We're all pretty familiar with sunburn when it comes to our skin, but did you know that the leaves on your houseplants can also get sunburnt? Unfortunately, there's no SPF that you can slap on your houseplant's leaves to stop them getting burnt, but there are a few things that you can do to prevent your plants getting too many rays. 

Why Do Houseplants Get Sunburned?

We had some office houseplants that we moved out of the way for a shoot, and forgot that the weather was turning hotter and the sun getting stronger...oops! Before we knew it, the fresh young leaves that had sprouted had turned brown and crispy. If it happens to us, it can definitely happen to you!

You see, when light from the sun shines through the windows of your home or your office, the glass can actually magnify the rays (like a mini magnifying glass). This is the key culprit to sunburn on hourseplants.  It's not actually the sun being harsher, it's the glass making the sun rays stronger! This is especially the case in summer where the sunlight can be more direct.  

Can you fix sunburn in your houseplants?

Sadly, once the leaves are scorched, you can't undo them. If you've noticed crispy leaves, then they will stay crispy and will need a trim. But, there are ways that you can prevent sunburn in your houseplants. 

How Do I Know If My Plants Have Had Too Much Sun and Are Sunburnt? 

There's a few tell tale signs that your houseplants have had too many of the sun's rays. These are the key ones to look out for: 

• Brown or crispy edges on the leaves are the most common. These can happen over a very short time, particularly on hot days. Even 1-2 hours can result in this symptom. If your plants were fine in the morning, and suddenly have crispy edges; too much sun is most likely the reason!
• White or bleached spots: when the sun hits the leaves, the most intense areas can almost look bleached. Sometimes, this will look like a faint marking, and in other times it can literally look like pale while patches all over your leaves. Either way, its a sign that your houseplants have had too much sunshine!
• Wilting leaves: even though you might be watering your houseplants properly, you could start to see wilting leaves. Again, this happen really quickly; within an afternoon. If you've seen wilting leaves on your plants over a long period of time, that might be a watering or root rot issue! 
• Drooping or shrinking leaves, eaves will look a little shrivelled and droopy and even a little bit soft if they have been sunburnt. This may be more common over a few days of moderate sunburn, so can be a little tricker to monitor.

5 Ways To Prevent Too Much Sun on Your Houseplants

1. Move Your Plants to Indirect Light

If you have read our guide to bright, indirect sunlight, you'll know that many houseplants are obsessed with bright but indirect light. Just like in the jungle, the filtered light is gentle on leaves but gives them the light they need to photosynthesize. Monitor your houseplant's position; if it is too close to a south- or west-facing window, it might be getting blasted with sun rays during the hottest part of the day, and you should look at moving them to a better position.

2. Give Your Houseplants Sunglasses AKA Sheer Curtains

If you can't move the position of your plants, put up some lovely white sheer curtains. Not only will it create a lovely soft light indoors, but it is a really easy way to diffuse sunlight, and to stop the harsh direct rays from entering the house. Thi

3. Turn Your Houseplants Regularly

Sometimes, it can just be too much sunlight on one part of the houseplant. If you turn your houseplants regularly, it can mean that all sides of your plant get a bit of vitamin D. It can also toughen the leaves up without burning them, to make them more resilient to changing light conditions. 

4. Avoid Using Leaf Sprays During The Day

During hot days or period of direct sun, it's always a good idea to leave the leaves of your houseplants alone. When you spray houseplant sprays; be it leaf shine, pesticides, fungicides or whatever, the droplets can act like little magnifying glasses and actually intensify heat rays even more! So keep your spraying to the early morning or late afternoon once the sun has reduced, and consider wiping droplets with our leaf cleaning gloves.

5. Check Your Houseplants for Overheating

Did you know that glass can radiate heat? So not only are you contending with extra sun rays, but also little pockets of hotter conditions. That can be a killer combo for your houseplant, so it's a good idea to keep your space cool and introduce some ventilation; an open window or a fan is a great idea!

What Do I Do If I Notice That My Plant's Leaves Are Burnt?

First off, more often than not, your plant will bounceback, but it's important to look at how you can reduce its stress in other areas, to allow it to naturally heal. There are some immediate actions that you can take. 

• Trim away and damaged, crispy or bleached leaves so that your plant can put energy into growing new leaves and making the current healthy leaves the best that they can be! 
• Move the plant to a cooler spot: by moving your plant away from sunlight and heat, you'll give it a chance to recover. 
• Add Enrich Powder: you want to boost your plant's ability to withstand stress, so give it a good dose of Enrich Powder in the soil, and make sure that the plant is well watered. This will help it bounce back from the abiotic stress. 

Hopefully, with these identification tips and sunburn SOS guidance, you will be able to avoid giving your houseplants too much sun, and know what to do when your plants are showing signs of sunburn! Goodluck planty peeps!