Aloe: turning brown

A browning aloe is nearly always sitting in soil that stays wet. Aloe stores its own water and evolved in dry, gritty ground — in dense potting mix it rots from the base upward, and by the time the leaves brown the roots have been failing for weeks.

The other common cause is sunburn after moving it outdoors too fast. Aloe needs two to three weeks of gradual acclimation to full sun, or it scorches reddish-brown.

Working through the causes

Start with the first one — on aloe specifically, that's the most likely explanation. Each entry below names the observable that separates it from the others.

Root rot from overwatering most common on succulents

How to tell: Browning that starts at the BASE and moves upward, with soft or mushy tissue near the soil line. The plant may feel loose in its pot.

What to do: Unpot immediately. Cut away all soft brown tissue, let the cut surfaces callus for a day or two in open air, then repot into dry gritty mix and wait a week before watering.

Sun scorch common after a move outdoors

How to tell: Bleached, tan or reddish-brown patches on the surfaces most exposed to sun, appearing within days of a move into brighter light.

What to do: Move to morning sun only and reintroduce brighter light gradually over two to three weeks. Scorched tissue will not recover.

Cold damage seasonal

How to tell: Browning after a cold night, often mushy at first and then dry and papery.

What to do: Bring it in ahead of cold nights. Remove the damaged growth once it is fully dry.

Diagnoses change as evidence accumulates.

Plantroster keeps every photo and every diagnosis for a plant, so "sun-scorched" becoming "sun-scorched and mite-infested" three days later is visible instead of lost.

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Questions people ask

Should I cut off the affected leaves?

Damaged tissue never turns green again, so removing it is cosmetic — do it if it bothers you, using clean scissors. What matters is whether NEW growth comes in clean. That's your read on whether the fix worked, not the old leaves.

How long until I know it's working?

Give it two to three weeks. Existing damage won't reverse, so you're watching the newest leaves. If those still come in affected after three weeks, the cause you treated wasn't the cause.

More on aloe

Aloe care guidelight, water, soil, toxicity Turning brown in generalacross all houseplants

General horticultural guidance based on visible symptoms. A photo or a description can't rule everything out — when a plant matters to you, check the roots before acting.