Aloe - Is this normal or ????

[Guest]

Hi,

One of the first cacti/succulent we got was Aloe dichotoma about 1.5 years ago. It survived the wet LA winter quite well (record rains last year here), except it was coated in snails. [yes, ana and I neglected it, and worse, I saw them but knew so little about plants/gardening that I didn't do anything about it except tell ana about a week later.

While the lower leaves suffered quite a bit, my understanding is they die off anyway. I cut off the dying parts in the spring, and it did great. We planted it about a month ago - used quite a bit of cactus mix and pumice, so hopefully it will drain ok.

Now there is this black around the lower leaves. Is that normal, or rot or - any suggestions. Here are pics (yes it is very wet - it rained here all day - hopefully not a prelude to another wet winter),



Thanks much, Mike

[templegatejohn]

Hi Mike,

There is a disease called 'sooty mould' which usually leaves the plant with black sticky marks. Are your black areas sticky? This is usually a secondary infection which appears on the sugary droplets left after an attack of aphids (greenfly or whitefly). These pests leave a sugary substance called honeydew.

I am not sure if this is your problem, but it is a possibility. There is also the possibility of water collecting in the leaves themselves. if it were my plant I would be tempted to remove all the leaves below the main rosette.

John

[Buck Hemenway]

Mike,

As John says, it's hard to tell exactly. Could only be the plant's reaction to being chewed by snails. They tend to like the very center of the nicest leaves. The new growth looks so healthy, that I would go with John's suggestion and remove those unsightly leaves. The plant will have time to adjust to the lack of cover during the winter. To be on the safe side (so as not to spread any nasty pathogens) use a sharp knife and dip it in a 10% solution of bleach between each cut.

When you are sure that the snails are gone, (my wife says the only good snail is a dead one) then watch the upper leaves. If they start to show any of this black spotting, then you should be thinking fungus of some kind. An application of a copper based fungicide does nicely to stop "black spot" and other ramifications. Any if the aloe related genuses can be infected by various fungi during a cold wet period. The black spots will not go away, but you can stop the spread of it.

Buck

[Mike]

Thanks guys. The black is not sticky or even wet, so I am not sure what it is. It is always part of the rest of the dead light browh part. I will remove them and keep my fingers crossed. Mike