Fertilizer salt build-up
Brown tips plus frequent feeding usually means salt build-up in the soil.
Diagnosis
Fertilizer salt build-up
What's happening
Spider plants need very little feeding and are easily over-fertilized. Excess fertilizer salts accumulate in the soil and burn the root tips, which shows up as browning leaf tips and often a whitish crust on the soil surface or pot rim.
How to fix it
Flush the pot thoroughly: run plenty of plain water through the soil until it drains freely, repeating two or three times to wash out the salts. Then cut back to feeding only once a month at half strength during spring and summer, and not at all in fall and winter. Trim the browned tips for a tidy look while clean new growth comes in.
What fixes it
- A balanced liquid fertilizer — A gentle balanced feed at half strength, used sparingly, prevents the salt build-up that scorches tips.
If that doesn't fix it
This is general guidance based on common symptoms; individual plants vary.
Read the full Spider Plant care guide →
Reviewed June 2026 · how we check this