What is wrong with my plant? (I think it's an Areca Palm)

Question

I moved three months ago but I don't think the amount of light it recieves is any different, or the climate. Only some leaves here and there are turning brown, and it looks like it starts from the tip of the leaf. There is white in the soil (im assuming mildew??) that I think is causing the problem. Its had a small amount of that for a while but has been fine up until now. So, if that is the problem, how do I fix it? Can I replant it and try to remove as much as the "bad" soil as possible? Also, how do I prevent it in the future? None of my other plants near that one have this problem. Thanks!

Answer 1

There are a few things that it could be. The browning tips sounded like a 'not enough water' issue. However, if you have white stuff in the soil it could be mildew. Does it actually look like mildew though?

Is it in a very wet spot? If so then it could be mildew. I would spray it with a fungicide to see if that clears it up. Another thing is that if you are on city water then it could be the chlorine. I have city water and the chlorine leaves big white spots from where the water evaporates and leaves powdered cholorine (scary to know we drink it huh?)

Also, flouride in the water could be turning the tips brown. There are several things it could be. Let us know what type of water you have and if it actually looks like mildew. It could be powdery mildew so consider getting a fungicide.

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