First aid for severe sun-burn?

[mgange]

I've severely burned my phalaenopsis- ugh. I forgot to move them to the shady part of the porch after I watered them, and they took several hours of full summer east coast sun. The leaves have turned various shades of yellow, white, gray and black, and some are falling off, but not all. Some are also developing tiny raised dots, but I assume that's something attacking the damaged tissue opportunisticly.

Any suggestions for whether I should cut off the leaves that aren't falling off, or a watering regime, etc?

Thanks!

[syndywindy]

Hi and welcome to the forum! Been there done that unfortunately. There is not much you can do once the leaves get sunburn. If the whole leaf is burned it will fall off on its own in time. If only a part of the leaf is burned, you can cut off just the sunburnt part and sprinkle the cut end with cinnamon which is a natural fungacide. If you think something is now attacking the area you can spray some physan 20 to help keep things at bay. Physan 20 is used to control fungus, bacteria, virus and is also used as a disinfectant. Sunburn is ugly looking but unless the whole plant was involved the plant should survive.
With the US now in the grips of a heatwave, now is a good time to be sure our orchids are protected.

[Dendian]

Hi and to the forum.

Also been there, done that.. but maybe not as bad as yours sounds. Mostly rescued ones with bad sunburn from being outside at Lowes - the idiots put the orchids on the top shelf .

Watch the black areas - and if they move down towards the center you will want to remove them, otherwise I would let them fall off on their own. The plant will pull most of what it wants out of the badly damaged leaves, and will use the parts of the leaf that isn't damaged to feed itself. If you aren't sure - post a picture and we will make "educated" guesses... to help you decide what to do.

Watering as normal - and let it recover. Here's for you!

[mgange]

Both for the advice and the welcome to the forum. I'll be sure to cut off the black rot that's creeping towards the crown, treat with cinnamon, and otherwise let it heal itself.

[Greybeard]

Sorry you had to join under such circumstances but it sounds like you have gotten the help you need for you sunburn problem, don't be afraid to ask questoins, we are here to help Good luck

[11Orchid126]

You might try coating the damaged leaves with triple antibiotic cream from the drug store to prevent infection. It's not necessary to cut off the burned leaves unless they're turning black, as Dendian says. Believe it or not, the burned leaves won't turn green again, but they will still support the plant.

[BGGraham1]

I learned that from the orchid show, too. One of the vendors there said that he never uses cinnamon, he uses Neosporin. He said, "If its good for skin, its good for plants, and I've never had a problem..." I have yet to try it, but it would be a lot easier to dab some Neosporin on a cut than to try and sprinkle cinnamon only on the cut areas.

[Fishmom]

Sprinkling cinnamon is indeed a challenge! I keep Q-tips (small cotton swabs) handy and use them to dab onto a cut surface. The moisture in the cut makes the cinnamon powder adhere. Just toss after use to avoid cross-contamination.