‘Treat leaves like solar panels’ Simple hack to rescue brown leaves on your houseplants

Houseplants: RHS advises on watering techniques

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Houseplants can look unsightly when the leaves begin to turn brown but they shouldn’t always be removed to improve the appearance of your plant. In fact, one TikTok user has shared a clever hack which allows you to keep the leaf intact while helping it to grow back healthier than before. Here’s the simple rule you should always follow if your houseplants’ leaves are starting to turn brown.

What causes brown leaves on houseplants?

Dry, brown leaves can occur for a number of reasons though the most likely cause is the way you water your plants.

This is a common problem in summer when watering is required daily to keep indoor plants hydrated and healthy in the humid conditions.

If a plant is struggling to absorb water from the roots at the same rate at which it loses water throughout the day, the leaves will quickly fade from green to brown.

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How to fix brown leaves on houseplants

Pruning is often the best way to help the vibrant green foliage to return, but there’s one simple rule you should always follow while doing it.

According to one TikTok user named Tanner Mitchell (@tannertheplanter), the best way to rescue a “dying” plant is to follow the 50 percent rule while pruning brown leaves.

This involves leaving the leaf on the plant and only removing the damaged section.

While sharing the hack with his followers, the TikTok user said: “I treat leaves like solar panels.

“If the leaf is not more than 50 percent dead then I keep it.”

He went on to explain that you can still remove some of the “unsightly parts” while demonstrating his method using a pair of scissors.

All you need to do is trim off the yellow and brown sections on the edges of the leaves, without removing the glossy green areas.

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Mr Tanner said: “I still let the rest of the leaf, the healthy parts of the leaf, photosynthesise.”

For leaves that have turned completely brown or yellow, the gardening expert recommended cutting them from the stem to allow new growth to appear in its place.

As the oldest leaves are nearest the bottom, it is best to start at the base of the plant and trace the damaged leaf all the way back to where it meets the main stem.

Once you have located this point, make a “nice clean cut”.

The TikTok user added: “If we were to just cut the stem halfway up, the rest of it – all this main stem that doesn’t have a leaf on – it’s going to die off anyway, so we might as well speed up the process.”

How to stop plant leaves turning brown

To prevent houseplant leaves turning brown in the future, it is important to re-consider your watering schedule.

Over and under-watering can be avoided by taking a “little and often” approach to caring for your houseplants.

Better Homes and Gardens explained that most indoor plants prefer a steady supply of moisture.

To achieve this, you should water the plant until you see the liquid run out of the drainage holes, then empty the saucer to avoid stagnant liquid causing further issues.

Check the soil every day to determine when the next watering is required and prevent the plant from drying out, or becoming too wet in between each drink.

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