Pocket BotanistCheck these first
- Check the air humidity levels in your room.
- Feel the soil to see if it has dried out completely.
- Look for nearby heat sources like radiators.
Likely causes
Low Humidity
Most likelyHow to tell: The tips of the delicate, scale-like leaves turn crisp and brown while the rest of the plant looks dry.
What to do: Mist the plant daily or place it on a tray filled with pebbles and water. Keep the plant away from air conditioning or heating vents that dry out the air.
Inconsistent Watering
PossibleHow to tell: The plant goes through long periods of bone-dry soil followed by heavy soaking.
What to do: Establish a regular schedule where you check the soil every 3 to 7 days. Aim to keep the soil evenly damp, like a wrung-out sponge, at all times.
Find out what's wrong with your southern running-cedar
The list above covers the usual causes. Pocket Botanist looks at a photo of your actual plant and tells you the likely cause, how serious it is, and what to try first. Identification and a health check are free.
Scan with your phone's camera to get the app
Or go to pocketbotanist.app/get on your phone
When to worry
A few brown tips are common as the plant ages or adjusts to indoor air. Worry only if the browning spreads rapidly across the entire stem.
Stopping it coming back
Keep the plant in a spot with stable, moderate humidity and avoid letting the soil dry out entirely.
Southern running-cedar: brown tips? Check yours with a photo
Every plant is a little different. Take a photo of your southern running-cedar and Pocket Botanist tells you which cause is most likely, how serious it is, and what to try first. A few checks a day are free. Save the plant and you get care reminders timed for it.
Scan with your phone's camera to get the app
Or go to pocketbotanist.app/get on your phone
Get the app · Or check it from a photo now, free
Questions people ask
- Should I trim the brown tips off?
- You can trim them for aesthetic reasons using clean scissors. Just be careful not to cut into the healthy green tissue.
- Does tap water cause brown tips?
- Sometimes, the minerals in tap water can build up. If your water is very hard, try using filtered or rainwater instead.
More problems with Southern running-cedar
Back to the Southern running-cedar guide
This article was generated with AI on from the plant’s care profile and is general information, not horticultural advice. Read about how we build these guides.