Posts tagged Leaf Tips
Why Are The Tips of My Kentia Palm's Fronds Browning?

The Kentia Palm is a classically elegant statement floor plant with gorgeous fan-like fronds of vibrant foliage. With its height and full canopy, this plant packs a punch: they’re an ideal choice for any space that needs a statement plant with real gravity and a luxurious, jungle aesthetic. Native to Lord Howe Island, off of the east coast of Australia, they appreciate humidity. So when your Kentia Palm exhibits dryness in its fronds or frond tips, the source of the issue often comes down to moisture. Read on to learn more about how to keep your Kentia Palm vividly green from stem to tip of leaf, and steps for resolving any brown tips it may become afflicted with.

Brown Tips: Insufficient Humidity

Kentia Palms are big fans of humid environments, which can be challenging to recreate at home. If you can’t bring yourself to run a humidifier for the sake of your plant friends, consider the following: it’s important to keep your Kentia Palm away from running ACs, heaters or vents, and any dry drafts from windows and doors. Dry and crispy frond tips are a sure sign that your Kentia is craving moisture, so plan on boosting its misting routine as well. Misting your plant liberally (up to 3-5 times a week) will make a tremendous difference. And if your Kentia Palm is placed within a few feet of an appliance that emits dry air, you will want to consider moving it.

Brown Tips: Underwatering

Ensure that you follow a consistent schedule when watering your Kentia Palm: keeping its topsoil slightly moist and watering when the top 2 inches of soil are dry to the touch is best.

How to fix brown tips: Trim, Trim, Trim!

Don’t be afraid to clean up your Kentia Palm’s brown tips by trimming them. Simply cut the brown areas off with clean, sharp scissors or shears, while following the natural curve of the blade. Give the tips a misting when you’re done.

Plant Doctor Support

If you follow the steps listed here and and your Kentia Palm continues to exhibit frond tips, reach out to our Plant Doctor service for a detailed assessment and support. Simply log into your Léon & George account, select “Contact Plant Doctor”, and attach images of both the Kentia Palm as a whole and close-ups of its brown tips. The Plant Doctor team will reach out to you with their assessment and guidance for care within 2-3 business days.

Read our full Kentia Palm care guide here.


Kentia Palm

Classic, lush featuring full, fan-shaped fronds, the Kentia Palm is a stunning statement floor plant with plenty of presence and an unforgettable aesthetic.

Why Are The Tips of My Dracaena Compacta's Leaves Browning?

Why Are The Tips of My Dracaena Compacta’s Leaves Browning and Dry?

The Dracaena Compacta or JC (Janet Craig) Compacta is an elegant floor plant with an engaging, laddered silhouette and charming pom-poms of foliage. Its slender vertical trunks make it ideal for placement in narrow spaces and corners, and its easy-going disposition in regard to lighting and water means that a Dracaena Compacta is often the perfect choice when no other plant will quite do the trick. They’re gorgeous, textural and easy to care for, and issues with this plant are rare. But when a challenge appears, it is usually in the form of browning leaf tips. Never fear! There’s a solution. Read on, and you should have no issue getting your Dracaena Compacta’s leaf tips back on track and vibrantly green.

Insufficient Humidity

Like so many indoor plant varieties, the Dracaena Compacta is native to tropical climates that boast naturally high humidity levels. This is often a far cry from the spaces Compactas end up in, which may contain running ACs, heaters or vents, or dry drafts from windows and doors. So if your plant begins to exhibit crispy, brown leaf tips, chances are high that it is due to low humidity levels in your space. Combat the dryness by misting your plant regularly (up to 3-5 times a week). If your Dracaena Compacta is situated within a few feet of an appliance that emits dry air, you will want to consider moving it as well.

Trim It Up

Once you’ve begun a consistent misting routine and ensured that your Dracaena Compacta is out of the path of direct gusts of dry air from appliances, windows and doors, give it a trim. Carefully cut the brown edges and tips off of your plant’s foliage with clean, sharp scissors or shears, by snipping the leaf in the direction of its natural growth. Once your plant’s foliage has been trimmed, give it a thorough misting, and it will look brand-new. No more brown!

drying bottom leaves

A common occurrence and not related to browning tips, the lower foliage of each of the Dracaena Compacta’s trunks will start to dry out once it is time for the frond to be pruned. This is part of its natural cycle and allows the plant to maintain energy for new growth at the top.

More Support

If you follow the guidelines above and your Dracaena Compacta continues to experience newly browning leaf tips, contact the Plant Doctor service for an assessment and custom guidance. You can do so by logging into your Léon & George account, clicking “Contact Plant Doctor”, and attaching images of both the Dracaena Compacta as a whole and close-ups of its problem areas. Our Plant Doctor team will reach out to you with their thoughts and instructions for care within 2-3 business days.

Read our full Dracaena Compacta care guide here.


Dracaena Compacta

Textural and low-maintenance, the Dracaena Compacta is a gorgeous statement floor plant with a slender, laddered silhouette, making it ideal for narrow spaces and corner areas.