Why are Tips of Aloe Plants Drying Out (Ways to Fix Them)

When I bought an aloe plant, it was blooming perfectly, but I don’t know what happened that caused it to start drying out. Is this common, or am I doing something wrong? It feels so disheartening to spend so much time and still not see the results I expected. But I didn’t give up; instead, I investigated what I was doing wrong.

I found many reasons why the tips of aloe plants dry out and discovered solutions to save the plant’s vibrant green color. Don’t worry if you are going through the same situation because here I’ve explained all my research to help you understand your mistakes and how to fix them. If you have any queries, just ask me in the comment section

Quick takeaways:

• An aloe plant is one of the hardiest plants having a skin-soothing effect that is drought tolerant.
• Although they are easy to grow they can also go through some bad experiences, and issues including drying out. 
• The aloe plant occasionally turns its leaf to brown which is a part of its natural life cycle.
• To know why your plant is turning black, brown, or resulting in drying out and dying out you need to again think about the care and conditions provided to the plant. 
• There are many reasons of aloe plants dry out like overwatering, underwatering, getting too much sunlight, and pests or diseases. 
• First catching the problem earlier only will make you search for the issue and protect the plant from further damage. 

Here are some reasons behind the aloe plant drying out and what you need to do to fix the issue.

Reasons for tips of aloe plant drying out:

Robust aloe plants can have issues during a change of care or environment. Having blackened leaves or drying foliage is a straight sign of distress. You need to pay attention to each symptom the plant gives because it’s a clue that the plant is having issues.

While diagnosing these symptoms you need to fix one thing and remember that plants can suffer from more than one problem at a time. There is a possibility of the plant taking several months or even a whole season to recover. But in most of the cases, the aloe plant bounces back to life with proper care. 

Overwatering:

• The problem of providing the aloe plant with an excess of water is the most common mistake usually people make with their succulents. 
• This problem gets bigger when aloe grows in a pot having poorly drained soil and a humid climate. 
• Yes, watering the plants is essential for plant survival and they have adapted to long periods of desert drought. 
• The aloe plant loves to enjoy the water every couple of weeks to months but this depends on the conditions of the plant.
• The aloe plant is an arid, drought-resilient plant that is used to store moisture in the leaves as a gel. The excessive moisture present in the soil invites fungi to get together in roots, resulting in them being mushy and black. 
• If the plant gets root hairs and tissues rot then the plant can’t take up water. 
• The part of the plant above the ground will begin to get yellow and turn brown or black resulting in the aloe plant drying out.  
• Because of root rot, they get cut off from nutrients and water making it impossible for the leaves to complete the process of photosynthesizing and retaining a healthy green color. 

How to Fix overwatering in aloe plant:

1. They used to grow best when you adjust the watering schedule to let the soil thoroughly dry between watering. 
2. Must avoid watering when you feel the soil is wet. 
3. To check the condition of the soil, stick the finger in the soil and if your skin comes out dry or moist, don’t water the soil. 
4. After noticing that the soil is too moist, either, let it dry out for several days to a week and then water the plant. 
5. The problem of overwatering is related to root rot and poor soil drainage. 
6. Finding the soil dry, several inches down and the leaves are upright. You can water the plant again. Pour the water into the pot until the moisture comes out of the bottom drainage hole and then stop.
7. In case of growing the plant without a drainage hole and catchment tray, you need to transplant the plant immediately and check the signs of roots getting rotted. While growing the plant in the ground, you need to uproot the plant and amend the soil to improve the drainage, reduce, water, and replant.
8. When the soil dries out, monitor the plant to see any sign of bouncing back to life. In case you don’t find any symptoms, then you need to move on to see the symptoms below. Try removing all the brown dry leaves to encourage new growth.

Root Rot:

• Yes, the plan is to show black and brown or drying symptoms on leave because of root rot disease.
• They used to form elongated green leaves with spiky edges.
• Root rot occurs in conjunction with over-watering and poorly drained soil which is caused by pathogenic fungi that used to form like a colony around the roots and suffocate them.
• The roots start to become soggy, mushy, and black resulting in dying off because they are not able to uptake minerals or water.
• You will have a foul odor smell from the soil surface in case of a plant dealing with rotting.
• Above the salt surface, you will see the symptoms of yellow, brown, or dry leaves that start to wilt and die, no matter how much water is present.
• The Best way to know, roots are rotting is by digging up the plant and seeing the root system.

