1/4 strength Miracle Gro is fine for all of them.

Will you be growing the big ones in pots permanently? If so, your goal should be to limit growth before they become unwieldy.

Fertilizing depends on your plants' growth patterns. Most Aloes and many S. African succulents are hot summer dormant. I would not recommend a long-term slow release fertilizer. The problem with these is that unless your plants get consistent heavy watering for months, you may wind up with a toxic ion salt build-up in the soil. It depends on your climate - unless you have a 5-6 month Aloe growing season, you may want to avoid granular fertilizer. In hot Arizona, for example, most Aloes are probably active during a 3-4 month period in the spring and fall, while becoming "dormant" during the hot summer and cool winter. In SoCal, the environment may be more conducive to 5-6 solid growing months. Know your plants and how they grow for YOU.

Best results may be had with a balanced liquid feed given at a diluted rate in the spring and fall - for ex, Algoflash. I would do this until you figure out how your plants adapt to your conditions.

x

I personally rarely if ever fertilize my aloes or any of my succulents.. perhaps once every 3-5 years. and then only with very dilute water-soluble fertilizer. I seriously doubt doing it more often is going to help that much... but if you insists on fertilizing them I would do it when they seem to be growing the fastest (once a year max)

I have been wondering the same thing since I recently switched to the gritty mix. I look forward to Al chimng in here.

cactusmcharris- Have never, will never even consider a single product made by miracle gro, but thanks for the well thought out answer! ;)

NYC- my eventual goal for the aloe plants is to get them all in the ground but not until I buy a house, which will still probably be several years. You'll have to excuse me for a moment while I wipe the morning 'gunk' from my eyes... I swear I just read that you recommend to LIMIT their growth?!?! Again I bought the plants because of their potential (20'+ tall) and am hell-bent on getting them there! I am switching my potting mix to a gritty mix so that it CAN be frequently flushed to remove salt build up without the worry of over-watering my desert friends. Another reason for the switch is to keep my babys nice and dry through our lovely Florida rainy season (most of the Aloe are native to the arid S. Africa climate. Any peat based mix just stays too wet for too long.

Lzrddr- Are you growing in soils with organic matter or no?

Chemgardner- Amen!!! I actually sent him a personal email asking the same question. He must be really busy this time of year. If for some reason, he doesn't happen to see this thread and does reply to my email, I will post his response here as well :) That man is a genius!

cM,

You know, pointedly ignoring my advice is fine (I'm not always right all of the time), but two other commenters who are expert growers proffered advice, you made it a public point that you're waiting to hear from a third commenter. That is some lack of tact.

Hi CMouser,

Perhaps it's worth pointing out that growing them as tall as possible isn't necessarily growing them as well as possible. Something to think about.

Well Jeff, it didn't strike me that way,but OK.

CMouser: He's FAR too modest to say it, but McHarris has grown more than his share of Aloes. Having seen his collection in person, I was always awed by his beautiful & often strongly colored Aloes. It made me pay closer attention to how he cared for them.

I have used many mixers for Aloes, some soiless and some not... I do find soils with organic material tend to make them look better and less stressed, but sometimes stressed is what people like about them (nicer colors). but pirate girl's comment is right on- fast is not necessarily good... in fact, most often it is not. Plants grown slowly and 'naturally' tend to be a lot hardier and healthier and less apt to rot, get etiolated and weak, or simply croak for unknown reasons. That is not to say torture is good, either. But not giving them excessive fertilizer is not a form of torture. If you are putting plants in the ground where their roots can do whatever and go wherever they want, and your soil is pure sand or some other awful mix, THEN fertilizing regularly would be strongly recommended... but in a pot, where roots quickly 'discover' they are in a tight area and cannot do what they want to do, the roots seem to resent fertilizers and their presences seems to damage them somehow. Either way, I have grown thousands of Aloes (I currently have well over 500 species growing in pots and in the ground around my home) and I never ever fertilize them anymore, and have had excellent success with them.. I even have some plants in pure pumice and surprisingly they seem as happy as can be... I really should fertilize those ones some day.

This lack of fertilization extends to nearly all my other plants as well... exceptions are cycads and palms, which really like a lot of fertilizer (again, in pots, less is always better).

