Commonly called tipburn, this could be due to excess fertilization, especially with perto-chemical fertilizers. Chemical insect sprays from aerosol cans can cause tip burning. A cold area, such as near windows or doors can also cause brown edges. Stop feeding with petro-chemical fertilizers and chemical insect sprays. Water well for 1-4 weeks depending on the plant and then resume feeding with Eartheart 18-16-9 All Purpose Plant Food or Eartheart All Purpose Insect Spray.

Brown edges are often a sign of salt damage; the salt contents in our tap water can cause the damage and is often compound by insufficient water. Thoroughly water the plant (shrubs to 2 feet deep; trees to 3 feet deep to leach excess salts away from the roots.

Brown edges are often simply windburn. This is caused by wind drying out the edges of the leaves. More water can make up for the drying factor of wind. The leaves of deciduous trees will often look "tired" in the fall, as they are getting ready to drop. Just wait and watch. Fresh new leaves should emerge in spring.

Moisture stress. Those are the points farthest from the roots, so they dry out first and get water last. It's the same as with our ear lobes, fingertips and toes. Those are the places where our circulatory problems show up first. All of that said, moisture stress can be brought on by insufficient water, of course, but it can also be prompted by excesses of fertilizer, root or trunk damage, hot and drying winds and other environmental issues.

Macadamias love water. They came from the tropical rainforests in Australia. If you don't know what your problem is with macadamias, it is probably not enough water. Sometimes, if only the tips turn brown, you could have a problem with over-fertilization; don't fertilize a young tree.

Older leaves die - this is the orchids' trick to living indefinitely: they discard the oldest parts of the plant as they grow new shoots.

This is an indication of a fungal infection. Fungal infections are usually the result of warm temperatures, high humidity and low light levels. Treat the plants with a systemic fungicide such as Phyton 27.

Macadamia trees really do not need to be trimmed, but you can if you don't like the shape of them. If you open the top so the sun light will be striking the tree it is a good idea to cover that part of the tree with "tree suntan lotion." Tree suntan lotion is a mixture of 50% white latex paint and 50% water.

Lance Harringtion wrote "I have hard water spots on my orchids leaves, can you tell me how to remove them without hurting the plant. I have tried vinegar and water." Here is a list of possible ways to remove the hard water spots. Thanks to all the members of OLD for their contributions on this subject. This makes the leaves clean and shiny. It also lasts a long time. This will not hurt the leaves the way general "leaf shine" type products may do.

The old leaves naturally turn yellow and fall off as new leaves are produced. If your new leaves start to turn yellow, the first thing to check is the amount of light your orchid is receiving (review the culture sheet for the genus/species of your orchid). If light is not a problem, then check to see if you orchid is being subjected to low temperatures. There are also orchids that will lose all of their leaves naturally like the Dendrobium nobile hybrids do and will appear to be a "dead stick.

Leafcutter ants will collect leaves for the fungus farms. Ants are a vital part of our desert ecosystem and in most cases damage is tolerable. Usually your plant will leaf out again and be fine. Ant poisons and bait are not effective; set up a physical barrier such as a tree wrap or Tangle foot to minimize damage.

Nashville tap water contains approximately 1 ppm phosphate. Available iron will chemically combine with this phosphate forming a compound which is insoluble by the plants. An iron deficiency condition known as iron chlorosis may result in these plants. The plants turn yellow and the leaves and stems both become very brittle. Fertilizers containing iron supplements will correct this condition.

If leaves turn yellow slowly, there may be too much lime in your water. Try to reduce watering, check soil pH and unlock the lime with Eartheart 18-16-9. This plant may need a transplant into fresh, high quality potting soil. Try charcoal in the potting soil and even a drink of "lukewarm" hot tea to adjust the pH.

This is definitely a symptom of illness from insects or diet. Check the leaf and soil for insects. Use a magnifying glass if you need to, then isolate this plant from all the others. If you find bugs on this plant, spray with Eartheart Insect Spray.

This indicates SHOCK due to a sudden change in temperature, change in sunlight or too much harsh petro-chemical fertilizer. Trim upper growth, re-pot if in a pot, and then apply Eartheart 18-16-9.

Over watering is the culprit, so back off. It will not reverse the rot, but you can take off the leaves from the stem, allow it to cure for a day and repot in pasteurized well-drained soil.

The browning of the birch leaves is caused by a small worm eating the inner green areas in the leaves. A small fly lays her eggs directly into the leaf. The eggs hatch and the larvae feed on inner leaf tissue.

During periods of frequent rainfall and high humidity the leaves are infected with a fungal disease called apple scab which may also cause the leaves to pucker. The spots will eventually turn black and the leaves may fall. It may cause similar symptoms on the fruit.

There are water snail killing chemicals available from aquarium stores which if used according to instructions will control or eradicate snails in a pond. However there are other methods of reduction which are more pond friendly. Snails are often visable around the pond surface and can be scooped out with a net, or leave a lettuce leaf in the pond over night which will attract the snails, then simply take out the leaf and snails together.