The aloe vera plant is a succulent, low-maintenance plant that can survive harsh natural conditions. This plant prefers direct sunlight every day and requires only a little water to survive. Aloe vera plant does not like wet and waterlogged soil. A quick-draining and dry potting mix is ideal for this plant.
Aloe vera plants will need more direct sun than other common plants. Therefore, many people often make serious mistakes about the amount of light and light intensity for the aloe vera plant. Sunburnt aloe vera plant is the most common problem you will likely encounter when growing this plant. So, let’s learn about the signs of leaf burn in aloe vera plants and how to revive these damaged leaves.
Sunburnt Aloe Vera Plant – 4 Basic Signs Of Sunburn
Aloe vera plant belongs to the family Asphodelaceae and the genus Aloe. Its scientific name is Aloe Barbadensis Miller. The aloe vera plant is a succulent perennial and native to the Arabian Peninsula. The average height of this plant is between 2 and 3 feet. The growing season of the Aloe vera plant is from spring to autumn.
Direct sunlight every day will stimulate the rapid growth of this plant. However, if plants are exposed to intense sunlight for a long time, the leaves will be sunburned. Here are the four most common signs of fire in this plant.
Leaves Are Discolored
One of the first signs you may observe is a change in the color of the leaves. The leaves of the aloe vera plant are healthy when they are green, succulent, and full of sap. Excessive heat for a long time will cause the chlorophyll to decompose and the leaves will become discolored.
When plants are exposed to direct sunlight for a long time and are not watered, the leaves will turn yellow and wilt. More severe is that the leaves turn brown, dry, and curl. The tips of the leaves or young shoots will be affected first. They will show signs of turning sepia and curling up. They are the thinnest parts of the foliage, so they will be affected first and you can see from these features.
The reason is that sunlight with too much intensity will destroy cells. The amount of steam rising also happens quickly. Meanwhile, plants cannot absorb enough water to compensate for the loss of water. As a result, the cell will dry out, deform, and roll up to minimize the area exposed to the sun.
Yellow And Brown Spots Appear
One of the other common signs is the appearance of yellow and brown spots on the leaves of the aloe vera plant. Brown and black spots will appear when the cells on the leaves are burned. The chlorophyll to maintain the green color of the leaves was lost under extreme heat. The cells will dry out, and deform, and black and brown patches will appear.
In particular, the leaves of the aloe vera plant will also be thinner, flattened, and not inflated because they contain enough water. The leaves will gradually lose all the water and sap, then wilt and droop around the pot.
Leaves Begin To Wilt And Curl
Healthy aloe vera leaves are when they grow straight up to the sky, stretchy and swollen with resin. If you notice that the aloe leaves are wilting and drooping with a black color, they are sunburned. Wrinkling and drooping leaves can also appear when you water too much. However, you can distinguish them below. If aloe leaves drooping due to excessive watering, they will be very soft because the cells contain too much water. Meanwhile, burnt and drooping aloe leaves will often dry out and collapse due to dehydration.
The Soil Dries Quickly And The Drought Lasts
Direct sunlight for a long time will stimulate water vapor to rise from the soil. So the soil will dry out quickly and create small cracks in the soil surface. High temperatures cause the aloe plant to absorb more water to compensate for the amount of water evaporating through the stomata on the leaves. Therefore, the root system will have to work continuously and search for water in the soil. If you do not water in time, drought will appear and plants will wilt due to lack of water.
How To Revive A Sunburnt Aloe Vera
The level of regeneration of the aloe vera plant also depends on the degree of damage in the sun. If plants are only partially burned to the top of leaves and buds, they can completely grow back with proper care. However, if the sunburn is so severe that the root system is damaged, the level of plant regeneration will be very difficult. Here are some measures you can apply to restore the health of your aloe vera plant when sunburned.
Change The Location Or Use A Canopy
When you notice that the leaves of the aloe vera plant are sunburned, you should put the pot in a shady area to avoid high temperatures, especially in the afternoon and afternoon. If you are growing your aloe vera plant directly in the ground, cover it with a layer of straw or use a canopy to limit sunlight.
You can place the potted plant in an area that receives indirect sunlight to give the plants time to relax. The ideal location is a west window and 2-3 feet away to avoid direct sunlight. Use curtains in the afternoon and afternoon to create shade. Direct or indirect sunlight in the morning with mild intensity and shade in the afternoon will be the ideal location for your aloe vera plant.
Timely Watering
Lack of water and intense sunlight are the two main factors that cause your aloe vera plant to burn. When you notice signs of sunburn such as black spots, yellow spots, and brown spots appearing on the leaves, immediately water the plants with large amounts of water. Whenever the ground is dry, you should continue watering. Irrigation will be the key to helping aloe vera plants solve the problem of sunburn and withering in the sun.
