Fluoride or salt sensitivity from tap water
Parlor palms are sensitive to the fluoride and salts in tap water, which collect in the frond tips and burn them brown.
Diagnosis
Fluoride or salt sensitivity from tap water
What's happening
Palms move dissolved minerals out to the very ends of their fronds, where the water evaporates and leaves the salts behind. Fluoride, chlorine, and softened-water salts concentrate at the delicate tips and scorch them, producing brown, dead tips with a thin yellow halo — even when watering and humidity are otherwise fine.
How to fix it
Switch to rainwater, distilled water, or tap water left to sit uncovered overnight so chlorine can off-gas, and never use water from a salt-based softener. Every couple of months, flush the pot by running plenty of plain low-mineral water through the soil until it drains freely to wash accumulated salts out. Trim the browned tips to neaten the plant; new fronds should come in clean.
What fixes it
- A long-spout watering can — Fill a watering can and let it stand overnight so chlorine off-gasses before it touches the sensitive tips.
If that doesn't fix it
This is general guidance based on common symptoms; individual plants vary.
Read the full Parlor Palm care guide →
Reviewed June 2026 · how we check this