Parlor Palm Brown Tips and Yellow Fronds — Causes and Fixes
Why parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans) leaves get brown tips or turn yellow, pale or black, and how to fix each problem.
The parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans) copes with low light and is generally considered pet-safe, which makes it a popular houseplant. Brown leaf tips are its most common complaint, and the cause is usually water, air or soil.
Brown leaf tips
- Underwatering — letting the soil go bone-dry makes tips die back. Water thoroughly, until it drains out, once the top of the soil is dry
- Dry air — worse when heating or air-conditioning is on. Use a humidifier or group plants together (aim for 40–60% humidity)
- Fertilizer and salts — excess fertilizer leaves salts in the soil that burn the tips. Feed lightly in spring and summer only, and flush the soil with plain water now and then
- Tap water — if tips keep browning, try filtered water
- Root-bound plant — if roots poke out of the drainage holes, repot into a slightly larger pot in spring
Brown tissue will not turn green again. If it bothers you, trim just the brown part following the leaf shape; cutting into green tissue makes the edge dry out again.
Yellow fronds
Old fronds at the bottom yellowing is normal. If many fronds yellow at once, check the soil: constantly wet soil and a soft base mean overwatering, while soil that stayed dry for a long time means underwatering. A general pale yellowing can also mean the plant is hungry — if you haven't fed it during the growing season, give a diluted fertilizer.
Pale, speckled leaves — spider mites
Many tiny pale speckles and fine webbing under the leaves or between fronds mean spider mites. They are common on parlor palms and thrive in dry air. Rinse both sides of the leaves thoroughly in the shower and recheck every few days for one to two weeks.
Black leaves
Leaves or stems turning black and soft usually mean root rot from overwatering or cold damage. Parlor palms like warmth — keep them away from cold windows and doorways in winter, and water only after the soil has dried.
Parlor palms drink less in low light. Use the watering calculator on GreenPic's parlor palm page to get an interval that fits your light and pot size.