The yucca or palm lily originally comes from the deserts and semi-deserts in the south of the USA and parts of Mexico. As a result, the agave plant is ideally adapted to heat, sun and drought. However, specimens cultivated indoors can quickly suffer from sunburn if they are suddenly moved to a sunnier place.
How to identify and treat sunburn on a yucca palm?
Sunburn on yucca palms is shown by brown leaf tips, dried leaves or spots. To treat the plant, remove dried leaves, place it in a bright but not directly sunny spot and pay attention to the water supply. Get the yucca used to the new location slowly to prevent sunburn.
Signs of sunburn
If you like to put your houseplants outside over the summer - which is usually an advantage for them, plants also thrive better with plenty of fresh air - you may be familiar with the phenomenon: First, the tips of the leaves turn brown and dry, later the entire leaf dries up and is eventually thrown off the plant. Sometimes burns also appear as brown spots on the leaves. But be careful: the latter in particular can also indicate a fungal disease or illness caused by another pathogen. However, the cause should be clear if the discoloration occurs immediately after being in the sun.
How to recognize a sunburn
- brown or black colored leaf tips
- yellow or brown discolored, dried leaves
- yellow or brown spots on the leaves
Measures after a sunburn
First of all, dried leaves should be removed, because the damage caused by the sun is irreversible - this means that the areas that have been damaged will not turn green again. However, you can leave brown or black leaf tips on the plant or just cut off the discolored area. Otherwise, take the affected plant out of the blazing sun and place it in a bright but not directly sunny place. Above all, ensure that the yucca is in the shade during the period of intense midday sun. Furthermore, plants in sunny locations generally need more water than plants in darker/shady places. But be careful: the drought-loving yucca doesn't get too much water either!
Prevention: Always get the Yucca used to a new location slowly
To avoid sunburn in the first place, you should slowly get the plant used to the new location before moving or rearranging it - this is especially true if a houseplant is moved from the naturally darker interior in spring or early summer should be placed outdoors. Don't make a fuss about it (the yucca will most likely resent you for that), but put the plant in the new location for a little longer each day.
Tip
Occasionally you can read in guides that the plants should be sprayed with a nebulizer to increase the humidity. In principle, this is also a good idea with the yucca from time to time - but not when the sun is shining. Then the water droplets on the leaves act like burning glasses and cause burns.
