Aloe plicatilis

It absolutely needs full sun. What it really needs is a change of soil. That stuff looks like its rock solid!!! This is actually a very sought after plant, and it was very lucky to come across one for free. An established cutting like that would easily sell for $20-$40 here in L.A.

This is an Aloe, one of the less common ones, I believe it's called A. Plicatilis.

You might do a search for its care & culture needs 'cause I don't know them, but am guessing like most Aloes, the best light & sun you can give it along w/ careful watering.

I'd trim off the brown tips & consider changing the mix. I assume the pot is terra cotta (if not, that would be best). That soil look rather dense, suggesting it'd be slow to drain.

Aloes needs fast drainage, so I'd use Cactus & Succulent mix w/ added pumice or perlite (abt 30%). I'd keep an eye on the brownish area at the base of the fan.

If you change the mix, pls. take a moment to trim off any dead or dried out roots & brush the roots lightly with cinnamon using a small paintbrush. This will act as an antifungal & help stave off rot while the plant resettles into fresh or new mix.

Nice find.

Thank for the quick reply. The soil is brand new, just very dry as I just transplanted it yesterday (nice high quality cactus soil) and was holding off watering until I was sure any roots that may have been damaged had dried completely. Probably the lousy cell phone camera and a bad angle makes it appear hard and dense. Here's a slightly different angle.

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It did air dry for about 4 hours before I replanted it, but I didn't trim any roots. Should I uproot it again and do so? If not, I'll go and water it thoroughly in a bit.

Yep, I'm considering myself lucky to have come into a nice cache of plants. The shining star is a 5' crassula. It was necessary to trim the outside branches to keep it's upright form. It has already bloomed twice in the last 11 months, completely covering it with blossoms.

That doesn't look like good C&S soil to me, it's lacking particle matter, should be perlite or pumice by at least 30-40%, it's not that it's hard (I can't tell from here), it's that its too heavy & dense.

Also, is that a plastic pot after all? From the style of the pot's lip, I'm assuming so, terra cotta would be better.

Pls. don't uproot it 'til you've answered ALL questions here. But pls. don't water it yet either

Where are you geographically? In Calif? Can't tell from your posts. When was the plant last watered?

Pls. don't be in such a hurry to water it, those fat, fleshy leaves can hold plenty of water for the time being.

Can you describe how the roots were, wrinkly, dry & crunchy or otherwise? Also, I'd remove the rock, unless it's propping up the plant.

The commercial C&S mix is a good starting point, but the soil needs a bunch additional drainage material (pumice or perlite). In general, a ratio of one part drainage material to one part C&S mix will do well. If you exercise some caution when watering, you can leave it in the current soil for at least a year or two. Given the plant's obvious health (good, strong new growth), it could probably withstand being unpotted/repotted again too though. So you kind of have to decide where you want to take the risk. Do you want to risk rotting it from having soggy soil as a result of too little drainage material? or do you want to risk damaging the root system and inviting rot while repotting? For what its worth, I would repot into better soil...

Also, it is best to leave the plant to callus over the cut roots for at least a day, regardless of how small the roots were. Also, be sure to always pot into dry soil, and wait at least a few days before water. Some species are much more forgiving, but if you follow these rules, you will have a much better overall success rate. If you ever cut any larger stems or roots, the rule of thumb is one *week* of drying time per inch of diameter. It may be more or less depending on your local weather.

Don't bother trimming the tips, it will just move the blackening closer towards the stem. The species just loses its old leaves in a very ugly way. It is notorious for making people think something is wrong, as most plants turn brown, not deep black as they age and drop leaves. Eventually, the whole leaf will shrivel and turn black, and you can gently pry it off the stem.

If you like the rock, leave it. It isn't hurting anything...

This really is an awesome plant. It has a huge amount of potential, especially if you can plant it in the ground.

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A true specimen of A, plicatilis at the Huntington Gardens.

Soil is comprised of aged /processed Fir Bark, lava rock, sand, pumice, redwood compost and peat moss, in that order. The bark pieces tend to lay on top, making it appear to be heavier soil.

Yes, it is a plastic pot. I confess that I had no terra cotta available when I tranplanted it, but felt it needed the new soil more than the pot. It is very fast draining soil, and dries completely in just a few days here in Sunny Laguna Beach. I can drop it into a bit larger terra cotta either now or later this summer. Almost all of my plants are in terra cotta. However, the big ones get expensive, so my false birds and the big jade are in plastic and wood, respectively.

I am in no hurry to water it, believe me. I only water my aloes and agaves every 2 weeks or so in the summer, unless it rains. And it has rained more than average this winter. My 3' aloe vera has just sent up a healthy flower stalk, and my aloe striata (in the same plastic pot I bought it in 2 years ago) is in full bloom. So I think all is well with the aloes in zone 22. So do the hummingbirds!

I did not investigate the roots in depth, but they appeared white, plump and healthy. Also up for debate....I fertilize with 1/2 strength "Cactus Plus 2-7-7" once a month (except the winter), and top dress with a little bone meal in late winter/early spring.

I cannot put it in the ground, however I could break the succulent/cacti rules and put it into a pot that appears too large. I have read already today that this aloe can handle more than the usual amount of water, so perhaps it would grow a bit larger in a larger pot? So many choices......

Whatever the decision, I'll be long dead and gone by the time it gets to look anything like that picture! What a gorgeous specimen.

Honestly, it sounds like you are pretty on top of things. The care you give your other Aloes and Agaves will suit your new Aloe very well. Given your willingness and intelligence in doing a little research, I'm sure this plant will do great for you. I will however offer a few tips.

* Avoid peat moss in all forms. That stuff is basically the product of Satan himself.

* Plastic pots are fine, as long as you remember they slow down the rate at which the soil dries. For plants outside in the sun, this can actually be a benefit. For plants grown indoors, it is often a death sentence.

* You might consider reducing the fertilizer to 1/4 the recommended strength since you have so much organic material in your mix. These plants are native to areas that have an incredibly poor soil, devoid of almost all nutrients. Offering them too much food makes for overgrown, rot and disease prone plants.

* Over sized pots can be used to approximate the free root run available to plants in the ground. However, it is much, much more difficult to control and monitor the amount of water in the soil. I personally have killed more than a couple plants over potting them and underestimating just how much water the extra soil retains. Unless you are willing to lose the plant, I wouldn't risk it.

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Another A. plicatilis at the Huntington.

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A really nice specimen at the Catalina Island Botanical Garden. Note the black leaves.

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A specimen I *should* have bought at a local nursery. Didn't really have the space at the time, so I passed on it. I really regret that!

Aloe plicatilis prefers to grow in an area that is not very hot and will tolerate light frosts. It needs water more frequently than other Aloes. If the leaf tips are blackening quickly, it means that it is not getting enough water. Mine are blooming right now.

Also an acid soil is preferred, but since you are using bark and peat moss the pH should be in the correct range but you never know in a pot.

I agree with the others, I would not use any peat moss ever with succulents.

Just my 2c about pots...to realize the benefits of improved "drainage" the clay must be unglazed. The big downside with using clay is that fine roots have a tendency to stick to the sides of the pot so when its time to transplant, bunches of root tips are torn.

x

Hi X,

Do you have a greenhouse? Since we're both in NYC & had a snowstorm last Monday I must ask pls. how are you able to have blooming Aloes now?

I've never seen A. plicatilis in bloom, any chance of pix pls?

Also note that plicatilis is summer dormant. As mentioned above it does not like high (above 90f or so) prolonged heat.