Mature aloe plant ONE

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Spotcold2
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Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2014 6:06 pm

Mature aloe plant ONE

Post by Spotcold2 »

This aloe is growing sideways, the bottom leaves are horizontal to the ground and the top, new growth, is perpendicular to the ground. Is I cut the new growth off and replanted it would it continue to grow? How can I get rid of the damaged part of the plant and get a healthy straight plant? The plant is healthy, it has several babies, but it's not growing right.
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bluetexasbonnie
Posts: 221
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Location: Geronimo, Texas (near San Antonio) Edge of zone 8a - 8b.

Re: Mature aloe plant ONE

Post by bluetexasbonnie »

More light! You can trim leaves and rebury the stalk, however I would wait a bit until it gets healthier. It needs all of its leaves for food now.
My cactus must be gods. They demand blood sacrifice.
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Saxicola
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Re: Mature aloe plant ONE

Post by Saxicola »

I fully agree that they need more light. I really wouldn't call either of them "mature", especially this one. You really should grow these outside most of the year in your climate. Only bring them in during the winter when there is a risk of frost. Start them off in full shade outside or you risk sunburn, but over the course of a month or two slowly introduce them to more and more full sun until. Ideally they should get a half day or more of full sun. If you do that these plants will at least double in size, if not more, by the fall.
I'm now selling plants on Ebay. Check it out! Kyle's Plants
Spotcold2
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Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2014 6:06 pm

Re: Mature aloe plant ONE

Post by Spotcold2 »

I keep my plants in front of a sunny window.
bluetexasbonnie
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Location: Geronimo, Texas (near San Antonio) Edge of zone 8a - 8b.

Re: Mature aloe plant ONE

Post by bluetexasbonnie »

You either live where the sun is wimpy or there are not as many hours of sun as you think.

Mine can live thru full baking summer sun. They turn an unattractive reddish tan, but stay compact. The best looking ones grow in very bright shade.
My cactus must be gods. They demand blood sacrifice.
Spotcold2
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Re: Mature aloe plant ONE

Post by Spotcold2 »

How can you have a bright shade?
bluetexasbonnie
Posts: 221
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2014 4:43 am
Location: Geronimo, Texas (near San Antonio) Edge of zone 8a - 8b.

Re: Mature aloe plant ONE

Post by bluetexasbonnie »

Bright shade might be at the very edge of tree shade, or might be near a bright reflective wall that gets a fair amount of light. Dappled shade is usually bright.

A shade cloth (in full sun) that is relatively light weight and light colored will give a bright shade.

Some trees give dense shade, e.g. mature pines, oaks, pecans, walnuts, cedars, ...

Other, sparser trees give light, bright shade, e.g. Cats claw (Retama), mequite, huisache, many willows, small leafed ornamental maples, properly pruned peaches.

There are a lot of degrees of shade.
My cactus must be gods. They demand blood sacrifice.
Spotcold2
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Re: Mature aloe plant ONE

Post by Spotcold2 »

.... I was told aloe plants where easy to grow. Lol u make it should very complex. The window I have it in front of gets sun all day.
bluetexasbonnie
Posts: 221
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2014 4:43 am
Location: Geronimo, Texas (near San Antonio) Edge of zone 8a - 8b.

Re: Mature aloe plant ONE

Post by bluetexasbonnie »

IMO, they are easy to grow. They put up with a lot of abuse. Yours - determinedly reaching for the sun - will live for quite a while (possibly years) before it just gives up and dies.

However, if you want a pretty, robust, reasonably compact, multiplying, mostly upright, well formed plant, then you will need to find it more light.
My cactus must be gods. They demand blood sacrifice.
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Saxicola
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Re: Mature aloe plant ONE

Post by Saxicola »

Spotcold2 wrote:.... I was told aloe plants where easy to grow. Lol u make it should very complex. The window I have it in front of gets sun all day.
Put it outside. Water it only if it hasn't rained for a few weeks. Bring it in when frost threatens in the winter. What is hard about that? :)

The only tricky thing is that you have to slowly adjust it to direct sun. Think of it like a very white skin person living in Minnesota. At the end of the winter they are pale as can be and if they went to somewhere like Florida and layed out on the beach all day they would burn badly. Let that same person get a little bit of sun each day and over several weeks they will develop enough of a tan that they could go to that same beach and be just fine. Plants work the same way.

I think the biggest problem you are having is you don't understand how light works with plants (most people don't). The problem is humans are very good at adjusting to whatever light level we are in so that it can be hard for us to tell high light from low light. So while it seems bright in your window, the plant knows better. Growing where you are is essentially starving the plant and the results you are getting are very weak anemic growth. The plant may live on indefinitely like that, and if you are happy with that so be it. It is your plant, so do what makes you happy. What we are suggesting is a way to help the plant reach its potential and become an impressive specimen.
I'm now selling plants on Ebay. Check it out! Kyle's Plants
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Saxicola
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Re: Mature aloe plant ONE

Post by Saxicola »

I just realized that in my first post I thought you were in Texas but it was Bonnie. Depending on where you live things could be a little different, but the basic rule still applies that if you want the best growth possible on your plant put it outside for the months where freezing temps are not a problem.
I'm now selling plants on Ebay. Check it out! Kyle's Plants
Spotcold2
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Re: Mature aloe plant ONE

Post by Spotcold2 »

Ok tx
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