McHarris- My comment about wanting to hear from Al (the 'inventor' of my newly adopted mix,) was in NO way meant to undermine the opinions of the previous posters, or even the ones to follow. I know that there are MANY 'right' was to grow and everyone has their own system. The single reason I posted this thread is to hear ALL of them! :D

I would like to be clear, however that my goal here is to give my plants ONLY what they need and nothing more. I am not attempting to break the aloe-growing-speed or height world record, by any means. I have (semi-reluctantly) accepted the fact that I will most likey have grandchildren before I see what these monsters are fully capable of (I'm 24 years old now and have no plans for kids anytime soon!) I do, however, want them (Aloe) to continue to stay hardy, healthy, robust, and aesthetically pleasing on their trip to adulthood.

zrddr- Up until now, I have been 100% on board with the practice of never fertilizing (i realize i am using this 'F' word VERY loosely) Aloe. Likewise, up until now, I have always used soils with organic matter that provide micronutrients (copper, iron, magnesium) to the plants. I have been led to believe, and could easily be wrong, that ALL plants NEED these essential micronutrients to achieve proper cell division. With an inorganic mix, like my new one, the micronutrients are completely absent from the equation. Now, when you say that you have some plants in pure pumice, with no supplemental nutrition, (besides minuscule amounts of nitrogen in rainwater?) that are doing just fine, my head starts to hurt!! Haha! Have those plants been raised in pure pumice from seed with no feeding?

cMouser - you better be extremely careful growing most Aloes in Florida. The combination of heat and wet may do them in. I would seriously consider planting them in almost pure perlite to keep their feet as dry as possible. Does anyone else in your vicinity have Aloes that are still going strong after a few years outdoors?

I would stick with something more robust, perhaps Aloe Hercules or Aloe bainesii. Aloe thraskii might be tricky in the Florida. A ferox/ marlothii might be OK, don't know.

Knowing you are in Florida, I would recommend as little fertilizer as possible. Al's mix may even be too moisture retentive. Like I already said, pure perlite or pumice may be the way to go. Start slow, don't go crazy investing big bucks into large plants. Stick with what you already have and try it out a few seasons. Be realistic with your goals. There's a reason you don't see tree Aloes in Florida. Maybe you can create a favorable microclimate.

x

For many aloes, Florida is heaven. Aloe thraski if grown on a mound at slant, likes the humidity. In south africa , they are a seaside plant, or so I have been told. Maybe I am wrong. I have many floridian friends with aloes that I am jealous of.

I don't fertilize hardly ever, but I am fertilizing an Aloe capitata that is huge, healthy but will not bloom so I thought that I should try giving them some diluted fertilizer. It is a Gorgious plant except that it has denied me a bloom.

I fertilize my succulents fairly regularly, using a low dose of Foliage Pro 9-3-6 -
which derives none of its Nitrogen from Urea, and so helps prevent leggy, bloated growth.
Since all of my succulents are in some form of grit or gritty mix, with only bark as the
organic fraction, a steady stream of adequate nutrients makes for the healthiest plants.

Last Winter, I placed some Jade cuttings in my Ponderosa lemon container, intending to use
the Jade as a "tell" plant if the lemon tree was experiencing too much cold. The Jades
did fine, and so I left them, which meant that they were watered and fertilized on a Citrus
schedule - lots of water, lots of fertilizer (once a week). The result was very fast and
large growth of the Jade, but no fertilizer burn (which I expected at first).

I hope no one minds a few pictures. In the bottom left of the pic, you can see the sparse
Ponderosa.... and those tiny green specks are the Jade cuttings. You can see that I added
Wandering Jew to my Moro Blood orange to serve as "tell" plants in that container.
This pic was taken in January, in my cold-frame.

{{gwi:555997}}

Then, later in the Summer:

{{gwi:556000}}

One year, one month later.

{{gwi:556003}}

Re-potted the Jades and gave them to my brother:

{{gwi:556006}}

Josh

Personally I am looking forward to Al chiming in here BECAUSE his advice flies against nearly every other reputable source on succulents, which generally recommends very light and sporadic fertilizing, if any at all. But over and over in the gritty mix threads, he advocates fertilizing along with the fact that his succulents perform so well with the fertilizer.

Maybe it is something about the combination of the inorganic mix, the aeration it provides, AND the fertilizer that is the secret to the success.

It's very clear you can you healthy, successful succulents and aloes without any fertilizer or much organic matter at all, as lizard doc has demonstrated, but maybe the could be even better with some amount of fertilizer?

I don't have the knowledge or background to answer the questions I am raising by the way, but maybe somebody like Al or the Doc, or somebody else for that matter, has a theory based on some good science that might get us closer to the answer(s).

Well if Al is who you want, it may be a while.

Unless I'm mistaken June is prime repotting/potting up time for Ficus so our Uncle Al is likely to be quite the busy guy these days. Reminds me I need to drop him a note myself about something Ficus related.

