Aloe Vera Replant Problem with Pictures (sorry about first post)

13 years ago

I have a huge aloe vera, which I'd been keeping in a square pot with a rounded rim. It had 3 babies this year. Spring came and I thought it'd be a good time to separate the babies and repot the large aloe vera, since the weight of it was tilting it and I'm always afraid the plant is going to fall over.

I'd been planting other flowers and such and this might be my mistake - I planted the babies in the peat moss+tiny bit of lime mixture soil I had. Also when I repotted the adult plant, I used some of this mixture, as well as putting the plant into a regular round pot.

My problems are:

* The adult plants lower spikes leaning against the pot are not looking good - does it not like laying against the sharper rim?

* Both adult and babies look terrible! What were healthy plants two weeks ago look awful. The babies are all wilty and discolored. The adult plant is losing a lot of the hardness in its spikes - even the big ones. I'm afraid I'm going to lose it if I don't fix it soon.

The adult plant is still inside but the babies are outside in the morning sun.

Here are some pictures so you can see my problems:

Here's the adult. The inside looks ok right now...

{{gwi:546458}}

But when I let go of the spike, there's no lift. It wilts and droops. Before replanting, it was nice and firm and all spikes stood out and up strongly (btw the tilt is just because it's so heavy; I've not been able to get it to sit centered...it seems to like to tilt to one side):

{{gwi:546459}}

The babies:

{{gwi:546460}}

On closer look you can see that each one has had die-back of the entire spike.

{{gwi:546461}}

This one has what looks like a strong spike but when you gently squeeze it, it's not firm - you can tell it's starting to go soft.

{{gwi:546462}}

I have the babies in the shade outside (they're getting a bit of morning sun). I just put the adult outside today. The soil is somewhat moist. Maybe I watered it too much after I repotted; I usually don't give too much water because they do better on the drier side.

If you suspect it's my soil and I'd better do something now, is it safe to repot with just some of our outside ground soil? We have a bunch of topsoil here (we're digging a project) and our soil is on the acidic side. Or should I just wait on it, does the adult look ok enough to wait longer?

I'm afraid to touch the babies (repot) because there's not much left to them.

Featured Answer

norma_2006

13 years ago

After you repot a plant it takes time for it to recover. I would worry about the stock plant it will make new ones when it is healthy. They needs time to settle in just like we do when we move, or the kids change schools, give it a break to recover, if temps are below 55F then I would keep it protected. Some Aloe can take colder temps. then others it depends on the species, or if it is in a draft, it will need plenty of sun. Make sure it is watered thorougly when you do water. Put a chop stick down in the pot to measure moisture to see if is getting to where it should. Often I would water a plant, and it went down the sides and out the bottom, especially we are being careful not to rot it. Norma

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Comments (8)

bunnygurl
13 years ago
The babies look pretty much totally rotted to me. The soil looks and sounds wrong, and the pots look WAY too huge.

As far as the adult goes, same thing about the soil, and I don't think your topsoil will be much better. They need something with immaculate drainage.

There are other people on here who are much more knowledgable than I am about these plants, so hopefully they'll chime in and help you out.

Good luck.
gankaku
Original Author
13 years ago
OK thank you I'll wait until others respond.

The only other original soil I'd have used (earlier repotting) would have been Miracle Grow potting soil. This time it was different (all I had, like I said, was a peat moss mix).

