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Sunburnt Aloe Plant – Symptoms, How to Revive(Leaves Turning Brown)


Succulents are the happiest plants mostly grown on their own with minimum care but placing it in the wrong location could lead to sunburnt aloe plants and now you don’t know how to recover its health back to normal then keep reading.

Sunburnt aloe plant is due to excessive sunlight that causes browning of leaves and leaf spots. Signs of too much sun scorched aloe plant includes dry and low water retention which further damages foliage of aloe Vera. Sunburnt Aloe plants can revive easily in indirect sunlight and keep the water moist in soil. There are various other ways to revive a browning aloe plant if it has been given too much light. Once we know how much the damage is we can recover according to that.

Sunburnt Aloe Plant

Will sunburnt aloe recover?

Yes, Aloe plant can can recover from sunburnt naturally by providing indirect bright light and a little bit of care on watering. Yes it may lose some foliage but overall the aloe plant will recover from sunburnt problems.

Aloe plant leaves are damaged by Hot summer if you were growing it outdoors. These brown leaves in aloe can further spread from tips/edges to middle then burn the whole leaf. Reviving aloe can be possible if you take out the whole plant and repot it in Pot.

A Sunburnt aloe plant indicates less water so first you have to clean all the intact soil from the roots and put the aloe plant roots in a glass of water. Just use distilled water and let it stay that way for 2-3 days. After 3 days you will notice some brown leaves is getting green color back. This is the time you can repot the plant in a pot and place it in indirect sunlight.

It’s Recovered now So Keep the soil moist and continue this, it will take 2-3 weeks to see damaged leaves to turn back the colors. yes not all leaves will recover but at least we can save the plant and some of its leaves.

About Aloe Vera :

Family  Asphodelaceae
Scientific Name  Aloe barbadensis miller
Native Arabian Peninsula
Other Names   Cape aloe,Aloe plant, Chinese aloe, Barbados Aloe
Plant Type  Perennial, Succulent
Hardiness zone  4a to 8b
Grown Pots, Containers, Gardens,
Height  24-40 inches(50-101cm)
Growth rate Slower
Soil   Well draining, Fertile
Light Requirement  Partial Sunlight, Full Sun(Can Tolerate)
Fertilizer  Liquid based
USDA hardiness Zone 8 – 11
Blooming Season Summer
Flower Color Orange, Red, Yellow
Leaf Color Green, Spiky Shape
Growth Rate  Slow growing
Benefits For Skin and Body
Uses Cosmetics, skin creams
Toxicity Mild toxic

Aloe vera varieties :

Aloe vera has more than 400+ species so I am naming the popular ones.

  • Aloe Maculata
  • Aloe Broomii
  • Aloe Ferox
  • Aloe Aculeata
  • Aloe Perryi
  • Aloe Nyeriensis
  • Aloe Succotrina
  • Aloe Capitata, etc

How do I know if my aloe plant is getting too much sun?

Sunburnt aloe plant symptoms

There are Some Signs that can tell if a plant is getting too much sunlight. Following are the Known Symptoms includes:

  1. Browning of Leaves
  2. Yellowing foliage
  3. Soil Dried Fully
  4. Leaf Spots
  5. Leaf Tips Browning

 

There are various reasons but Sunburnt is the major reason why leaves turn brown and soil seems dry.

1. Light Problem

Aloe Plants as succulents are made for Indirect light and can handle direct Sunlight as well but if given too much Sun it definitely results in wilting & browning of leaves. This damage can be harsh and will be problematic if not resolved in time. When People used to move things around and place this plant in a wrong place that is already getting extreme sunlight then aloe plant gets shock of too much sun. These plant do adjust in sunlight if give proper watering and it can be grown strong but aloe still get leaf spot burns. Only a place which gets partial sunlight like morning or evening sun then it will surely flourish. A sunburnt aloe plant can regrow and recover 50-70% damage if placed in shade to partial shade area. 

