I'm in Largo in Pinellas County, Florida. I've been growing Aloe plicatilis outdoors for several years. I would bring them in the house when the temperature dropped below 50 degrees. In December I put them in a greenhouse and will probably leave them there until spring. They are a winter grower and will go dormant during the hottest part of the summer. Be careful not to overwater them during that time. I did that to one and learned a very hard lesson as the plant rotted. They're a beautiful plant and well worth the effort. Hope this helps.

As a follow up in case there are any other people out there whos Aloe suffered the same fate as mine, heres what happened next. I forgot about the plant (whoops), and it sat with only 3 roots hanging off it, the whole of one side of the root end, dry, powdery, and rotten (Incidentaly, It hadnt been watered for a while which may explain why it wasnt soggy rotten!) in the garden shed in the coldest part of the year, for 3 weeks, going more and more limp. I took a bread knife, as any other knife just didnt have the mettle to cut through the stem, and cut through it, as smoothly as I could past the rotten areas. It was then lavishly dipped in rooting hormone powder, and repotted. After it was watered and brought indoors, it took about a week or so for the leaves to start to plump up again. Its now looking in a 'normal' state, and seems to be quite happy. The end. :)

"winter grower" usually means the plant is native to SW Africa where in general summers are warm/ hot and dry with significant drops in nighttime temps, and precipitation (rain, fog, dew) usually occurs during the fall and/ or spring, depending on location. Winter temps are usually also warm, but cooler than the summer and many areas experience nightly frosts. Some plants are so adapted to this that they become strictly dormant during the warmth of the summer, so watering at this time can lead to rot. Cold winter nights and watering are usually harmless as long as the days are warm and sunny. plicatilis is found at higher elevations where it does not experience the same intense heat as the inland areas, and also experiences more moisture than inland because that's the way the rainfall patterns develop where it grows. This plant is not accustomed to hot summers. Since it is adapted to regular precipitation, it's leaves blacken quickly with inadequate watering. So in hot areas, it needs a little extra water and if possible, less intense sun & heat...BUT...too much heat, which is hard to quantify, will cause the plant to become semi-dormant and non-responsive to water, which can lead to its demise. It will be most active during the fall and spring in most parts of the US because that most closely resembles it's native land. During these seasons it can be watered regularly and should bloom in late winter/ early spring. Both of my plants bloomed this past March. x

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