I have seen MANY well established 7-10' tall Aloe vaombes here in Florida, as well as some A ferox that are well over 6'. I jave not personally seen any well established A. thraskii but it is reported to thrive in this environment. The marlothii, excesla, and rupestris all make me the most nervous as their natural habitat is the S. African desert (as well as ferox but it seems more adaptable.) The humid rainy climate of SWFL are heaven to many, but way too much to handle for many others.

I have tried several other 'gritty' mixes in the past, to cope with this wet environment that most of my favorite plants hate, all to no avail. I have tried pumice, pearlite, coco, and sand (always large sized silica sand... NO more sand, EVER!!!) I have tried mixing crushed granite, pumice, sand, and pearlite in with cactus mix. There were several other combos with all the above ingredients as well as river rock, crushed shell, crushed charcoal, and random grit. Every time I thought I had stumbled upon the 'miracle mix' (which I now believe Al's to be :o) only to find my plants suffocating (from the sand, I believe) and dying.

Everyone's input here is greatly appreciated by me. Thank you all!! I am ALWAYS intrested to hear what people are using/doing that works for them. Heck, even what doesn't work (sometime this is MORE valuable than what does work haha!) Anyways, thank you all for taking the time to read this and offer advice, opinions, and observations. KEEP 'EM COMMIN'!!!! :D

OK, if you're going to grow those (and you may already have mentioned it, but I'd say raised beds / boxes (at least 1' above the ground, which itself has been excavated and porous material put in), or a slope, would be most beneficial.

And I can't say, beyond the A. vaombe, those Aloes, even in the RSA and the southwest USA, getting to be 20' tall. If you want a tall one soon you might get an Aloe bainesii.

McHarris- I have been doing a lot of reading and research on RBs as well as this containerized growing subject. I currently rent my home, and pretty much everything I own (besides shallow rooted tropicals and such) are in containers and will probably continue to be for AT LEAST another 3 years (unfortunately) until I buy a home.

I do know it is pretty rare for these species to actually grow that tall- I just like to remind myself of the potential :) Really, my main goal for these is to just have them healthy. Big, meaty, robust, fat leaves (-yes, 4 adjectives meaning the same thing) and an overall attractive specimen is what I desire most. The height, if any I understand may or may not come with time. Now- that A. bainesii is quite litterally, an Aloe tree!! I, for whatever reason, have really been leaning towards the solitary tree Aloes (no branches or sucklings- besides many other smaller species that I also have in pots) and have not given much thought to those Aloe 'trees' (bainesii, dichomota, and many others.) I think I will start the hunt, yet again, for a small one and see what happens! Good call :D

I am in the same situation, renting, and in swfl. I have been debating paying $49 for an aloe Hercules (3 gal, about 2.5-3ft tall) that is being sold here locally. It would live in a container for me as well. I checked the tag and they are from a grower near Miami, so I'm sure they handle the heat and humidity just fine, especially with adequate drainage, ie gritty mix.

It has a single trunk and grows fast and big from what I've read. Have you checked into that one yet?

Lizard doc has some pics of his A. Hercules from some old threads you can find using google.

Aloe Hercules grows fast (for an Aloe) and I would not be surprised at all if it did well even in most of Florida. It has large leaves which can suck up the rains.

I have a Hercules and A. dichotoma that I keep outdoors all spring-summer-fall along with our rains. However, they are cool and dry during the winter indoors.

I really doubt that dichotoma or pillansii will survive long term in year-round rain. A bainesii/ barberae is worth a shot, as is 'Hercules'.

x

Agree with X - don't waste your money on A. d. or A. p. - they're either going to be extremely unhappy and then die, or just die, because Florida is extremely inhospitable to their kind.

And thanks for the reminder, X - Aloe barberae is the synonym I couldn't think of. I hope Aloe extract helps CRS.

I could be wrong here, but it is my understanding that A. hercules is a cross between A. bainesii/barberae and A. dichomota. It is also my understanding that it IS a branching tree aloe that can reach over 40'!! Either way, now I want one haha! I am also looking into A. goliath (barberae x vaombe) after stumbling upon some of the Lzrd Dr.'s pics from about a year ago. NICE plants Dr.!! Now I am YET AGAIN, far exceeding the limitations of any nurseries/greenhouses within at least a 300 mile radius of where I live. Guess I'll have to resort to ordering online and torturing them in a box while they ship from the desert somewhere :(

ChemGardner-Where did you find a hercules locally?!?! I'm In Sarasota and have had NO luck finding any decent aloe nurseries.

NYC- just to clear up, it rains like hell for about 3-4 months in the summer,(it probably averages 4-5 days/week of hard rains during that time, and the rest of the year is quite dry. In fact, we usually have drought like conditions which can spark lots of wildfires in mid-spring before the rains come.

