Avoid Burning Your Plants on Beach Day

Plant Burn

Now that the plant has recovered and my shame is gone, I can talk about this. The time—two years ago now—was a painful recollection, one I honestly suppressed. I put my dracaena out for a little fresh air and burned the poor baby. There, I’ve said it. It’s out. I’m a plant burner.

Today, the plant, pictured here, doesn’t look all that bad. Look closely, and you’ll see a few missing leaves where it would be better if it were filled in, but overall, it doesn’t look all that bad. I don’t have a before and after photo—it was just too painful to take, and I didn’t want to embarrass the little guy any more than he’d already been shamed.

So, yes, plants that have been sunburned can recover—but it takes a long time. If you fancy yourself a terrific indoor gardener (moi, you say?), it requires some pride swallowing. You see, my plant looked terrible, with big burn marks on the leaves. Some were so bad I had to do some surgical pruning. I held my head high, however, and let my plant proudly display its burns while it healed. It’s in my bathroom, so yes, people saw it—people who thought I had a greener thumb and, quite frankly, more common sense.

I think that plants have feelings. If I’d cloistered the plant away where no one could see his burns, I truly believe he would have shriveled up and died of embarrassment. So my plant and I came face to face several times a day over the course of many months. Did I say many? It seemed to take forever, but gradually he did recover by growing new leaves. It’s a slow, arduous, painful process for both of us, so my advice is this: Don’t burn your plants!

Remember that plants grown indoors are like your really white cousin who lives in his parent’s basement and only comes out when he’s dragged out for family holidays. They will burn in mere minutes! I kid you not. The plant I left out was probably out for about 45 minutes when I realized my mistake. By that time, the burn was severe. The burn doesn’t show up at first, so you may breathe a sigh of relief—until the next day when you’re sure to be gasping.

If you put your plants out for a little fresh air, make sure they are under the protective canopy of a shade tree or a patio cover, and watch the sun’s ever-shifting rays. What happened with me was that I had meant to put the plant out for just a few minutes because I knew the sun would be shifting in my courtyard. When I put it out, it was under the shade of a tree, but by the time I remembered, the sun had shifted, and the plant was in full afternoon sun. Ouch!

And if you have burned plants, I advise you to let it go. Say out loud, “I am a plant burner, but I am fully reformed.” Make sure your plants can hear you. No recidivism!