Sunburn and scorched leaves
Sunburn shows as bleached, white, or dry brown patches, usually on the side facing the window and often right after a move to brighter light. Leaves grown in shade are not built for sudden strong sun, including strong sun through glass.
A scorched patch will not heal. The goal is to protect the remaining healthy foliage and to acclimate the plant gradually if it genuinely needs brighter conditions.
General beginner information only — not a substitute for advice from your local agricultural extension service. For edible plants, use only a product that is labelled for that particular edible crop, for indoor use, and follow any harvest interval on its label; try non-chemical steps first, and never use a product that is not labelled for indoor use on that plant.
Checklist to diagnose
- Are patches only on the window-facing side or the topmost leaves?
- Did the plant recently move to a brighter window, outdoors, or from behind a curtain?
- Are patches flat and dry rather than soft, wet, or spreading?
- Is the plant pressed against hot glass in strong afternoon sun?
- Are new leaves unaffected while older, exposed leaves carry the damage?
Rescue steps
- Pull the plant back from the glass or filter the light with a sheer curtain; move it in steps over days rather than all at once if it needs more light overall.
- Leave scorched leaves in place unless they are fully dead and dry — they still shade the plant and feed it while green parts remain.
- Water normally and keep conditions steady; sunburn is a light injury, not a watering problem, so do not flood or feed the plant in response.
- When moving any plant to brighter light in future, increase exposure gradually over a week or more.
- If patches are soft, wet, or spreading instead of flat and dry, check the brown spots page — that pattern points elsewhere.
When to give up
- Most foliage is scorched and no healthy leaves remain to support regrowth.
- The growing tip itself is dead and dry with no side buds breaking.
Plants on this site
These plant guides on this site already mention this problem: