Question
I recently bought an orchid  and it became overexposed to heat and now looks
sick. What can i do to nurse it back to health?

Answer
Hello Mike,

Sorry to hear about what happened to your orchid.  You did not say what type of orchid it is so it is hard for me to tell you what to do to nurse it back.  

With that said, here are some things you might try, hopefully they will help nurse it back to health.  

First, inspect the leaves to assess how much of them are damaged, whether it is only in one area or the entire leaf, how many leaves are affected and are some of them still green.  

Second, if the entire leaf is not damaged and there is still green around the sunburned area, leave the leaf alone and let it drop on its own.  If the burn goes across the width of the leaf, leaving some green at the base of the leaf, cut the leaf off near the burn line.  

Afterwards, take care of it by placing it in a warm shady place for 4 to 6 weeks.  Water and feed it as you normally would.  After the time is up, move it to a semi-bright location for several weeks to acclimate it to more light.  That is about it for now because I cannot go further without knowing what type of orchid it is and where you live.  Depending upon where you live can affect what I would tell you to do further.  

Good luck.

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.