House Plants Get Sunburn

Just like people and pets house plants can get sunburned too. This is something that many house plant owners and enthusiasts may not realize or think about often. Most of the time we find ourself finding ways to expose our plants to more sun in order to have healthy house plants. I've been known to move a plant around a room as the sun moves across the sky to keep as much light as possible shining on it. So the idea of a plant getting too much light is not something that is always on my mind especially during the winter.

But I was reminded of the fact that there is such a thing as too much light yesterday when I was watering a cactus a friend had given me. I went to remove the plant from the shelf and when I turned it around the side of the plant facing the window was a whitish yellow. In the course of two sunny days this sun loving cacti received enough light to cause a small amount of damage.

If you've been growing your plants indoors or under lights make sure to get them acclimated to the sun. If your indoor garden sits in a window consider using sheer blinds or matchstick blinds during the first few weeks of spring to filter the sun that will be more intense than it was during the winter, until they become accustomed. Don't forget to acclimate them to the outdoor sun too if you let your house plants spend the summer outdoors.