the result of fertilizer burn, over watering, or exposure to sunlight. Indirect sunlight makes pothos plants flourish. Set a routine for watering your Pothos plant, roughly once per week, and give it time to dry out between applications. One time a month, Pothos only requires a small amount of fertilizer.
My Pothos Leaves Stalks Are Brown; Why?
An early illness indication could be this. Numerous diseases, including southern blight, bacterial wilt, and root rot, can affect pothos plants. It’s advisable to act soon if you suspect that your plant has an infection.
To start with, determine the problem. Your Pothos plant ought to be able to bounce back with little tender loving care. Repot the surviving plant in a new pot and fresh soil after removing the infected part and cleaning the affected area.
How To Treat Brown Spot On Pothos
Maintain It
You must provide your Pothos with appropriate food and water while avoiding overfeeding them to properly care for them. Typically, watering your Pothos only needs to be done once a week. You might, however, have to water it somewhat frequently. You shouldn’t water it on a schedule.
Instead, feel the soil’s top daily to determine how moist or dehydrated it is. If it’s still wet, stop watering and inspect it the following day. However, moisten the soil if the surface feels dry.
Feeding should only be done in the summer months. Even at that, occasionally or twice a month ought to suffice.
Provide Good Environment
Brown patches on your Pothos can also be avoided by the environment it is kept in. Try to maintain a humidity level of 20 to 30 percent. You’ll need to feed it more frequently if this isn’t doable.
Ensure that it is between 27 and 32 degrees Celsius. A thermometer can be used to monitor the temperature in any room. Ensure that the temperature of your Pothos remains steady. When you abruptly change the temperature, they don’t like it.
Pothos enjoys bright light, although the optimum kind is bright but indirect. Avoid placing it by windows that receive direct sunshine or use other plants to shade the window to block the light.
How To Water Pothos Plant
Water your Pothos thoroughly, but avoid letting it sit in water because this will cause root rot. If necessary, water your pothos plant until the drainage holes in the container it is in are filled with water. Climate will determine the exact time, but typically you should water Pothos once per week.
Should I Remove The Browned Leaves?
You can take the utmost care of most plants by removing browned leaves. If such brown leaves are still connected, they are no longer alive but are still absorbing nutrition from the stems.
By removing the brown leaves, you can direct nutrients to the Pothos’ healthy areas, improving the plant’s general health.
I Have A Pothos Plant; Where Should I Put It?
As long as they’re not in direct sunlight, pothos plants can be placed anyplace in your house. Any warm environment will serve perfectly because they need to be warm. Although it can be placed on a desk, bench, or countertop, Pothos is frequently used as a suspended plant in homes.
Given that pothos plants are poisonous to both dogs and cats, it’s crucial to place them in a part of your home where your pets won’t be enticed to explore them.
Conclusion
When I first noticed brown stains on my pothos plant’s leaves, I was horrified and thought I had ruined my plant. The fact is that Pothos is exceptionally resilient and frequently bounces back from irrigation, environmental, or pest problems. That greatly simplifies things for us, and I’m grateful for that.
Therefore, look more closely at the soil and surroundings your Pothos is in and make any necessary adjustments. Your Pothos will most likely quickly return to its previous, lively state.