That "no chlorine" fable is absolute nonsense even though it has become
firmly ingrained in the minds of many gardeners and many actually swear by
the unsubstantiated notion.

Chlorophytum leaves naturally die back from the tips even in the wild
(without chlorinated water) and all you can do is cut off the dead tips if
they offend you. Most likely its the outermost leaves dying back to make
room for the new growth. Remember that leaves are only temporary structures
and they will eventually die no matter what you do. If its only the
outermost leaves dying back, just remove them.

Be sure to water your plants thoroughly and don't let them sit in standing
water for long to prevent salt build up in the soil.


mypet wrote in message
om...
My mother's airplane plant has begun a nosedive! VBG It was doing
beautifully and suddenly the leaves began to turn brown on the ends
and there are holes in the leaves but she can't find what is causing
the holes. I remember being told something about not using tap water
to water these plants because of their sensitivity to any chlorine,
but I have never had one and don't have any experience to draw on.
Can anyone make suggestions? Thanks.

That "no chlorine" fable is absolute nonsense even though it has become
firmly ingrained in the minds of many gardeners and many actually swear by
the unsubstantiated notion.

Chlorophytum leaves naturally die back from the tips even in the wild
(without chlorinated water) and all you can do is cut off the dead tips if
they offend you. Most likely its the outermost leaves dying back to make
room for the new growth. Remember that leaves are only temporary structures
and they will eventually die no matter what you do. If its only the
outermost leaves dying back, just remove them.

Be sure to water your plants thoroughly and don't let them sit in standing
water for long to prevent salt build up in the soil.


mypet wrote in message
om...
My mother's airplane plant has begun a nosedive! VBG It was doing
beautifully and suddenly the leaves began to turn brown on the ends
and there are holes in the leaves but she can't find what is causing
the holes. I remember being told something about not using tap water
to water these plants because of their sensitivity to any chlorine,
but I have never had one and don't have any experience to draw on.
Can anyone make suggestions? Thanks.

"Cereoid-UR12yo" wrote in message
.com...
That "no chlorine" fable is absolute nonsense even though it has become
firmly ingrained in the minds of many gardeners and many actually swear by
the unsubstantiated notion.

Chlorophytum leaves naturally die back from the tips even in the wild
(without chlorinated water) and all you can do is cut off the dead tips if
they offend you. Most likely its the outermost leaves dying back to make
room for the new growth. Remember that leaves are only temporary
structures
and they will eventually die no matter what you do. If its only the
outermost leaves dying back, just remove them.

Be sure to water your plants thoroughly and don't let them sit in standing
water for long to prevent salt build up in the soil.

I've never heard of the "no chlorine" fable. I was under the impression that
it was fluorine - not chlorine - that caused browing on the tips of
susceptible plants. Another source of problems can be softened water used on
house plants. I've also had brown tip problems when I incorporated slow
release fertilizers into my potting soil for certain indoor plants such as
aralias.

Check these sites:

http://aginfo.psu.edu/PSP/04psp/pr/04240_pr.html

http://www.psu.edu/ur/NEWS/news/nusswater.html

John.

mypet wrote in message
om...
My mother's airplane plant has begun a nosedive! VBG It was doing
beautifully and suddenly the leaves began to turn brown on the ends
and there are holes in the leaves but she can't find what is causing
the holes. I remember being told something about not using tap water
to water these plants because of their sensitivity to any chlorine,
but I have never had one and don't have any experience to draw on.
Can anyone make suggestions? Thanks.

Chlorine, fluorine, Listerine..... what's the difference? It still isn't
true.

Leaves eventually turn brown and die no matter what you do.


B & J wrote in message
...
"Cereoid-UR12yo" wrote in message
.com...
That "no chlorine" fable is absolute nonsense even though it has become
firmly ingrained in the minds of many gardeners and many actually swear
by
the unsubstantiated notion.

Chlorophytum leaves naturally die back from the tips even in the wild
(without chlorinated water) and all you can do is cut off the dead tips
if
they offend you. Most likely its the outermost leaves dying back to make
room for the new growth. Remember that leaves are only temporary
structures
and they will eventually die no matter what you do. If its only the
outermost leaves dying back, just remove them.

