Help. Sunburned leaves on King of Taiwan Catt
 

I left this King of Taiwan in the hot Alabama sun for too long. Should I cut off the damaged leaves or let them be? It is a mature plant & pbulbs are plump.

I longed for this Catt for months and now I burned the leaves. Want to cry. Any suggestions as to care?

Thanks, ROBB

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Personally, I'd leave them alone. The burned tissue is dead, but there are no exposed wounds to let pathogens in, as there would be if you cut. Plus, there's still some green on the perimeter, so they can still photosynthesize.

Yes, it'll be a constant reminder of your error for a few years while those growths get replaced, but it's a good, if tough, lesson to learn.

Thanks, Ray! I gave them good dose of Quantum-Total and Kelpak. . . now a 2 year wait:((

You never know, it might carry with little interruption. I haven't burned a cattleya yet (I don't live in alabama!) but I've burned leaves on phal hybrids and they haven't missed a beat. Other than looking shabby ;). The ugly burned leaves are still there, under the new leaves from this year!

Leave them alone. They'll drop when they are no longer useful to the plant. I have toasted leaves (California sun can also do a number... my most dangerous times are in March where the sun suddenly clears barriers, and October where a late hot spell may bring sun where it hasn't been before so not protected, orchids hate surprises). Looks ugly. but the plant will probably not even miss a beat.

In my experience, some high light plants bloom like crazy after a light overdose.

You will almost always cut off more than necessary. The areas will probably turn soft black. Don't worry. It's not rot. They will then dry out to brown and papery. If it really bothers you at the brown and papery stage you can cut off the brown stuff, taking care to leave a brown margin and not cut into green tissue.

If it were my plant, I'd just leave the burned spots and let the plant utilize whatever is still useful. Especially since the burned spots are in the middle of leaves, if you preserve what's still OK (around the edges) you'll have a big hole in the leaf (and a cut surface that could admit pathogens from the environment) . Better to just let it dry up naturally.

I looked at the photos on my desktop. The plant is younger and smaller than I at first thought. Substantial parts of pseudobulbs are damaged. It will take quite a while to recover. The next few growths will be much smaller. It will be like a very small seedling again.

I'll sure share my sympathy {{hugs}}... hate it when that happens!