Many newbie gardeners face snake plant sunburn when caring for this type of plant.
Plants commonly suffer from this problem when they are exposed to direct sunlight for an extended period. Although snake plants can lose their vigor, there are ways to revive them.
What is the best way to do it? This guide will provide you with all the details and insights you need to resolve this issue. Let’s get started!
Why Do Snake Plants Get Sunburned?
Sunburns tend to occur when the skin is directly exposed to intense sunlight, as I suggested above.
Dark spots will appear on the leaves of your plant in this issue. The summer and spring seasons are when you will see such an issue.You should move your indoor plants outside during these months because they receive the most sunlight.
Despite the fact that moving your plants outside after the winter season is a good gardening strategy, it can cause many problems for them.With such gardening practices, sunburn is one of the most common problems.We’ll now see what you can do about sunburned snake plant leaves.
How to Fix a Sunburned Snake Plant
Below is a list of steps you can take to solve this problem:
Check for Leaf Damage
Yes, you should look for damage to the leaves. It is important to inspect the plant closely in this first step, as it will help you determine how much damage has been caused by sun exposure. Sunburned leaves will probably heal themselves on their own if you ignore them.In case there are more of these leaves on the Snake plant, the other suggestions in this guide should be considered.
There may be a fungal infection as well as sunburn on the plant.You can now tell a sunburn spot from a fungal spot because the former will be orange, brown, or black in color.It is important to identify the color of these spots so that you can eliminate other possibilities.
Remove Sunburnt Leaves from Snake Plants
The best way to deal with damaged leaves is to remove them from the stem entirely. Most sunburnt leaves only spots and marks on the leaf, so it is not necessary to remove them. The leaf won’t be completely damaged. Therefore, if you let such leaves grow further, they will be able to complete their life cycle. You may need to remove some leaves from the plant if you see larger patches of sunburn on them. In addition, if you feel the sunburnt leaves do not match your decor, you can remove them altogether.
You will need sharp scissors for the removal process so that the entire leaf can be cut.
Propagating Damaged Leaves
Plant lovers know that pruning and cutting are the most difficult tasks. However, what if you have no other option but to get rid of such leaves? The leaves should be propagated in such a case. Leaf propagation is possible for the Snake plant. Cut the leaves and place them in a glass of water. Change the water every few days.You will see roots forming at the bottom of these leaves if things work out in your favor.
During this period, you may need to be a little patient in order to see the arrival of new growth on such leaves.
Those leaves can now be planted in new pots and grown like any other snake plant.
That is a really cool idea, isn’t it?
Throw away damaged leaves instead of throwing them away.
Using this propagation method, try to bring them back to life.
Consider Moving Your Plant to a Shaded Area
Regarding the fixing part, you should consider moving your plant to a shady area of your home.Snake plants do best if they are protected from harsh sunlight like this. In most other situations, you can fix the problem with multiple solutions, but not with a sunburn. There’s really nothing to be done but to bring the plant inside if it’s affected by an external factor.Therefore, try to find a place in your house where you get decent sunlight throughout the day. It shouldn’t be direct light, however.Also, you can place the plant partially in the shade.
Water the Plant
If you keep the plant under direct sunlight for too long, the soil’s water content will begin to dry out. Although Snake plants are succulents and do not need much water, it is still a good idea to water them regularly. The plant won’t have enough water to survive if you move it from the outside to the inside. You will be able to alleviate some of the stress levels of such a plant by watering it regularly. In addition, the plant will be able to resume its growth phase. Directly solving the sunburn issue is not achieved by watering.There is no way to remove the sunburn spots from the leaves. Watering the plant, however, will make things easier for the entire internal system.
Observe the Plant
The plant’s growth should improve after you move it inside and take good care of it. After growing in a shady place for a little while, the plant will not suffer any sunburn problems.
Nevertheless, you should observe the plant for a few weeks. Any indication that your plant is growing slowly or experiencing other issues is very important. It is quite common to see droopy leaves during the initial weeks of growing a plant that has been exposed to the sun for too long.
It won’t take long for these leaves to look fine.
Therefore, you do not have to worry too much about it.
Gradually Move Them to a Sunny Place
You can slowly move the plant back to a sunny place when you feel the sunburn damage is not getting worse.It would be a good idea to move the snake plant back to its previous location since it does best in a well-lit area. To determine the temperature, you will only need to know the sun’s strength and the outside temperature.You should be able to perform this task without any problems if the conditions are favorable. During these few months, the plant will enjoy a much better environment for growing. There isn’t really a reason to do this. Putting your plants back in a sunny place doesn’t have to be necessary if they seem to be doing well in their new location.If you live in a relatively cool area with harsher winters than summers, this step is useful only for you.
Stop Fertilizing Your Plant
Moving out plants is another rookie mistake that many people make. At this stage, you should not fertilize the plants that have already experienced freeze shock. During the first few weeks, you should only provide regular water and enough sunlight to such plants. After following these two suggestions for a few weeks, the plant will return to its natural growth phase.In addition, if you expose the same plant to direct sunlight or direct sunlight for a long period of time, it will need some time to adjust to the new environment.In order to determine how a plant will react in a hot and sunny environment, it is always better to wait for a couple months. The overall growth of the plant will be negatively affected if you provide fertilizer at this stage. When plants are already stressed, it may result in root burn on some of the plants. Next, I’ll share a couple of ways to prevent Snake plant sunburn.
How to Avoid Sunburn Issue
The fact that sunburns are irreversible makes it very important to avoid sunburns in the first place.Here are two useful ways that could be effective –
Provide Indirect Sunlight
Snake plants are known to thrive indoors.Therefore, moving the plant outside is rarely necessary in most cases.You will never have to worry about sunburned leaves on your plants if you follow this simple rule.
Consider Your Options Before Moving The Snake Plant Outside
If you have no other choice, you must move the plant outside during the sunny season. However, it must be planned accordingly. View the weather forecast for the next few weeks and check out the temperatures in your area.The plant can be moved outside if things look good.Thus, if you plan ahead, you won’t have to worry about leaf burn or droopy leaves in your plants for the coming season.