Cmouser-
Yes, it is a cross between those two you mentioned, which is interesting because one is a summer-rain lover, the other a winter-rain lover. Again, from what I have read, Hercules should be fine, especially considering they grow them in the Miami area like I mentioned. You are right that they do branch, but that seems many years down the road, as most in containers I have seen online have one, or maybe two limbs.

From what the Dr., and others have said, the Goliath gets extremely top heavy, so the Hercules might be a better option for container culture.

Driftwood Nursery in Estero, FL (about 20mins south of Ft. Myers on US-41), has probably about 6-7 aloe Hercules and aloe ferox, all very nice size, for $49. The Hercules are just starting to show their trunk and have tons of thick leaves on top. The ferox also look good, though in my opinion the Hercules is a 'cooler' look, but I may be biased because I love the 'tree' look.

I would definitely NOT call them an aloe nursery, nor a succulent one, but they do have a decent selection. If you also stop by Riverland Nursery, right off I-75, (so its on the way), it would make it worth the 1.5-2hr drive.

I am actually planning on heading your way for tropiflora's annual 'inventory clear-out sale on June 29th. I have never been and have heard good things.

ChemGardner- All the Tropiflora people know me by name now haha. They have an extremely extensive collection of rare bromeliads, tillandsias, and pretty much a little bit of everything else. Ray, the succulent guy is quite knowledgable in his craft and I have had the pleasure of picking his brain on many occasions :) Besides A. vaombe and the very last tiny little A. ferox that Ray helped me find, there is sadly, no tree aloe selection. The 4' vaombes I spoke of earlier were actually bought at Tropi's annual spring sale 2 years ago for $1 a piece!! They were only about 8" tall at that time but they grew FAST!! Needless to say, it is well worth it to make the trip for ANY sale they have, especially the clear-out sales. I will definitely be setting money aside and making a trip down south in the very near future! $50 is WAY more than I have ever payed for a plant (even some big daddy orchids) but as they say, size matters! ;) Good call on the goliath, I may have to put him on the backburner 'til i buy a house. Great info. Thank you!!!

Okay so after calling every source imanigable, including Scott's headquarters and every single FL distibuter on their list, I have had no success in finding 'Micromax' that Tapla raves about in any quantity less than a 50lb bag for $90! I have given up the hunt and have setteled on an exceptional second (I think...) It's called 'Essential Minor Elements' in granual form and is made by Southern Ag. It contains all the trace elements I was looking for, besides CALCIUM >:( as well as excluding N P K.

So my question now is about gypsum. I want to supplement the lack of Ca that the EME provides, but want to keep the ratios consistent with eachother. The only place I have found gypsum has it in grannual form but I'm worried it will still wash out much faster (worried the powder might flush even FASTER) than the EME. Is it really recommended to mix in with the soil as well as the EME and how often should it be re-applied? I should mention that my FP 9-3-6 is in the mail and should be here soon. I just really want to limit the use of the FP (due to the presence of N) on just my Aloes. I still want the Aloes to have access to the micronutrients from the EME and gypsum when they get watered from the rain. Any advise?

^^
OH!! I should also mention that after about a week of trying to track down the essential ingredients to the 'gritty mix,' I have successfully made my first batch today, and it looks like the mix of the Lord!!! :D I am eagirly awaiting to hear what I should do about these nutrients so I can get my aloes to Heaven! :D

cM,

I think you're overthinking it - the KIS principle is in effect here for 99% of Aloes, including all of the ones you list. It's unnecessary and deleterious to your pocketbook, as well. However, if you want to get the best mix possible, and you're willing to get whatever ingredients the Aloes grow in best, let me spend your money and get a 100 lb. sack of #3/#4 pumice and use as a 70/30 or 80/20 mix with screened potting soil. You might even want to raise the ratio if you feel it's not draining well enough. Aloes don't grow in complicated mixes - why we complicate things we don't have to is beyond my ken, but I'm not so savvy sometimes.

If you want to get some great Aloes and support a fine cause, I'd suggest looking at The Institute for Aloe Studies.

Here is a link that might be useful: IAS

Mc- That is quite the Institute! It is amazing what species they offer for so CHEAP!! I will definitely be making some orders soon :) But, like I said before, I have tried many different mixes with pumice and have had no success. The science behind the 1:1:1 mix and the nutrition regimen hits a note that resonates do deeply inside me that I feel almost obligated to succumb to its will...

I BEGGING for answers about this gypsum and 'Essential Minor Elements!!' PLEASE HELP!!