Change the soil, cut off all dead roots, use the right soil mix. water and fertilize once a week if the plant has live roots. Make sure it has plenty of fresh air, sun. Sun is needed to grow well. Don't let it sit in water, and don't water if the soil is still damp. Put a chop stick or pencil down in to the mix and see if it is perfectly dry. Pick up the pot and feel the weight, then feel the weight after it is watered. When you water make sure it is thorough. Water must readh the root ball. Give it love, make sure it is healthy. Do not use Peat moss in the soil, make sure the mix drains fast. If this doesn't work bury it and say a prayer. It bends over to reach the sun. Gradually put it into the sun, if you were going to the beach now when it is hot and sun out, wouuld you get a sun burn if you were out for a few hours? Don't just give you plant a drink, put it in the shower and drench it for 5 minutes, the water must reach the center of the root ball not just the edges around the pot. I don't know what more to tell you at at moment. I don't have any books to send, which you do need. I wish I could be of more help. Norma

Growing an Aloe Vera (or most other Aloe species - there are more than 300 of them!) is not a difficult matter, if a few basic rules are followed: If grown in a pot, allow the root ball plenty of room to grow; aloes are voracious growers, and having space to do so is necessary. When you repot, allow a growing area three to five times the size of the root ball. Use a well-draining soil. The number of soils A. vera will grow in is quite large, but a basic cactus mix available at home improvement centers is quite suitable. You may wish to experiment with other soils, but one thing it needs is to be well draining, so even a home-made concoction of 1/3 sand, 1/3 soil, and 1/3 pumice/gravel is better than straight potting soil. Aloes don't like to be cold and they don't like wet feet. Pot up your aloe in soil up to the root ball. Use top dressing (gravel/pebbles) on top of the soil to give it a finished look, hold down the dirt, and reduce evaporation. Do not water a newly repotted aloe for a few days. This gives it a chance to get used to its new home, as well as allowing time for any roots that have broken to seal themselves. After a few days, a light watering, perhaps with some B-1 in the water, is recommended. Most aloes grow vegetatively from April to October so water regularly with that in mind. The rest of the year, watering twice a month is sufficient. Water when the soil is dry - rainwater is the best - so that may mean twice a month, or once a week, or some combination thereof. Aloes are very forgiving and they can go a long time without water, but they grow best with it. If in doubt about watering, don't water. Don't forget - they shouldn't be cold and wet. Some aloes will withstand a freeze, but many will turn to mush. No one wants a mushy aloe! Fertilize from April through Septrember, twice a month, with a low-nitrogen fertilizer, heavily diluted. You can try Miracle-Gro 15-30-15, diluted to about 1 to 5. Many aloes produce 'pups'. When the pup is fully formed, detach it from the mother plant, let it callus over for a few days in a cool, dry area, and pot it up. If it has roots, pot as you would a regular aloe, allowing for the fact that it is smaller and should be in a suitably sized pot for its size. If it has no roots, let it callus over, place the cut/broken end ON the soil, and support it with top dressing. DO NOT WATER IT-it has no roots, so watering the soil will likely cause rot. Instead, mist it every few days. Roots should start forming within a month. When growth is evident, it can be watered. Aloe vera flowers are yellow, but others flower in hues of pink/red/orange/white/gray. They start as a spike that gradually gets larger and finally opens, lasting a long time. Aloe flowers are beacons for hummingbirds, so be prepared to be buzzed by these lovely creatures if you are amongst your aloes when they are flowering. For more information, seek out fellow succulent plant people, join your local/national society, and take advantage of the advice and experience they are able to offer. Stop by our Cacti and Succulents forum for tips and friendly conversation. Lastly, these are not ironclad rules. What works for others may not work for you. Experiment a little if you think that's what is needed as your growing conditions are likely different. Aloes are very adaptable creatures, within limits, of course.

I had similar accident few yrs back. Few succs got sprayed - they were quite 'spotted', but didn't die. I do not have Aloe vera. It took a while for all the leaves to get replaced by new ones...spots didn't disappear. I guess it all depends on what the sprays was (ingredients), and plants sensitivity. Your aloe looks quite red, maybe you should keep it in dappled shade for a while. Many plants could be more photosensitive if sprayed as Kara suggested. It is suggested to keep them out of sunlight while using any spray treatment - same would apply here...

Good catch, Hillary, If I'm not too late, pls do not cut anything off, you're liable to cut too much off & the plant will collapse if you cut into its crown. Looks like you got it just in time. Rina gave good advice, I was going to suggest the cinnamon too. I don't usually wash the roots, I crumble the soil off dry. But washing it here actually allowed us to see you DO have some viable roots there; seems all is NOT lost. Sprinkle the Cinnamon on the roots, then pls pick the plant up & shake off the excess. Then pot it up DRY & pls do not water it for 3-4 days at least to allow the roots to heal any injury from them being handled. Perlite will definitely work in place of pumice, don't know abt the gravel, it may be too big. After all is done, just as curiosity, wash off that netting thing & pls see if you can spread it open btwn your fingers. I think it's some kind of synthetic mesh; they don't usually degrade over time. I don't know what these nurseries are thinking; but I'd be curious to see it clean, splay out btwn your fingers. Its presence would explain why the pups are pushing up & out thru the center of the plant, instead of the regular coming out from nearby or underneath the mother plant. I recently repotted a ZZ plant plant, only to find a large piece of screen stuck to the bottom of the plant's roots. One never knows what one might find. Great save!! We look forward to updates in future.