How to Fix root rot:

1. An aloe plant can be saved from root rot when there is healthy root tissue left. 
2. You need to remove the aloe from the container carefully or dig it up from the ground. 
3. The next step is to turn the plant carefully so that there is no breakage of any leaves.
4. Make sure to brush away any soil by inspecting the roots thoroughly. 
5. The aloe roots which appear healthy are thick, intertwining, and whitish-yellow or orangish-brown having a pliable texture. 
6.  The unhealthy root looks brown or black and slimy or mushy which further results in drying out and all the rotten areas will easily fall off.
7. Always use sterilized pruners or shears for cutting the rotten areas by leaving the plant out overnight on a towel in a dark, dry area for cutting the portions of the roots forming callouses. Doing this will help in preventing re-infection. 
8. Make sure to dispose of all the infected plant parts while disposing of the previous soil as well. 
9. Remember to wash out the container, let it dry, and then refill the container with fresh soil that is well-draining succulent. 
10. After refilling the container, make a hole in the middle of the soil then place the plant inside the container. 
11. Just avoid watering the plant for a week or until the roots get tough and start regrowing. 
12. In case of an aloe plant is growing in the ground just amend the soil following the guidelines mentioned on the soil drainage. 
13. When the plant roots start getting rotten, there is a need to remove the part, and the soil drainage gets improved making the plant bounce back in the same location and patiently waiting for the plant to recover. 
14. You will get the signs of the aloe plant recovering from root rot when you find young new leaves emerging and existing leaves perk back up or turning green. 
15. Finding any leaves get completely blackened or result in drying out then there is no way to regenerate them and just remove them. 

Poor Soil Drainage:

• The aloe plant forms a rosette of succulent, elongated, lanceolate-shaped green leaves with small spines having the edges. 
• To continue to keep aloe healthy avoid overwatering and always use well-drained soil with perlite. 
• If the plant does have a problem with overwatering, root rot, and poor soil drainage will cause symptoms with all problems such as having blackened, dying leaves so here I recommend you to repot or transplant the plant into better-drained soil. 
• For healthy growing, you need to use very porous, fast-draining soil with the help of water use very quickly. The plant used to struggle with heavy clay soils and doesn’t prefer any rich compost that holds onto moisture. 
• The best soil for growing aloe plants should be well-drained or gravelly in texture which uses potting blends with perlite and vermiculite that will help in enhancing drainage of the plant. 

How to Fix Poor Soil Drainage:

1. You need to use your hands or a shovel to uproot the aloe by digging the plant and lifting it out of the container or garden bed. 
2. Just prepare the soil after examining the roots to check for any signs of root rot. 
3. The best way to maintain proper drainage is by purchasing pre blended cactus or succulent blend. You can also make your own amended native soil using lots of sand, fine gravel, crushed rock, and perlite or vermiculite.
4. When you decide to plant an aloe plant, ensure to check the soil for drainage by placing soil in a container and pouring water over it. After that when water pools up on the surface and takes some time to drain means they are showing major signs that need more aeration. 
5. The heavy concentration of clay will impede water flow and will result in accumulating on the surface but when you find the water rushes from the soil quickly it indicates the soil is good to use. 
6. At last, replace the aloe plant and ensure the plant grows at the same level. 

Cold Exposure:

• The leaves of the aloe plant are lance-shaped, fleshy, and serrated along the edges having a pale green color with pinkish-yellow hues because of the cold temperature.
•  The plants will suffer in cold temperatures, mostly when young or damaged. 
• They used to thrive best in temperatures above 60°F. The warm climate provided to the plant may turn yellow or brown when they are exposed to cold temperatures below 40-55°F. 
• The matured, healthy plants growing in warm microclimate rock gardens can grow best in the colder range of the spectrum but the young or damaged plant will not stand in the cold climate. 
• The cold exposure occurs in the houseplant when they are left outside or in subtropical areas that receive unexpected cold fronts. Due to their temperature sensitivity, they are only recommended to grow in zones 10-13. 
• In case of growing aloe outdoors in a northern climate select a species like spiral aloe or coral aloe that are cold hardy. 

