Pocket BotanistCheck these first
- Check if the soil has been dry for too long.
- Look at your recent fertilizing schedule.
- Feel the texture of the brown areas.
Likely causes
Underwatering
Most likelyHow to tell: The leaves feel dry and brittle to the touch. The soil pulls away from the edges of the pot.
What to do: Water the plant thoroughly until water runs out of the drainage holes. Maintain a schedule where you check the soil every 5 to 10 days.
Fertilizer Burn
PossibleHow to tell: The brown tips appear suddenly after you have fed the plant. The rest of the leaf may look healthy.
What to do: Flush the soil with plain water to wash out excess salts. Wait 4 to 6 weeks before applying any more fertilizer at half the recommended strength.
Find out what's wrong with your geranium
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.
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When to worry
Brown tips are rarely fatal but they do mean the plant is stressed. It is normal for the very oldest leaves at the bottom of the plant to brown and die as the plant grows.
Stopping it coming back
Keep a consistent watering routine and avoid overfeeding. Ensure the plant gets plenty of direct sunlight to support healthy growth.
Keep your geranium 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.
Questions people ask
- Should I trim off the brown tips?
- You can snip them off with clean scissors for aesthetic reasons. Just be careful not to cut into the healthy green tissue.
- Does my geranium need high humidity?
- No, geraniums prefer drier air. Brown tips are almost always related to water or fertilizer issues rather than humidity.
More problems with Geranium
- Why are my fancy-leaf geranium's leaves turning yellow?
- Why is my fancy-leaf geranium getting so leggy?
- Why is my fancy-leaf geranium not flowering?
- Why is my geranium drooping?
- What are these spots on my geranium leaves?
- Why are there bugs on my geranium?
- Why is my geranium wilting and the stems turning mushy?
- Why is my geranium losing its leaves?
- Why are my geranium leaves curling?
This article was generated with AI from the plant’s care profile and is general information, not horticultural advice. Read about how we build these guides.