If you were growing it indoors then south facing windows can be the best place for aloe plants. Using an artificial light can be an option for those who don’t have a good light source area to place alone.

2. Pests Problem

If it is not sunburned then it can possibly be affected by pests like scales, mealy and mites. They eat the inner fluid and damage the leaf and stem which result in browning, leaf spots and dried leaves. These bugs on aloe plants can be removed by spraying pesticides or  miticides and neem oil can also work but if infestation is large in numbers then pruning would be necessary.

3. Overwatering

These issues are sometimes caused due to excessive watering, as you know aloe plants need moist soil but they also store water in leaves as backup if the plant doesn’t get water for a few days. Aloe plant dislikes daily watering as it can lead to root rot and  signs like browning and yellow of leaves can be seen on many leaves. This overwatered aloe plant problem can be solved with reducing water for some days so it can heal and then only give water if it’s dry 1-2 inch from the surface of the soil. Check by using your index finger and put it in soil so if you feel moist then don’t give water and if it’s fully dry then pour water until it leaks out from the bottom of the pot.

4. Ideal Temperature

Aloe plants can grow in 65- 75 degree F temperature and below 49 degrees F it can be bad for your aloe plant. Even It gets affected by the place it was growing, it has changed and now it is growing indoors. It takes time to adjust to the new environment and the shock it gets makes the foliage somewhat brown and it may lose some leaves but yes it can grow again if the environment is healthy like indirect light and sufficient watering works best.

If you move your plants outdoors in the mid of summers it is too hot and can result in sunburnt aloe plant. So if you have a tree in your garden place the pot there, else you can still give aloe direct sun but remember it requires more water then hot days. Some leaves might burn and give leaf spots but it will grow. I do this if I need aloe cuttings for propagation as sunlight enhances the growth of aloe vera plants.

If you want your aloe plant to be healthy just grow another plant near this and let it shade the aloe to provide partial light and help the aloe to grow. This way your plant won’t get sunburnt. In Winters If your plant is in a pot it can easily be transferred inside the house for warmer temperature but if you were growing aloe in the garden then you frost a blanket to cover your plant even at night to protect it from getting freeze.

5. Potting Soil

Aloe vera can grow in poor soil but if you really want to see its growth in full swing then using a well drained, rich with nutrient soil that would help the grow smoothly. Even a well draining soil can avoid any root rot problem that gives brown tips to whole leaf browning in succulents.

Either use a good potting soil mix or use perlite and fertilizer in your garden soil to fulfill its requirements.

How do you revive sunburnt aloe vera plant?

Reviving Sunburnt Aloe Vera By Placing The whole pot indoors and providing them little bit water daily. Within 10 days aloe vera leaves may turn back to green and some damaged leaves might lose in the process. Also Aloe vera can be revived in water as they don’t get pathogen inside the water which it gets in the soil. So recovery is faster in water than in soil. Both methods work and total time to recover the sunburnt aloe plant is 10-15 days.

Why does my aloe plant turn brown in the sun?

Most common reason aloe plant turn brown or get sunburnt due to excessive sunlight and water loss in its leaves that causes Sunburns. Aloe plant become sunburnt & turns brown which may also include too much watering, dry soil, fungal root rot, deficiency in fertile Soil, too much fertilization. You can fix sunburnt aloe plant or browning of leaves by changing pot location to partial shade and giving aloe vera water whenever it needs.

Final Words

For me a Sunburnt aloe plant is easy to revive and above I have explained my whole method and how you successfully revive it. After reviving you should take good care for your aloe plant as this can happen again. I suggest don’t be late at watering aloe plant and moving it in indirect bright area would make your aloe Vera happy.

If you want to read more such posts check below. I hope you get the answer on “Sunburnt Aloe Plant”. Thank you for reading.

Solving an Overwatered Aloe plant.

Best Potting mix you can try for aloe plant.