GrowingHQ
Physiological disorderLeaves

Leaf scorch

Dry, brown, brittle patches or margins where tissue has died, typically on the side facing the light and on the most exposed leaves. Unlike a disease it does not spread, and unlike drought it affects the exposed leaves rather than the whole plant.

Described view

Strawberry foliage and fruit in one frame: a berry and adjoining leaf tissue carrying the dense grey-brown fur of botrytis with the tissue beneath collapsed, and separately a leaf with dry, sharply-edged brown scorch along the margin and between the veins with no fungal growth on it at all

What brings it on

Direct sun on a plant not adapted to it, especially through glass, which concentrates heat; a plant moved outdoors or to a brighter position without hardening off; water droplets on leaves in strong sun; or hot dry wind.

source

Sourced guidancehigh confidence

  • Royal Horticultural Society: Leaf scorch

Checked 2026-08-13

Preventing it

Ordered by how much difference each measure actually makes, not by how often it is repeated.

  • Introduce plants to brighter positions gradually over a week or two. A plant moved straight from a shaded windowsill into full outdoor sun scorches within days, and the damaged tissue does not recover.
    source

    Sourced guidancehigh confidence

    • Royal Horticultural Society: Hardening off

    Checked 2026-08-13

Dealing with it once it is there

  • Move the plant out of direct sun or shade it during the hottest part of the day. Scorched tissue is dead and will not green up; remove badly marked leaves for appearance only, and judge recovery by the new growth.
    source

    Sourced guidancehigh confidence

    • Royal Horticultural Society: Leaf scorch

    Checked 2026-08-13

Signs that lead here

Each of these lists the other things that produce the same sign, and how to tell them apart.

On sprays and treatments

GrowingHQ does not tell anyone what to apply, at what rate, or how often. Pesticide approvals differ by country, change without notice, and the product label is legally binding — it is also the document you are holding. What is described here is cultural and physical control, which is what a home grower can act on without a label in front of them.

Plant-specific guides

Where this is one of several causes that look alike on a particular plant, GrowingHQ publishes the differential rather than the general answer.