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Diagnosis

A houseplant with brown leaf tips and white crust on soil or pot rim

Brown leaf tipsWhite crust on soil or pot rim

Based on what you've described, these are the likeliest causes — ranked. Each one carries a tell-tale sign that distinguishes it from the others, and a single-minute check to confirm.

1Most likely

Fertilizer salt buildup

Over months of feeding, mineral salts from fertilizer and hard tap water accumulate in the soil and on the pot rim, burning root tips and pulling moisture out of roots through osmosis. It masquerades as underwatering because the symptoms overlap almost exactly.

Tell-tale sign
A white or yellowish crust on the soil surface or around the drainage holes, combined with tip-burn on leaves that are otherwise healthy.
60-second check
Flush the pot with plain water equal to three times the pot's volume over the sink. If the run-off is cloudy, that's the salt coming out.
2Also possible

Low humidity

Indoor air, especially in winter with heating on, often sits below 30% relative humidity, and tropical species evolved for 60%+ struggle to keep their leaf edges alive. The damage is cosmetic at first and progressive if unchanged.

Tell-tale sign
Browning is sharpest at the very tip of the leaf and thinning at the edges, while the middle of the leaf stays green.
60-second check
A cheap hygrometer next to the plant will tell you in an hour. Anything under 40% is the culprit for humidity-sensitive species.
3Less likely

Underwatering

The plant has been dry for long enough that cells have lost turgor and leaf tissue is starting to die back at the margins. Drought-tolerant species forgive this; thirsty species like peace lily or fiddle leaf fig do not.

Tell-tale sign
The pot feels unusually light when you lift it, and the leaves are crisp rather than limp.
60-second check
Lift the pot. If it feels airy and the soil has pulled away from the pot's edges, the roots are bone-dry.
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Canonical combo: brown-leaf-tips--white-crust-on-soil