You see, aloe vera plants are a popular houseplant, and they’re a great plant to have around.
These plants are tough and super easy to maintain, and they have healing properties that can actually heal burns.
While they can help heal you if you’ve burned yourself, they can’t heal from being sunburnt without your help.
Fortunately, there’s a lot you can do to save a sunburnt aloe vera plant!
How To Identify a Sunburnt Aloe Plant
Aloe vera plants are popular succulents that thrive in sun, but they should not be placed in direct sunlight.
Direct sunlight can burn the aloe vera leaves, which will dry and die.
If your aloe plant starts to look sick or worse, there are many things that could be wrong, not just sunlight.
How do you know if your aloe plant is sunburnt?
There are a few things to look for.
Brown Leaves
The first indication of an aloe plant suffering from sunburn is discoloration of the leaves.
This may start at the tips, spots may appear sporadically, or the entire leaves may have a brown tint.
The browning of the leaves is a combination of too much sun damaging the plant cells and a reduction in the plant’s amount of chlorophyll produced.
Keep this in mind – chlorophyll is what gives plants their green coloration and when the sun is damaging the plant cells, those cells are going to stop producing chlorophyll.
Droopy Leaves
Aloe vera plants don’t like excess sunlight, and too much sunlight will cause them to dry out, and leaves that were previously full will lose some of that fullness.
Once you lose the fullness of the leaves, there is no longer support to hold those leaves up, and you will see wilting or droopy leaves in aloe vera plants.
Dry Soil
Sure it’s good practice to let your soil dry out between watering, but if your soil is way too dry, it’s an indication that your aloe vera plant might be sunburnt and has absorbed basically every last drop of moisture.
Basically, if your soil is way too dry you risk turning your soil hydrophobic, which basically means it won’t hold onto any water and your plant can actually burn as a result of this.
While hydrophobic sites can be treated using certain methods of rehydration, it is always a better practice for your plant to not let it get to that point.
The other most common issue for aloe plants is the opposite- when they are overwatered.
Taking action – If you see any mushy or waterlogged areas on your aloe plant leaves, you need to stop watering the plant as often and let the soil dry out immediately.
How to Revive a Sunburnt Aloe Vera Plant
The greatest advice for reviving a sunburnt aloe plant is to follow the three Rs:
- relocate
- rehydrate
- and remove
1. Relocate
If you have a sunburnt aloe plant, the most important thing is to move it!
Your aloe plant loves the sun, but it is sunburnt because it has too much direct sun.
A good place for an aloe plant is a room that gets a lot of light during the day, just keep the aloe plant out of the direct sun.
Aloe plants love to be placed on a table or the floor, and it can be off to the side of a window or door.
2. Rehydrate
If your aloe is sunburnt, It’s most likely also thirsty.
You may want to give your aloe a big watering to help it recover, but it’s still a succulent, and succulents don’t like lots of water.
Instead – just give your aloe enough water to wet the roots, and let it dry out again before watering again.
You can often water your aloe again after about 3-5 days.
Aloe’s are not used to frequent waterings, so you don’t need to keep it on a schedule.
Now that your succulent is out of direct light, watering your aloe a couple times a week, or even just once a week depending on your home’s humidity level is more than sufficient.
3. Remove
Check out each of the leaves on your aloe plant.
If the sun damaged more than 50%, you should gently remove a leaf so the plant’s energy can go to it’s healthy leaves.
To remove the damaged leaves: You want to cut it off right at the base with a sharp and sterilized knife.
It is important to make sure you are using a sterile cutting tool so you don’t contribute bacteria to your plant which can cause diseases or issues on the plant.
How to Prevent Sunburn on an Aloe Vera Plant
A sunburnt aloe vera plant is pretty serious and slightly ironic, but it is easy to prevent.
Acclimate Your Aloe Vera Plant
The biggest remedy to prevent sunburn on your aloe plant is to avoid putting the plant in direct sunlight to begin with.
If have no other place to put an aloe plant except in direct sun, you should acclimate it.
An aloe plant can be acclimated by slowly accommodating it to direct sunlight for longer periods of time each week.
Start by leaving your aloe in full shade for an entire week.
At this stage – there should be no direct sun on your aloe plant.
Then,move your aloe plant in full sun for 2 hours every morning for another week.
At this stage, they need to be moved in and out of the sun daily, for the week.
Now that you have your plant in a sunny spot to acclimate it, you can start adding an additional 2 hours of sunlight a day at the start of each week until there is no more moving needs to take place when it comes to the sunlight.
Be Careful When Watering
Have you seen someone use a magnifying glass to start a fire?
That similar thing could happen to your aloe plant on a hot day.
If you have water droplets on the leaves of your aloe plant and it’s sitting in the direct sunlight, those water droplets will work as a magnifier and ignite your plant.
Key Takeaway – It doesn’t take long for this to happen, so remove the water droplets before they get heated or move the plant out of the sunlight.
Final Thoughts
Look after those plants that can look after you.
For aloe plant, suffering from sunburn is quite serious business for the plant but thankfully it’s pretty simple to fix.
The three Rs to reviving an Aloe plant are relocate, rehydrate, and remove the severely damaged leaves.
Once you’ve taken the few things into consideration to avoid sunburn happening in the first place; you’ll be able to ensure your aloe vera plant thrives.