Be sure to water your plants thoroughly and don't let them sit in
standing
water for long to prevent salt build up in the soil.

I've never heard of the "no chlorine" fable. I was under the impression
that
it was fluorine - not chlorine - that caused browing on the tips of
susceptible plants. Another source of problems can be softened water used
on
house plants. I've also had brown tip problems when I incorporated slow
release fertilizers into my potting soil for certain indoor plants such as
aralias.

Check these sites:

http://aginfo.psu.edu/PSP/04psp/pr/04240_pr.html

http://www.psu.edu/ur/NEWS/news/nusswater.html

John.

mypet wrote in message
om...
My mother's airplane plant has begun a nosedive! VBG It was doing
beautifully and suddenly the leaves began to turn brown on the ends
and there are holes in the leaves but she can't find what is causing
the holes. I remember being told something about not using tap water
to water these plants because of their sensitivity to any chlorine,
but I have never had one and don't have any experience to draw on.
Can anyone make suggestions? Thanks.

Hi there,

You are right, off course, that *eventually* this will
happen, no plant is immortal so in the long run you're
right. And indeed, this is not caused by impurities in
the water (allthough it's always best to keep tapwater
in an open container for at least a day before watering
your plants with it).
I believe (this is my observation, it's not a fact) that it
has to do with drying out: I mist/spray (what's the word
for this?) these spiderplants every other day until their
leaves are soaking wet. I haven't seen a brown-tipped
leave from the day I started doing this and these plants
are thriving! Some of the stronger ones have become
huge within a year


Cereoid-UR12yo wrote in ...
Chlorine, fluorine, Listerine..... what's the difference? It still isn't
true.

Leaves eventually turn brown and die no matter what you do.


B & J wrote in message
...
"Cereoid-UR12yo" wrote in message
.com...
That "no chlorine" fable is absolute nonsense even though it has become
firmly ingrained in the minds of many gardeners and many actually swear
by
the unsubstantiated notion.

Chlorophytum leaves naturally die back from the tips even in the wild
(without chlorinated water) and all you can do is cut off the dead tips
if
they offend you. Most likely its the outermost leaves dying back to make
room for the new growth. Remember that leaves are only temporary
structures
and they will eventually die no matter what you do. If its only the
outermost leaves dying back, just remove them.

Be sure to water your plants thoroughly and don't let them sit in
standing
water for long to prevent salt build up in the soil.

I've never heard of the "no chlorine" fable. I was under the impression
that
it was fluorine - not chlorine - that caused browing on the tips of
susceptible plants. Another source of problems can be softened water used
on
house plants. I've also had brown tip problems when I incorporated slow
release fertilizers into my potting soil for certain indoor plants such as
aralias.

Check these sites:

http://aginfo.psu.edu/PSP/04psp/pr/04240_pr.html

http://www.psu.edu/ur/NEWS/news/nusswater.html

John.

mypet wrote in message
om...
My mother's airplane plant has begun a nosedive! VBG It was doing
beautifully and suddenly the leaves began to turn brown on the ends
and there are holes in the leaves but she can't find what is causing
the holes. I remember being told something about not using tap water
to water these plants because of their sensitivity to any chlorine,
but I have never had one and don't have any experience to draw on.
Can anyone make suggestions? Thanks.

"19:09:05:13" wrote in message ...
Hi there,


I believe (this is my observation, it's not a fact) that it
has to do with drying out: I mist/spray (what's the word
for this?) these spiderplants every other day until their
leaves are soaking wet. I haven't seen a brown-tipped
leave from the day I started doing this and these plants
are thriving! Some of the stronger ones have become
huge within a year


I'll second the low humidity hypothesis. Our homes are often too dry
for plants whose native environment is quite humid. Misting works
well, and so does placing the pots on a tray of gravel that has water
in the bottom. The natural wicking action of water keeps the rocks
moist, and the water then has a larger surface area from which to
evaporate. This makes a little microclimate of higher humidity for
your houseplants.

Good Luck!

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