Aloe vera plants usually don’t need a lot of water to survive. However, depending on the temperature on hot days, you should increase the watering of plants. Check the moisture in the soil with your finger or a moisture meter to water it in time. You should water until excess water has drained out of the drain hole. In addition, you can also put a tray of water under the pot of the aloe vera plant to water yourself.
Remove Burnt Leaves
The leaves of the burned aloe vera plant will not be able to heal themselves and return to their original green color. So if the burn is too much on a leaf, you should cut it off. However, if the black and brown spots are only scattered on the leaves of the aloe vera plant, you can still wait for the resurgence of the leaves. You don’t need to worry too much about pruning burnt leaves. As long as the stem and root are healthy, the young shoots will quickly grow back and be lusher.
Replace The Soil Mixture With New Soil And Pots For Plants
After plants have been sunburned, their health will also be seriously affected. Therefore, you need to replenish the available nutrients in the soil by replacing the new soil mixture. The new soil mix should include materials such as soil, organic matter, perlite, or gravel at the bottom. The gravel and perlite layer will create openings to promote air exchange and remove excess water in the perineum.
In addition, you should also increase the application of organic fertilizers or liquid fertilizers to provide nutrients for plants. Lack of nitrogen and nitrogen are the main causes for the leaves of the aloe vera plant to become discolored and lifeless. You also need to replace a new pot that is 1-2 sizes larger to stimulate root system growth.
How To Prevent Aloe Vera From Sunburn?
To prevent your plants from getting sunburned, you need to learn some methods to prevent this. Give the aloe vera plant time to acclimate to the sun and the ideal location to grow. Here are some notes that you need to pay attention to when taking care of aloe vera plants.
Get used to direct sunlight
As for the potted aloe vera plant you buy in a pot and start taking care of it, keep in mind the principle of getting used to the sun. Most potted aloe vera plants are grown in a greenhouse environment. Therefore, they need time to adapt to living conditions outside. In particular, for young aloe vera plants, the possibility of sunburn when suddenly exposed to sunlight for many hours is completely possible.
Give plants time to acclimatize and get used to the temperature by placing the pot outside every day for 2-3 hours. Then you place them in an area with indirect sun and afternoon shade. Repeat this process for 2 weeks and increase the amount of time in the sun to help the aloe vera acclimatize to the actual temperature outside.
Proper Watering
Don’t forget to water your aloe vera plants just because you think they are succulent plants and can provide their own water. The outstanding advantage of succulent leaves is that they plant can survive in harsh conditions. However, a long-term lack of water will kill plants. Therefore, you need to water the aloe vera plant properly to replenish the amount of water needed on days when the temperature is too high.
You should water in the early morning and afternoon for the aloe vera plant on hot days. The water droplets on the leaves can form a cover to protect against direct sunlight. However, you should not water plants at night because a humid environment will create favorable conditions for fungi to grow.
In particular, aloe vera does not like wet and waterlogged environments. They will not be able to tolerate wet environments which leads to root rot. Check the humidity with your finger before watering to avoid waterlogging.
Choose The Right Location
Even if you grow an aloe vera plant in a pot or directly in the ground, the location is very important. Any plant wants to soak up the sun and cool shade to relax when the temperature is too high. Place the potted aloe vera plant in a location that receives sunlight in the morning and cool shade in the afternoon.
If you plant aloe vera in the ground, you can use a canopy to limit sunlight. Also, it is a good idea to plant aloe vera plants under large trees to limit direct sunlight.
Fertilize And Promote Health
Using a good quality soil mix and regularly fertilizing will help promote plant health. You should use a well-draining soil mix to avoid waterlogging. Use organic fertilizers such as compost from leaves, grass clippings, moss, chicken manure, and duck manure to enhance nutrients in the soil. In addition, you can also use liquid, slow-release, or blood meal fertilizers to enhance plant nutrients.
The Last Word
Aloe vera plants can get sunburned if they are exposed to intense sunlight for too long. The level of regeneration of the aloe vera plant depends on the extent of the damage. If plants only burn the edges of leaves and young shoots, they still have a chance to revive. However, if the root system and stem are both burned, it is difficult for them to grow back.
To prevent leaf burn in aloe vera, you need to choose the right planting location, water it properly, let the plants get used to the environment, and choose a potting mix with high nutrients. Increase fertilizer application in the growing season of plants to stimulate the growth of aloe vera. However, you should also not put aloe vera plants in the full shade because they will die from a lack of sunlight.