I'm guessing too this is my soil but I'd really like to save the adult and will get whatever type of soil I need to do so. It's been such a lovely plant until now.
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When Hurrican Rita hitting us was a definite and the whole city was evacuating (for no reason at all apparently) I put my aloe (in soil) in a closed garage. That was in September 05. Oops, I sort of forgot about it -- until March of 06. I swear to you, it was pitiful. I brought it out, gave it a drink and left it alone to see if it would come back. Guess what. A year later and the thing is 16" tall with a diameter across the top of about the same, and it just finished flowering. They can withstand a LONG drought! ;0) As for soil, the stuff you have is junk by itself. It is loaded with peat which becomes hydrophobic when left to dry between waterings. I would only use it for about a quarter of my mix. Get some landscapers mix which is pine bark well decomposed (but still piecy, if that makes sense), and some grit of some kind. I use this stuff called OilDri which I get from Sam's for about $4.84 for a 25# bag. It is med-high fired clay and will hold it's structure for up to a year or more (that I know of). I also use decomposed granite or chicken grit. The feed stores sale it as Chicken Grit, but Home Depot sales decomposed granite as well - I think it was $3 something for a pretty good sized bag. You can also use unpainted fish tank gravel. I personally am getting ready to repot all of mine again without any peat. I am using coir instead. I bought it in the form of Bed a Beast at Petsmart in the lizard/iguana section for $5.99 for a block when hydrated makes 7 liters. I am going to mix 1 part coir, 1 part landscapers mix, 1 part OilDri, and 1 part decomposed granite. This makes it about 50% grit and very free draining-- good for where I am as constant rain is a high probability during the summer. I don't like perlite as it floats to the top. A lot of people like it because it is lighter than the stuff I've listed above, but other than my huge aloe and stuff in situ, my pots are only 3" to 8" so it's a non-issue. If your roots aren't white that is okay. A lot of succulents' roots turn a reddish tan color as they mature. As long as they are not mushy and/or dark brown, you should be good to go. Don't wait too long to pot up though. It can handle it, but why stress it. Happy gardening.
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Karen it was stated that it is an Aloe Vera, they grow in Africa in hot dry climates, storing water in their leaves. They wait for the yearly rainfall to store water again. If they live in a fog belt they will benefit from the CAM theory. taking in moisture at night. With New Yorks humidity it should be kept very dry and grown in a clay pot with fast draining coarse soil. NO PEAT MOSS. Karen sorry I don't agree with you. They still come from Africa and not from Wal Mart. Came originally from No. Africa and Arabia, but now are bing grown in other countries that have warm winters. Must not have Temps below 32% or live under protection of other trees and shrubs. Go with the directions of more light. They are accurate. If the drooping leaves bother you cut them off as soon as it warms up where you live. Not now, those dead leaves will protect the plant from the cold. Now if you lived here, I would trim all the leaves off that were going down. Get a new pot with proper soil, cut off the head of the plant let dry and just set on top of the soil to reroot. During the begining of the hot summer. Norma
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I'm not convinced that you have an Aloe vera. That stem makes me think it may be another Aloe, or maybe it just needs more sun. Nevertheless, the advice is the same. Better draining soil and more light, just like Woodnative said. Light may be a problem in Ireland in the winter. A south facing window would be good. Just find the sunniest location you can. Search on here for gritty mix. You will find many threads on this mix and your Aloe will thank you. Regular potting soil holds too much water and the roots will rot. At least add 50 percent perlite to the mix. This is an Aloe vera that I was repotting at a year old. You can see all the roots and lack of stem. Good luck! I'm sure you can save her and any future pups.
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paracelsus
13 years ago
Bunnygirl is right on the mark. When transplanting any succulent, let the roots/cut stem dry in the air for a few days so that any small injuries harden to prevent fungal infection. Plant in dry soil and do not "water in". Soil should be at least 50% inorganic materials like pumice, perlite, gravel, etc. Do not use sand. Peat retains too much water and should be avoided like the plague! Commercial potting mixes (including those labeled Cactus and Succulent) have too much peat. My basic mix is about 75% pumice.

It looks like they are all are infected by fungus, and will certainly die without intervention. The translucent color is a very bad sign. Pull them up immediately and inspect the roots and lower stem. If they are falling apart, and the stem is dark and soft, the only cure is to cut the stem above the rot. This may not be possible for the pups, as I suspect the leaves will fall off the stem leaving nothing to grow, but the parent plant may still be salvageable. After transecting the stem above the rot, let it dry out in the air for three days or more to callous. Then place in DRY soil.

You may need to prop up the plant. Do not water until the plant has started to grow new roots, this will take some time (weeks). During this time, water in the lower leaves will be resorbed by the plant. This is natural. Succulents usually have sufficient water reserves to last for months without any water at all. When you see signs of new growth, start watering. Let the soil dry out completely between watering. There is no proper schedule, everything depends too much on your local conditions (heat/humidity/season/latitude/soil composition/etc). The basic rule is: If in Doubt, Don't! This axiom is true for any action, watering, transplanting, fertilizing, etc. Succulents thrive on neglect. The ideal cultural practice is called Benign Neglect.

In your case, there is no doubt that intervention is necessary to save your plants. For more aloe care advice, read the Aloe FAQ page here on the site. Good luck!

Brad
paracelsus
13 years ago
You have posted photos that are too big for many monitors, stretching the page enough to require scrolling back and forth. 800 X 600 pixels is about as large as needed for web display. If you have several images, use thumbnail links to larger versions to allow faster page loading.
gankaku
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you for that information. I'll get started on your solution right away. Thank you.
bestwicklesscandles
13 years ago
Great info, helpful for my plants

Here is a link that might be useful: BestWicklessCandles
cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
13 years ago
BWC,

You're a spammer, and you just registered - bad move.

Aloe Vera Replant Problem with Pictures (sorry about first post)

norma_2006

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Aloe Vera Replant Problem with Pictures (sorry about first post)

norma_2006

Comments (8)

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