Aloe vera, one of the more tolerant succulents, thrives indoors. The plant rarely has issues if it gets sufficient drainage and light. Many situations can cause a brown aloe to wilt. However, aloe plants have cherubic, plump leaves that can be used medicinally.
The plants prefer it when it’s a little bit dry, and the side issues are brought on by overwatering or using the wrong potting soil. Brown aloe vera plants may have too much or too little moisture, but there are other potential causes, such as excess salt in the soil, you have a sunburnt Aloe Vera plant or a nutritional shortage.
In our guide, you can learn more about why is my aloe vera plant turning brown; aloe leaves brown for many reasons that can confuse you. Luckily, by the end, you’ll know much more about why does my Aloe plant have brown spots and what you can do to fix it. (Learn How To Start A Stihl Fs55r Weedeater)
How Do I Fix My Brown Aloe Plant?
When you want to fix a wilting brown aloe, it helps you understand the issues. Here are common areas that lead to a leaf growing on your Aloe plant:
Browning Aloe Leaves with Wilting and Too Much Moisture
The most common reason for aloe vera problems is related to water. You may think they like lots, yet they conserve water like other succulents, so they don’t need too much. A browning, wilting aloe with soft areas on the leaves has probably been overwatered.
A plant that has puckered and fading leaves can be completely dry. However, once you check the moisture requirements of this plant, you’ll see they should be shiny green and chubby.
To fix this, repot your plant in well-draining soil. The potting mix should comprise at least half grit, like sand or pumice. While doing this, check the roots once you lift your plant from the pot. If there are brown roots, it is over-watered and could suffer from root rot.
Cut these off if they don’t amount to too many, and with the help of your well-draining soil, your plant could recover. Once you resume watering, put your finger on the second knuckle inside the soil; if it feels dry, you can water. In addition, come wintertime, cut your watering by 50%. (Learn How Long Does It Take To Grow An Aloe Vera Plant)
Light and Temperatures
Most aloe species prefer warm weather. However, those who are near drafty windows may experience some foliar damage. Move your plants to a warmer area where temperatures are between 55 and 85 °F.
However, if you place your plants in a southern-facing location such as a window, it will transmit heat and light onto your plants, and from there, your Aloe plant can experience sunburn.
These easy-to-grow plants require lots of light, yet they prefer bright indirect light rather than full sun exposure. Is your aloe plant brown from the sun? Moving it away from excessive sunlight means the browning leaves can heal. (Learn How Much Dish Soap To Add To Roundup)
Should I Cut Off Brown Aloe Vera Leaves?
Cut off browning Aloe Vera plant tips without hurting the plant. If your plant is dehydrated, leave the brown tips alone. You should remove fungal infections. Extreme heat and rapid temperature changes can shock aloe vera plants. The leaves may turn dark brown from the heat shock if you move your aloe plant outdoors in the summer.
Desert-native aloe plants thrive between 55-80°F. Higher temperatures, especially for long durations, might harm aloe. It may also dry out too quickly or become burnt, exacerbating the situation.
Acclimatize Aloe Plant To Outside
If you want your plants outside rather than for indoor gardening, you’ll need to slowly adapt your aloe to outdoor temperatures to avoid shock or heat damage.
Move it to a shady, cooler spot to give it time to acclimate. Start acclimating your plant a few hours at a time. Summer heat and intense sunlight may harm your aloe plant. Bring it inside to recover if your aloe can’t handle the outdoors. One thing to note is that if you have bent leaves, this can cause brown aloe leaf tips.
Keep Aloe Plants Warm
Growing plants don’t like the cold, and aloe is no different. Aloe-like temperatures between 55-80°F and colder than this can fall into shock and suffer browning leaves after they turn yellow. If your plant is outdoors, you’ll need to bring it inside before you can have leaf browning through colder weather.
Ensure you keep your plant above 55°F and away from drafts. During the fall and winter, keep your aloe away from outside doors. Protecting your plant from getting brown leaves will help it thrive.
If you live in a zone where aloe plants can overwinter outside, wrap straw or other insulation around the plant’s base to prevent freezing.
Is Aloe Vera Turning Brown Because of Sunburn?
Aloe plants heal sunburn, but they can get sunburn too. Because of photosynthetic inhibition, sunburned aloe vera plant tips turn red or brown. In addition, the plant leaves may turn a faded green tint or develop brown blotches, called sunspots.
The soil may need to be irrigated more than once a week. These are sunburn indicators on a plant, especially when it sits in areas with prolonged direct sun.
Keep Aloe Plants Away From Direct Sun
Remove your aloe plant from direct sunlight if you suspect sunburn. If it’s outside, shade it or bring it inside. If your plant is getting scorched in a window with direct sunshine, move it away from the light source. Consider placing your plant in a window on the opposite side of the house.
After removing your aloe from direct sunlight, ensure it gets enough water, yet the potting medium isn’t overwet, even if extra sunshine can cause it to dry out too fast and worsen the condition. Watering quickly will help your aloe plant recover.
Will Aloe Come Back After Turning Brown?
In direct sunlight, aloe vera leaves turn brown. It’s safe and prevents sunburn from too much direct sunlight, which is their way of coping with excessive heat.
Brown spots or leaf tips show a nutrient deficiency, fungus, or improper maintenance. (Learn How Long To Run Soaker Hose For Tomatoes)
Solution For Aloe Plant Turning Brown
This is a step-by-step guide to creating an aloe plant that has turned brown or you notice soft spots. Repot your aloe vera first in soil that offers good drainage. It might a gritty mixture suitable for succulents or a substrate that is half gritty material, such as pumice or sand. If you cannot get the gritty combination, it is advisable to use potting soil and sand in a 50:50 ratio as a substrate.
