Snake plant sunburn is an issue that many newbie gardeners face while taking care of this type of plant.
This problem generally arises when you expose the plant to direct sunlight for a long period.
However, there are ways to tackle this issue, which can help revive your Snake plant.
So, how should one go about it?
In the following guide, you will find all the details and insights you need to fix this problem.
Let’s dive right in!
Contents:
What Is The Snake Plant Sunburn Issue?
As I suggested above, the sunburn issue mostly happens due to direct exposure to intense sunlight.
In this issue, your plant’s leaves will have dark spots on their surface.
You will see such an issue during the months of the summer and spring seasons.
During these months, the plants get the most sunlight, especially when you move your indoor plants outside.
Although moving your plants outside after the winter season is a good gardening strategy, it can cause many issues in your plants.
The sunburn issue is just one issue that you often get to see with such gardening practices.
So, let’s see what you can do about it when the leaves of your Snake plant become sunburnt.
8 Steps To Fix The Sunburnt Snake Plant
Here’s a list of things you should do to fix this issue –
1. Inspect The Leaves Damage
Yes, check for the leaf damage!
In this first step, you should inspect the plant thoroughly, as it will help in identifying the amount of damage caused by sun exposure.
If there are just a couple of leaves with sunburn spots, you can probably neglect them.
However, if there are more such leaves on the Snake plant, you should consider some of the other suggestions shared in this guide.
Note: You should take a close look at the sunburn spots on the plant, as there might be fungal spots as well.
Now, if you are not sure, the sunburn spots will have a slightly orange or brown color, and the fungal spots will probably look white, gray, or black in color.
You need to identify the color of these spots so that you can eliminate some other possibilities.
2. Remove The Sunburnt Leaves From Your Snake Plant
If you see a lot of damaged leaves on the plant, it’d be best to remove them from the stem entirely.
Now, this may not be required in most cases, as the sunburnt issue only leaves spots and marks on the leaf.
It won’t damage the leaf completely.
So, if you allow such leaves to grow further, they will have no issues completing their life cycles.
Of course, there might be some leaves where you will see larger patches of sunburn issues, and you may need to remove these leaves from the plant.
Other than that, if you feel the sunburnt leaves don’t complement your decor, you can remove such leaves altogether.
For the removal process, make sure you use sharp scissors to cut the entire leaf.
3. Propagate The Damaged Leaves
I know the pruning and cutting part is the hardest thing for a true plant lover.
But what if you don’t have any other option than to get rid of such leaves?
In such cases, you should try to propagate the leaves.
Yes, the Snake plant can be propagated through leaves.
Simply place the cut leaves in a glass of water or container and keep changing the water every couple of days.
If things work out in your favor, you will see root formation at the bottom of these leaves.
It may take a few weeks to see the arrival of new growth on such leaves, so you need to be a little patient for this period.
Once you see the new roots, you can plant these leaves in new pots and grow them like any other Snake plant.
Now, isn’t that a cool idea?
So, don’t just throw away the damaged leaves.
Try to revive them again through this simple propagation method.
4. Move Your Main Plant To A Shaded Place
Coming back to the fixing part, you should consider moving your plant to a shaded place in your home.
This is the most effective way to save your Snake plant from harsh sunlight.
In most other scenarios, you can fix the issue with multiple solutions, but that’s not the case with the sunburn problem.
It’s pretty much an external factor, which can only be solved if you place the affected plant indoors.
So, try to find a place in your house where you get decent sunlight throughout the day.
It shouldn’t be direct light, though.
You can place the plant in a partially shaded place as well.
5. Water The Plant
When you keep the plant under the sun for too long, the water content in the soil starts depleting too.
Even though the Snake plant is a succulent plant and doesn’t require a lot of water, you should water the plant well.
When you move the plant from outside to an indoor place, the pot will not have enough water for the plant.
When you water such a plant, it will help alleviate the stress levels of your plant.
More importantly, the plant will get back to its growth phase again.
Note: The watering task doesn’t help directly in solving the sunburn issue.
In fact, the sunburn spots will not disappear from the leaves at all.
