Pothos brown leaf tips and edges: causes and what to do
6 results in the diagnosis tree begin with brown tips and edges, 3 of them marked likely when the answers fit. They are ordered here for Pothos (Epipremnum aureum), using what its sources say about humidity, soil moisture, cold tolerance, watering and feeding and one problem recorded for it.
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Epipremnum aureum is a species in the arum family Araceae, native to Mo'orea in the Society Islands of French Polynesia. The species is a popular houseplant in temperate regions, but has also become naturalised in tropical and sub-tropical forests worldwide, including northern South Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia, Indian subcontinent, the Pacific Islands and the West Indies, where it has caused severe ecological damage in some cases. Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Native range: Society Is. (Mo'orea) (wet tropical). Also sold as Ceylon creeper, devil's ivy, Devil's Vine, Golden Pothos, hunter's robe and Ivy Arum.
What Pothos’s sources say that bears on this
- Humidity
- ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60%Penn State Extension · read 11 September 2026
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drainedRHS · read 11 September 2026
- Cold tolerance
- H1B — 10–15°CRHS · read 11 September 2026
- Watering
- Raise humidity with a humidifier or a tray of wet pebbles under the container, and water once the well-drained potting mix has dried. Vines root readily in water.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- Feed every two months, except in winter while the plant is dormant.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
How this shows up on a Pothos
Brown brittle margins with a green centre
The pothos shows browning on many leaf blades at once, all at the margin, with no spots or soft patches anywhere.
Leaf margins are the end of the water supply, so they are the first tissue to run short when the air takes more than the roots can send. Penn State Extension cites 30% to 60% as the recommended indoor range, and a heated room in winter sits below it.
Telling it apart: Look at the pot rim and the soil surface. A white crust points at a build-up from tap water or feed rather than at the air. Penn State also reports misting and pebble trays do little to the humidity around a plant.
Penn State Extension · read 11 September 2026Possible causes, likeliest first for a Pothos
Most likely cold
Ranked higher because Pothos's recorded problems point this way.
Its RHS hardiness rating puts this plant's cold floor at 10°C or above, so a cold windowsill at night is a strong explanation.
- H1B — 10–15°C RHS · read 11 September 2026
Why: Soft, dark patches rather than crisp ones are damaged tissue rather than dried tissue.
What to try:
- Move it away from the glass at night, or keep the curtain on the room side of the pothos.
- Leave damaged leaves until new growth appears, then remove the worst of them.
What would settle it: Where the pothos sits at night, and what the glass feels like at that hour. Damage that appeared after one cold night, on the side facing the window, is the pattern.
Most likely a build-up of salts in the soil
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral RHS · read 11 September 2026
Why: Minerals from tap water and fertiliser are left behind as water evaporates, and a white crust on the compost or the pot rim is where they show.
What to try:
- Water slowly and heavily until several times the pot's volume has run through the drainage hole, to wash the salts out.Useful: pot with drainage holes
- Scrape off the top layer of crusted compost and replace it.
What would settle it: Scrape the crust. If it is gritty and dissolves in water it is mineral; if it is fluffy it is mould, which is a different problem.
Most likely too little water
- Moist but well-drained RHS · read 11 September 2026
Why: Soil dry two inches down leaves the roots nothing to send up, and the leaf edges are the last tissue in line.
What to try:
- Water thoroughly, until it runs from the drainage hole.Useful: pot with drainage holes
- Check the soil with a finger every few days rather than watering on a fixed day.Useful: moisture meter
What would settle it: Water it thoroughly and watch the next new leaves. If they come in with clean edges under steadier watering, the edges were thirst.
Less likely for a Pothos, still possible
Questions
- What usually causes brown tips and edges on a Pothos?
- For Pothos: most likely cold, most likely a build-up of salts in the soil and most likely too little water. Its RHS hardiness rating puts this plant's cold floor at 10°C or above, so a cold windowsill at night is a strong explanation.
- How can I tell which one it is on my Pothos?
- Is the browning crisp and dry, or soft and dark? Crisp and dry; Soft and dark.
- What do Pothos's sources say about its soil moisture?
- RHS: Moist but well-drained.
- What does this look like on a Pothos?
- The pothos shows browning on many leaf blades at once, all at the margin, with no spots or soft patches anywhere. Telling it apart: Look at the pot rim and the soil surface. A white crust points at a build-up from tap water or feed rather than at the air. Penn State also reports misting and pebble trays do little to the humidity around a plant.
- Is Pothos safe to handle while I check it?
- Its sources list it as toxic to cats, dogs and people. Wash your hands after handling the roots or sap, and keep trimmings away from pets.
Other plants that show brown tips and edges
AlocasiaBrown brittle margins with a green centre
Arrowhead plantEdges of the leaf blades brown while the middle stays sound
Dumb caneLeaf tips go crisp and brown
Elephant earCrisp margins that appear in winter
- No photograph yetLacy tree philodendronEdges of the leaf blades brown while the middle stays sound
MonsteraBrown brittle margins with a green centre
Something else wrong with the Pothos?
What this does not cover
This page orders a decision tree's results using a plant's sourced care. It has not seen your plant, its pot or its window, and two problems at once are common: that is the usual reason a confident answer turns out wrong. The questions in the diagnosis tool narrow it further than a list can.