Check the aloe vera plant daily to see if the color green and average brightness have returned in the new container with dry soil. Remove the plant out of the direct sun’s path. Then, install the plant inside. It will eventually regain its typical green color.
To carry out safe watering, and ensure the plant’s roots are not waterlogged, water the plant once every twenty days. In addition, make sure no leaves come into contact with water. Minor drought isn’t an issue for your aloe vera, whether outside or you plant indoors. However, too much water leads to root rot and fungal disease.
If you wonder, should I cut the brown tips off my Aloe plant? If any tip turns brown and appears dry or mushy, you can snip off the tips; otherwise, monitor them as they may recover through sunburn. It is ideal for adding a little sand or perlite to the soil when growing aloe vera to make it more nutrient-rich and porous, preventing the plant from turning brown.
Having a wide, shallow pot with a drainage hole for aloe vera is helpful. Aloe vera needs to live in a place with natural light, so if the leaves turn brown, try replacing the plant so that it receives the best possible light but pay attention that the leaves do not burn. In some cases, it works to have it in the shade, especially when the sun is too strong.
The plant must also be protected during the winter because Aloe vera is not resistant to frost or low temperatures. However, you can move it indoors to place it near a window or protect it with plastic or something similar. Aloe plants frequently turn brown throughout the summer and late spring seasons of the year because of the high levels of illumination and, more importantly, UV radiation. (Read Are Zz Plants Toxic To Dogs)
What Does An Overwatered Aloe Plant Look Like?
Overwatering your aloe vera plant may cause soggy areas on the leaves. The moist areas will spread, and you’ll see the entire leaf of your aloe plant turning brown. If this problem isn’t fixed quickly, the plant will perish. Your plant may also suffer from root rot, which occurs when the roots rot from too much wet soil.
Repot And Reduce Watering
To rescue your aloe plant from overwatering, repot it right away. Turn the plant and pot on a hard surface and slip the plant out. Brush away moist dirt as much as possible without damaging roots. Using sharp, clean scissors, remove any decaying or mushy roots, and ensure you leave healthy roots. Replace the moist soil in the pot with fresh soil and gently replant your aloe.
Root rot and brown blotches may show your aloe plant is in the wrong soil. Try a commercial cactus and succulent soil or potting soil combined with perlite for repotting. Repotting your aloe plant may require a new pot. A plastic or metal pot will hold more water, while a clay or terra cotta pot will dry out more quickly. (Learn How To Attach Wood To Metal Pole)
Most succulents will grow better in a terracotta pot than a plastic one because they wick away moisture more quickly. Use a pot with drainage holes. Remove any decorative wrap from your plant’s pot so the soil can drain. Your aloe plant needs less water. Ensure it dries out between waterings, and don’t allow water to sit on roots or your Aloe plant’s leaves. Your plant shouldn’t need more than once a week of water, and even less in the winter.
Is Aloe Vera Plant Turning Brown Through Underwatering?
Underwatering succulents is preferable to overwatering them. If your aloe vera plant has brown leaf tips and leaves look shriveled, it’s not getting enough water.
Is Aloe Turning Brown Because Of Too Much Fertilizer?
Aloe needs a little fertilizer. Too much fertilizer causes soil salts, which burn the roots. As a result, the roots are damaged when the leaves brown. Flush the soil and fertilize aloe plants sparingly
You can rescue your aloe plant by soaking the soil to wash away some fertilizer. Flush your aloe plant’s soil in the sink or outdoors for several minutes.
Drain the pot’s excess water. This will rewash soil fertilizer; water when the soil is dry. Don’t over-fertilize aloe. It’s unnecessary. Only fertilize once a year in spring with half-strength succulent fertilizer. If your potting soil has fertilizer, you won’t need to fertilize your plant for several years.
Is Aloe Turning Brown Because of Pests?
Aloe plants are thought to be pest- and disease-resistant. However, Aloe vera can be prone to many pests that can damage the plant and cause dark stains on the leaves.
Aloe plant pests include mites, flies, mealybugs, and fungus gnats. This damage is ugly and can kill the plant.
Fight Pests
Shears or sharp scissors can remove infected or ill leaves that are a brown color. Determine what pest affects your plant and possibly other plants, and treat it accordingly. Mealybugs penetrate plants and drain sap. This causes stunted growth. The plant will turn yellow and brown if untreated. Mealybugs can kill plants eventually.
You can wash off mealybugs and flies, just don’t leave it too wet, or it will get wet feet, and roots will rot. Mites could destroy a plant. Healthy plants can’t often recover, so you’ll need to destroy the plant if you can’t get an effective miticide from the garden center.
Keep the affected plant away from other plants, especially aloe, to prevent further damage. Fungus gnats often result from damp soil, and drying between waterings will kill gnats and stop them from spreading. You’ll find these fungus gnats are an effect of over-watering.
You can use a solution of rubbing alcohol to remove leftover bugs.
Is Aloe Vera Turning Brown Because of Disease?
Your aloe vera plant could get brown leaf spots from leaf diseases such as:
- Anthracnose disease
- Leaf spot and leaf blight disease
- Cladosporium leaf spot
Over-watering is frequently the result of these fungal diseases. Although the results for these affected plants are not great, you might try to trim away the unhealthy leaves and limit watering. Your plant might only need to be replaced.
You should be careful not to over-water the plant to take these diseases. To avoid wetting the plant, only water at the base and into the soil, never from above. Also, only water in the morning, so excess water evaporates during the day.
