Phal sunburn!!!

[Arlevy]

I’m stupid, stupid, stupid!!!!

Hi everyone, I’m sooo frustrated.
I do my best of taking care of my phal.
Have 2 new leafs and a lot of aerial roots.

Yesterday I left my orchid on a western window for the night due to drop of temperatures (17 degrees Celsius at night and 27-30 during the day).
I forgot to bring it in in the morning and this is the results (see pictures).








I don’t know how to handle this.
The burned leafs feels floppy.
The stem burns is yellowish white.

Please advice...

Thanks!!!!

[BrassavolaStars]

Hello Arlevy,

I am so sorry that that happened. I know the feeling well. I recently sunburned a very large cattleya and several phals. I also did something very similar to an Angraecum a few months ago and it is mostly fine now.

From the picture, it does not look like an extreme burn. That plant also has very many leaves and the new ones don’t look burned too badly. I have seen much worse and the plants were eventually fine. The burns on the crown are slightly concerning, but they do not look that bad either.

As long as the leaves don’t get some sort of secondary infection, I expect the plant will be fine. Make sure that you check often for rots (usually soft, watery dark spots) that can sometimes infect a vulnerable plant. I would especially watch that leaf on the lower left of the photo.

To be honest, I don’t think I have ever seen a phal with so many large leaves and roots so you have clearly been taking care of it well.

Since it looks like the leaves were only burned on one side, I would expect they would still function fairly well until they fall off on their own.

I am not a Phal expert, but it does not appear that you would need to do anything in particular besides keeping it away from high light levels.

Phals are not my specialty though so I would take the advice of others above mine.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by Arlevy

Thanks!!!!

The plant still appears to be ok. Hopefully the scorched regions will go darkish or brownish/greyish and then dry up.

Keep the leaves dry. I expect the plant to just continue where it left off --- ie. keeps growing.