Should I cut off the brown tips?

You can trim the brown parts with clean scissors for aesthetic reasons. Just be careful not to cut into the healthy green tissue.

Does low humidity cause brown tips?

While wild strawberries prefer some humidity, they are generally hardy. If your air is very dry, misting the leaves occasionally can help.

Wild Strawberry: brown tips, causes and fixes

Check these first

Feel the soil to see if it has dried out completely.
Check the drainage holes to ensure water is flowing through.
Look for white crusty deposits on the top of the soil.

Likely causes

Inconsistent Watering
Most likely
How to tell: The tips turn crispy and brown while the rest of the leaf may look wilted or dull. This happens when the soil dries out completely for too long.
What to do: Water your plant every 2 to 5 days to keep the soil evenly moist. Ensure the pot has drainage holes so the roots do not sit in standing water.
Mineral Salt Buildup
Possible
How to tell: Brown tips appear even when the soil feels moist, sometimes accompanied by a white crust on the soil surface. This is caused by using tap water with high mineral content or over fertilizing.
What to do: Flush the soil with distilled or filtered water to wash away excess salts. Avoid using chemical fertilizers for a few weeks to let the plant recover.

Find out what's wrong with your wild strawberry

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.

When to worry

It is serious if the browning spreads rapidly to the center of the leaves, as this indicates root stress. A single brown tip on an older leaf is just part of the natural aging process.

Stopping it coming back

Maintain a consistent watering schedule and use filtered water if your tap water is very hard.

Keep your wild strawberry healthy from here

Save your plant in Pocket Botanist and you get care reminders timed for this plant, plus a care history that shows what worked. Identification and a health check are free.

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Questions people ask

Should I cut off the brown tips?: You can trim the brown parts with clean scissors for aesthetic reasons. Just be careful not to cut into the healthy green tissue.
Does low humidity cause brown tips?: While wild strawberries prefer some humidity, they are generally hardy. If your air is very dry, misting the leaves occasionally can help.

Why are the tips of my wild strawberry leaves turning brown?