However, if you water the plant, it will ease things up for the entire internal system.
6. Observe The Plant For A Few Weeks
Once you move the plant inside and take good care of it, you should see improvement in the plant’s growth.
Most likely, the plant will not have any sunburn problem after allowing it to grow in a shaded place for a while.
Still, you should observe the plant for a few weeks.
You should check for any possible signs of slow growth or any other related issues in your plant.
Note: You might see droopy leaves during the initial weeks, and that’s quite common to see when the plant stays in the sun for too long.
These leaves will look alright after a few weeks.
So, you don’t have to worry too much about it.
7. Gradually Move The Plant To A Sunny Place
When you feel the plant is not showing any signs of further sunburn damage, you can slowly move it back to the sunny place.
As you know, the Snake plant does well in a well-lit place, so it’d be a good idea to relocate it to its earlier place.
However, the only thing you need to see here is the outside temperature and the intensity of the sun.
If the conditions look favorable, you can perform this task without any issues.
This way, the plant will have a much better environment to grow in for the next few months.
Note: This is pretty much an optional step.
If your plant is doing alright in a new place, and you don’t feel like moving it again, you don’t have to put it back in a sunny place.
This step is only useful for those who live in relatively cooler places where the winters are harsher than summers.
8. Stop Fertilizing Your Plant
This is another rookie mistake that many people make when they move their plants out.
When the plants are already under freeze or cold shock, you shouldn’t fertilize them at this stage.
In the early weeks, you should only concentrate on providing regular water and enough sunlight to such plants.
If you follow these two suggestions for a few weeks, the plant will get back to its natural growth phase.
Also, when you put the same plant under the sun or expose it to direct light, it will need some time to get accustomed to the new environment.
So, it’s always better to wait for a few months to see how the plant behaves in a hot and sunny environment.
If you provide fertilizers at this stage, it will have a negative impact on the overall growth of the plant.
It may even cause root burn in some of the plants if it’s already under stress.
In the next section, I have shared a couple of ways through which you can avoid the Snake plant sunburn issue.
How To Avoid Sunburn Issue In Your Snake Plant
Since there is no real way to reverse the sunburn spots or scars on the surface of the leaves, you should always think of avoiding this type of issue.
Now, here are two useful ways that might prove effective –
1. Provide Indirect Sunlight To The Plant
The Snake plant is known to do well in indoor conditions.
So, in most cases, there is no need to move the plant outside at all.
If you can follow this simple rule, you will never have an issue like sunburnt leaves on the plant.
2. Plan Before Moving The Snake Plant Outside
In case you don’t have a choice, you must move the plant outdoors during the sunny seasons.
But it needs to be planned accordingly.
Check out the temperatures around your place and take a look at the forecast for the next few weeks too.
If things look good, you can move the plant outside.
So, plan things in advance, and you won’t see any leaf burn or droopy leaves issues in your plant for the upcoming season.
FAQs
Yes, the plants can recover from sunburn, but you won’t be able to remove the spots or patches from the leaves.
These things will remain the same or get worse in some of the leaves of your plant.
If the leaves of your Snake plant look droopy or thin, it’s a sign that the plant is getting more sunlight than required.
You may also see discoloration in some of the leaves.
Also, you can take a quick look at the soil of the potted plant.
If it looks absolutely dry, it’s another indication of too much sun.
There could be a couple of issues if the Snake plant appears burnt, and these are nothing but the excess sunlight and excessive use of fertilizers.
However, the first reason is the most common one, and you should try to fix it as soon as possible.
Yes, if the leaves are damaged a lot, you should remove them from the plant.
Typically, the sunburned plants appear dull, with some of the leaves showing patches of dark brown colors.
You may also see the same thing on the edges of the leaves, as they might start turning brown as well.
Over To You
So, is your Snake plant showing the signs of the sunburn issue?
I think the above tips and suggestions are good enough to address this issue completely.
But if you still need further assistance, do let me know in the comments below.
I will be glad to answer any of your queries and doubts related to this topic.
If you enjoyed this guide, please share it with your friends and family.
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