Unfortunately, spiral aloe doesn't make pups. They have to be started from seed.

Thanks for your kind comment, Jeffrey. Keith (Caudex) also lives in the SF bay area, has more polyphyllas than I, and 'grows the heck out of them'. The main cause of death in cultivation is heat death of roots in the summer. They will not take more than 90F, which is easily reached in pots baking in the sun, even when the ambient temp. is much lower. Plants in the ground are better protected. Using a very airy potting mix is important. In the summer, protect pots from direct sunlight. Tip pots on their side during winter rains to prevent crown rot. The best advice on cultivation of this plant is found at Alan Beverly's Ecotree Nursery website, linked below. Read everything, it is very important that you understand this plant's native conditions, and how to accomodate it's special needs. Although we are not 7500' elevation, temperatures in the Bay area seem to be about right for this species. Raised beds work best. Aloe polyphylla Care and Cultivation My bed was constructed in 2003 with Aloe polyphylla in mind. I wanted to replicate natural conditions with an airy granite space for roots. I planted two polyphyllas from deep 5-gallon containers. The bed is about 30-inches deep, with the top foot above ground level. The bottom foot is 3/4-inch granite drain rock, and the next six inches is 1/4-inch pea gravel, and the top foot is Lyngso potting mix. This arrangement works very well, taking all of our wet winter rainfall, and drying quickly. The pair of polyphyllas are very happy, and have bloomed twice, in 2007 and 2008. They took a break last year, and this winter may have been too warm; I don't see any inflorescences developing. I have three smaller cloned plants (about 1-foot diameter in 5-gallon pots) that I am going to plant in a new bed this Spring. My plants in 2008: Brad

Thank you for all the great feedback. My primary worry has shifted from temperature to root rot. But I guess there isn't a whole lot I can do about drainage until I re-pot or get another one to practice on. I'm hoping by refraining from watering until a moisture meter reads dry at the middle of the pot will help it from drowning. I just have to hope that the wetness before it begins to dry out isn't too much for the plant. If it does do well, then that is good news and means the roots can handle high moisture levels for 2-3 days. @Stush I don't have any good ground spots with the right lighting conditions to bury it. Plus I wanted to try moving it to a full sun position when winter nears. @wanto I'm a nut when it comes to growing things that shouldn't be grown in my local environment. I tried to think about everything that could logically help the plant without needing daily attention. I will definitely come back in later months with updates. This forum was my primary source for ideas, supplemented by the expert knowledge of the head propagator at UC Berkeley botanical gardens. @david I was thinking about moving it to a full sun position when winter and rain come. But I will keep it very tilted to avoid the crown rot I see reported on the forums.

The two in the ground and 3 younger ones now in 15g pots waiting for new beds to be constructed are doing just fine, Jeffrey. I bought the new ones for $15 each two years ago at the SFSCS show when they were in 5g pots. Xanthoria, if you mean UC Berkely horticuture, they are growing them from seed, and are worth more than the tissue culture variety. Better genetics, hybrid vigor, etc. The tissue culture plants seem to pup at very young ages. This is NOT normal species behavior. There are folks buying the tissue culture plants inexpensively, and selling them for a hefty profit on EBAY at the pre-tissue culture prices. Buyer beware! d-r, $395!!! wow. A big mature plant is certainly worth a pretty penny or two, but 39,500 of them, I dunno. I paid $90 each for the pair in the ground back in 2002 when they were in 7 gallon deep pots. It was a bit of a gamble then since everyone was telling me they would not last very long. I didn't tell the plants, and they seem perfectly happy with their home. ;) Left and Right spirals: They looked like this a couple of years ago. They were lazy this year, no blooms, no seed: Brad