Winter sunburn

[RSJ]

Murphy (as in "Murphy's Law") came to visit about a month ago, and caught me with a new phal in the south window. Weatherman said "overcast and rain". So I'm at work, looking out the window going There's FULL SUN out there and that new phal is in the window at home, probably getting COOKED.

Yep. She got sizzled. Pix are here if someone wants to know a couple of different ways sunburn can look. In two of the pictures, the sun hit the top edge of three leaves and I got curling, brown spot, and "super tan". The topmost leaf was angled where a Sharry Baby leaf played shade across it, so you get to see a leaf with some burn and some not. The texture of the leaf is distinctly affected where it got sun so you can see it clearly.

The plant is not going to die, but the lovely healthy leaves we used to have don't look so good anymore and now I'm expecting her not to spike again for a while as she recovers. That'll teach me.

RSJ

[MikeWA]

How long have you lived in WA? You still listen to the weatherman?

I am currently trying to find a job where I can not get fired for being wrong 40% of the time and have it be considered, OK.

Poor lil Phal

[Gin]

Know just how you feel . I cooked a bench of them about 5 years ago , we were having insulation blown in the garage walls I moved a bench of phals . outside , in the shade , I got busy did not know the guys had moved them into direct hot sun they looked like crap until the leaves were replaced . Sorry about the burn . you catch Murphy I'll will bring the rope Gin

[TundraKev]

Really is a bummer. Sorry.

Too bad it takes forever and 3 days to replace leaves on these things, at least to the point where you won't notice the burn anymore.

Kevin

[RSJ]

Yeah, Mike, I usually disregard the weatherman. Accuweather is usually pretty right on, but I was late for work and didn't check it and thought "just this once" it would be OK. I know better. Geesh. Good thing it wasn't a plant I bought for a hefty price or I'd have been really upset!

[LJA]

Ouch!

One of those lessons it seems everyone has to go through at least once...

Sorry that happened, Ronnie-Sue.

[Piper]

Between sunburn and pleated leaves, I think it's ok to acknowledge that our culture might not always be 100% all the time. I have plants I love to death and would never trade, but they wouldn't win a culture award, even for "try harder next time."

Louis ran a rather macabre thread a couple of months back on becoming an expert (ie, on a pile of orchid compost in your wake.) It's how we learn what the beasties want, it's that life factor creeping in, where we don't always have the time we need for all the things we want to do, and it's just plain old 'stuff happens' factpr.

I wince when my plants tell me I'm not maintaining them in the style to which they'd prefer, but I don't love their blooms any less for the guilt!

No worries, Ronnie-Sue! This is a minor ailment!
Julie

Julie