Tap water sensitivity or salt build-up
Brown leaf tips across many leaves on a tap-watered Aglaonema usually mean a reaction to minerals or fertilizer salts.
Diagnosis
Tap water sensitivity or salt build-up
What's happening
Chinese Evergreen is sensitive to the fluoride, chlorine, and dissolved salts found in tap water and in over-applied fertilizer. These accumulate in the soil and burn the fine root tips and leaf margins, which shows up as evenly browning tips and sometimes a pale crust on the soil surface.
How to fix it
Flush the pot first: run plenty of plain water through the soil until it drains freely, several times over, to wash out built-up salts. Then switch to rainwater, distilled, or filtered water, or let tap water sit out overnight before using it. Cut feeding back to a half-strength balanced fertilizer every few weeks in the growing season only. Trim browned tips for a tidy look.
What fixes it
- A long-spout watering can — A dedicated can lets you keep filtered or rested water ready so you never reach for straight tap water.
If that doesn't fix it
This is general guidance based on common symptoms; individual plants vary.
Read the full Chinese Evergreen care guide →
Reviewed June 2026 · how we check this