Why are my Monstera leaves turning brown?
A brown tip is rarely a drama, but it is always a clue. It usually tells you what’s too much or too little in your home — and exactly where the brown shows tells you which.
Monstera leaves turn brown with crispy tips and edges almost always because of dry air, waterings spaced too far apart, or salts built up in the soil. Soft, dark, damp brown patches point the other way: too much water. Before you water, check with a finger in the soil — that’s what tells the two apart.
What kind of brown is it?
A Monstera (Monstera deliciosa) writes the problem on its leaves. More than any calendar, the position, the feel and the shade of the brown give the answer:
- Just the tip or the edge, dry and crispy. Dry air, too little water or salts in the soil.
- Brown patches in the middle of the leaf, soft and ringed with yellow. Too much water and suffocating roots.
- Dry, pale, papery patches on the side facing the window. Sunburn.
- Black or brown, soft tips after a cold night. Cold or a draught.
- Tiny brown or silvery dots, especially under the leaf. Spider mites or thrips.
Why do the tips go dry and crispy?
This is the most common brown. A Monstera comes from humid forests and likes medium to high humidity (guides point to figures above about 50%). In a heated home, especially in winter, the air is far drier than it would like. The leaf loses water through its edges faster than the roots can replace it, and the tip dries out.
What to do.
- Shift the plant away from radiators, heaters and the warm blast of an air-conditioning unit.
- Cluster it with other plants: together they raise the humidity around them. A tray of pebbles and water (with the pot’s base above the water) or a humidifier helps too.
- Give the leaves a gentle wipe with a damp cloth every so often. It clears dust and lets them breathe.
- Check that you’re not letting the soil dry out too much between waterings (see below).
A dried-out tip won’t turn green again. You can trim the brown with clean scissors, following the leaf’s natural outline, leaving a hair’s width of brown so you don’t cut into living tissue.
Could the brown be thirst?
It could. If the soil is hard and pulling away from the sides of the pot, and the leaves curl at the edges before browning, the plant is thirsty. Water slowly and thoroughly, until it drains from the bottom, and tip out the saucer.
How long soil takes to dry depends on the spot, the pot and the season. For one plant, in one 16 cm pot, in July:
| Where it lives | In July | In January |
|---|---|---|
| South- or west-facing window | 5 days | 7 days |
| East-facing window | 6 days | 8 days |
| North-facing window | 9 days | 13 days |
| Hallway or corner with no window | 13 days | 18 days |
If you often forget, the Monstera watering guide covers the rhythm and the finger test.
And soft brown patches from too much water?
Here the brown is mushy, dark and often circled in yellow. The soil has been damp for days, the pot still feels heavy, and there may be a musty smell or fungus gnats. With no air, roots rot, and the leaf pays the bill.
Hold off watering until the top few centimetres dry, empty the saucer and make sure the pot drains. Brown that has already formed won’t disappear, but new leaves will come in fine. If there’s yellow too, read why Monstera leaves turn yellow.
Can salts in the soil burn the leaves?
They can. Tap water and fertiliser leave salts behind over time. In large amounts they scorch the root tips and, from there, the leaf tips, and the risk is higher when the soil dries out completely. Very hard water also makes the compost more alkaline, which this plant dislikes; rainwater or filtered water avoids that. A plant in low light needs very little feeding, and too much is a known cause of brown tips. A white crust often shows on the soil surface or around the pot’s rim.
What to do. Flush the soil, as is customary: pour water through slowly and generously until it pours out of the bottom, and let it drain fully. Do it twice. Feed only in spring and summer, and always on damp soil, never dry.
Does direct sun scorch a Monstera?
It does. The plant likes plenty of light, but indirect. Midday sun, even through glass, scorches the leaf and leaves dry, pale or brown patches on the side facing the window; the damage is worse when sun combines with hot, dry air. Pull it back a little or add a sheer curtain. Bright, filtered light is what suits it.
What about cold and draughts?
Leaves that darken and soften after a night against a cold window, or beside a door that keeps opening, have had a temperature shock. Find a steadier spot. It’s happiest at about 18 to 25 °C; below roughly 10 °C it stops growing, and frost kills it. Keep it clear of draughts too, especially in winter.
Can I cut off the brown leaves?
A leaf that’s entirely brown won’t recover: cut it at the stem with clean scissors, and the plant stops spending energy on it. If only the tip or edge is brown, trim the dry part or leave it be, since the leaf still works with its green parts.
Summary: which brown is this?
| What you see | Most likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Dry, crispy tip or edge | Dry air | Move away from heat, group plants |
| Hard soil, curling leaf | Too little water | Water generously, until it drains |
| Soft, dark patch with a yellow halo | Too much water | Stop watering, empty the saucer |
| White crust on the soil | Built-up salts | Flush the soil |
| Dry patch on the window side | Direct sun | Move back or filter the light |
| Silvery dots underneath | Pests | Wipe the leaves, isolate the plant |
Quick questions
Should I trim the brown tips off my Monstera? You can trim just the dry part, following the leaf’s shape. It’s cosmetic: the leaf won’t regain its colour.
Does misting stop brown tips? Some guides recommend an occasional misting, but the effect is brief, and leaves that stay wet without airflow invite fungus. Moving the plant away from heat and grouping it with others does more.
Will the brown spread? Not once the cause is fixed. The brown already there stays as it is; new growth comes in green.
Does filtered water help? If your tap water is very hard, it can reduce the salts and the alkalinity of the soil.
Two browns, two different stories
Two Monsteras can have brown leaves for opposite reasons. Your routine breaks the tie: how you’ve been watering, where the plant sits, how much light it gets. That’s why Verdejar looks at the light, the pot and your logged waterings before telling you what’s going on. The basics are in how to care for a Monstera, and the Monstera plant page shows the rhythm for each spot at home.
Sources: Royal Horticultural Society · Missouri Botanical Garden · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension · Penn State Extension · University of Minnesota Extension · University of Illinois Extension · Oregon State University Extension. The days between waterings come from the Verdejar watering engine.