When I told you the plant will let you know when to plant it, mine told me by putting out pink roots that looked like a barber's brush. When I asked how to do this, I was told to lay it down on the bench and you will know. That all that I was told. Sure enough when I saw all those roots I knew exactly what to do. I was told it also goes by the name of 'Candleabra'(spelling) tree. My two plants do look different than the one shown in the picture with the single stem, the leaves on mine don't seem to be as long as the picture shown. They are growing in filtered Western sun light in large containers. I have seen a 15 ft tree of these and no way do I want mine to grow that large. No way will I cut mine either. Norma

They say A picture paints a 1000 words, well let's see, here's a picture of my Plic that is bent over on some leafs and also feel very lifeless. Not enough light could be the problem but its not sitting in the dark either. But I appreciative any and all suggestions then I can narrow it down. I've had this plant for around three years it has bloomed for me last year and has been healthy but when I noticed this post I took a look at mine and thought, emmm looks like It's wilted. Greg

Re: flowering of plants, in general, based on my observations - the right conditions, whatever that may be, seem to be an important factor in flower initiation, not so much in flower development. You can take a flower stalk, stick it in a vase, and in the short term the flowers will still be vibrant and continue to unfurl despite no photosynthesis. With living plants, it's probably the same thing. Warmth, light, water, humidity, photoperiod, etc. have to be suitable to stimulate the hormones needed for bud formation. Once all that is set, plants start putting resources into this metabolically expensive period. Succulents, more so than other plants, are exceptionally capable of utilizing reserve nutrients - this means that new photosynthate is not a priority. But once the process has started, it will continue to completion unless there are sudden changes in conditions. Quickly moving a plant into a new environment can result in flower abortion. We've all seen this. I'm not convinced that light is important - I think temperature changes may be a bigger negative stimulant. Take a look at flowering bulbs - all the nutrition is ready to go to form the flowers, when the time is right. No light is needed at all. This is an extreme example but still falls in line with the rest of the Plant Kingdom. Growth --> nutrient storage --> suitable environment --> flowers. I've had Aloes and other plants that started flower stalk formation outdoors during cool conditions. I bring them into the garage where it is still cool but there is minimal light, and guess what, the flowers still form. Photosynthesis is probably not a requirement. The hormones and nutrients continue to flow through the plant juices, despite lack of new glucose. The moral of my story is that I have not seen enough evidence to state definitively that strong light is needed during the entire blooming period. I believe it is most important immediately prior to blooming, when the flower buds are initiating. As the buds grow, swell and open, light is not so important. Some flowers won't open unless the sun is strong, but that's a function of attracting pollinators on a sunny day, nothing related to growth and metabolism. So...Tom - maybe you should have left your Aloe in the cool environment? The warmth may have been detrimental to the blooming. I still hold that Aloe plicatilis flowers are not worth the extra effort. Personally, based on my ramblings, I find it more impressive that you even got to the point of flowers, than having them open. x

That sounds like an excellent plan. Yes, and rocks are your friend there, but then again, the stem's eminently ready for being somewhat tightly staked, isn't it? There may be some truth to the folk wisdom concerning pronouncing 'plicatilis' in a Donald Duck voice aiding the rooting process. If I may be so forward, can you spare a cutting for a brother? I'll be in AZ in December and would pay shipping costs gladly. I'd love to grow this one again.