How to Fix Cold Exposure:

1. When the plant gets cold exposure your duty is to move the plant to a warmer location immediately.  
2. It depends on how harsh the cold is to turn light, translucent, or soft hence resulting in removing them.
3. If they are looking yellow or brown then there’s a chance to move it in a warmer climate and make them bounce back. 
4. You need to keep the aloe plant in an area with bright indirect sunlight to save it from drying out.

Sun Scald:

• Due to overexposure to direct sunlight, the aloe plant deals with sunburn conditions.
• The leaves that get damaged due to direct sunlight start to turn an orange, yellow, and pink hue. 
• Avoid keeping the plant in direct sunlight or intense light conditions.
• Aloe plant although a desert plant, fights well against bright and harsh sunlight and the house plant receives less intense lighting conditions due to which the leaves can scorch when you move the plant from a window sill outside onto a South facing during summer.
• When you move the plant with partial shade or indirect light to a space, having intense direct sun will give the plant a shock and they don’t have enough time to get settled due to which the leaves start to turn yellow, brown, orange, black, or results in drying out.
• It is also possible to turn into a reddish hue after being burnt.
• The plant used to recover, but it will take a lot of time and patience.

How to Fix sun scald:

1. The first step is to move the plant to a shadier spot as soon as possible.
2. You can leave all the sunburnt leaves in a place where there is a cooler temperature and see if they bounce back or not.
3. You need to provide the plant with a little extra water and wait for a few weeks to see the sign of re-growing the plant.
4. It is possible that the plant needs more water than usual, but remember not to over water them.
5. Make sure to protect the leaves from direct sunlight while they are in the recovery stage and get the indirect dappled light from the window or a partially shaded garden area.
6. Ensure not to move the plant into a drastically different lighting condition. Still, there is a need to move the plant outdoors for the summer. Firstly, introduce the plant to more light for several weeks then you can keep them outside.
7. Let’s understand it by an example. You can move the plant from the middle of the room to a few feet from a southeast window, and wait there for a few days, then move the plant a little closer to the window. Doing this will help the leaves to adjust and develop their natural sun protection. Resulting in moving the plant to a patio Where it is partially, shaded  from the afternoon sun
8. Just remember that plants don’t have legs and will not move by themselves, so if you are transplanting them outdoors or moving the plant from one place to another place, be gentle and gradual to them.

Underwatering:

• When the plant starts to suffer underwater, it will send an SOS emergency sign by turning the leaves to yellow with brown dry areas
• You need to prevent the blackening of leaves or soil by taking the soil moisture and watering the plant, but infrequently.
• The responsibility of the leaves to turn black or brown because of underwater, which results in drying out of the aloe plant. 
• Underwater ring mainly happens to a container that is left as it is for several months without any care.
• The plant that looks underwater will be dry, shriveled, and brittle. 
• The soil of the plant will be dusty and chalky having no moisture at all.

How to Fix Underwatering:

1. You need to check the soil moisture all around the plant, every one to two weeks.
2. In the case of using a smaller pot, there, you need to water the plant more frequently than in the larger container.
3. Make sure to check the soil moisture by sticking the finger in the soil, several inches down, and when you feel the soil is dry, it’s high time to water the plant again.
4. Remember to water the plant deeply, but not frequently because you know a large flush of water is the same as the flash flooding and monsoon of the desert. 
5. The right way of pouring the water is until the water flows freely out of the bottom drainage hole of the container.
6. After watering thoroughly, the plant checks within a few days to see if it has perked back up.
7. Avoid exploring the plant with more moisture until the added water is totally absorbed by the plant.

Conclusion: 

Hence, now you know all the reasons for aloe plant leaves drying out and with this above, I have clearly explained the solution to fix aloe plants with particular problems. Make sure to first find where is the problem, what is lacking, or what you have to overdo it so that you can cure the plant according to the issue which will result in quick recovery of the plant. 

FAQ’s