As long as you can give them some sort of bottom heat (if you can), I think it would be OK to do it now. The suggestion might be superfluous, as you live in Z9, but more heat at this time of year would ensure better rooting.

Right now is a great time to take cuttings of A. arborescens here in SoCal. I'm not sure how much farther north you are, but if you have at least another month of warm weather before the cold rains come, you should be good.

This is a particularly forgiving species, so in reality, you could probably take cuttings any time of the year and they would do well.

Thanks Cactusmcharris and Joscience.

Joscience, I'm in the east portion of the San Joaquin Valley. It seems that we are always one month behind Southern California in the summer (Our Jacarandas flower about a month after those in the San Fernando Valley) and one month ahead in the winter, so my one month grace period is over. Also, I live in a fog-prone spot, so the same fog that saves us from plummeting temperatures, blocks out the sun for weeks on end, and our temperatures stay constant throughout the winter. There's not much fluctuation between day and night (50F to 38F). We're supposed to be getting some rain this week, and likely some fog afterwards. I guess I can start the cuttings indoors. I have a south-facing window in my garage that I can use for that.

Thanks for the input.

may I ask what you mean by "cuttings"?

I've read endless articles that say aloe can't be rooted from a leaf. So was just courious about what you are doing.

I have some aloe's I'd like to try if that is what you are doing.

Thanks,
JoJo

Jojosplants,

You're correct in that aloes can't be propagated through leaves. Aloe Arborescens is a shrubby aloe with many stems. (The name arborescens means tree-like.) It will form huge mounds up to 7 feet tall and wide or more. Im my area, they stay around 4 feet tall and wide. You can take stem cuttings, allow them to callous, and then root the stems. This works for many of the stemed aloes. I have an Aloe Pluridens that has about two feet of trunk and is branching at the base. I could take those small branches and root those. A lot of the large aloes in the trade are propagated that way (Aloe plicatilis, Aloe Thraskii, Aloe barberae, Pluridens, ciliaris...) I hope this made sense.

Hi Central cali..
Thank you! :) Now I know i'm not totally losing it. LOL!

I had done a google image search, and it looked like any other aloe in the pic I looked at, so that's why I was wondering.

If it branches, that makes perfect sense.

Thanks,
even though I can't apply it to mine, I love learning new things. :)

Good luck with it!
JoJo

I have this plant and it seems sensitive here in the San Fernando Valley, it gets black spots, that is a clue to me. When you night/morning temps don't go below 55F then take the stem cuts. Or until it is established. Mine is a variegated plant 'Gold Rush' Introduced by the Huntington Gardens. Norma

Norma, I've read that the variegated forms are more sensitive to both sun and cold. At the moment I am landscaping a new area and will be using four A. Arborescens clumps. To tell you the truth, those variegated forms are really tempting! lol. Unfortunately, they probably wouldn't like the full sun in inland central CA, and the light frosts would damage it. It's hard to say, but realistically, they wouldn't thrive here. I'm actually growing the normal blue/green kind. I spoke with Brian from the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek who said that their A. Arborescens do fine until the mid 20s, at which point they might get some damage. He said some mature clumps near buildings and in sheltered areas recovered after a severe freeze of 17F!

Can you post a picture of yours? Can everyone who has A. Arborescens post their photos? lol. I just like seeing other people's gardens and plants.

I am in Central TX. 8b and I have A. aborescens in a pot .I will be putting it out in the garden next spring. I am so interested in information of the type of hardiness of these plants. I have had good luck with A. maculata, And A greenheadii outdoors. My collection has mushroomed to include A cameronii, A speciosa, A spicata, Aloe ferox, Aloe daweii, Aloe marlothii. Aloe capitata (sp?), Aloe Broomlii, Aloe Fire Ranch, Aloe reitzi . They are all small and in pots this year, but I hope to put them out next year. My info has most of them as hardy or hardyISH. This is new territory for me and there is not anyone that I know around me that has their aloes outside here except for the maculata. I feel like I am pushing my babes into the cold hard world. I don't want to be Mommy Dearest to these babies but I am not much for "HOUSE" plants (don't have much of a house).

I love the aloes because the deer don't bother them. OH I have rooted Aloe Cameronii, A dawei, and the A. fire Ranch in the manner that they taked about but I did it in the late summer. Is Aloe reitzi a winter grower because it grew not at all during the summer. Can it take blaring sunshine. I have it in part sun now. I apologize for stepping on your thread.- mara

I don't grow this plant personally, but I believe it thrives in huge clumps along the Monterey coastline. I visited last May, and I was amazed by the color and texture and shape of the curled leaves, as well as the prolific blooms.

Josh

Mara,
I find it hard to think that those would survive long term in your zone. I am growing many of the ones you mentioned and am skeptical about them in z9 haha. Maybe you could plant them in protected, full sun locations or near buildings to keep them on the safe side. I would hate to lose such a collection though. If you have more than one of a single plant, I would experiment with one only to assure that you don't lose the two at once. Also, remember to keep them as dry as you possibly can. Cold + wet = rot. I haven't watered mine since the beginning of October. I don't know if Aloe Reitzii is a winter grower. I have two and it seems that they grow the most in spring and fall for me. You should check out dave's garden . com for some information about your aloes (or any other plant for that matter). Good luck!

Josh, yup! those are it alright. They grow all throughout the coast. There are some areas where they have naturalized along the coast.

Our winters are drier than coastal Californian winters. We normally get our rains spread out throughout the year with heavier fall and May/june rains. It can rain any time or not at all. Mostly it is zone 9. The lowest it got last year was was 26 degrees. We are also very warm with an occasional sharp swing down for three days. Our normal lows are in the 40's in December and January with a occasion arctic blast that could take us down to 19 but hasn't for several years. I am still experiencing lows in the 60's. Our rainfall can vary from 34" to 11" per year. When it is really cold it is very dry. I have studied Daves Garden , Arid lands and San Marcus growers hardiness estimates and that is why I am taking a chance. I live in the uplands of the area and drainage is almost too much. Many plants live on my land that do not reside downhill. It is also colder downhill. I have many Zone 9 plants living unprotected. I have a gorge that starts on my property that drains off the cold and deposits it 4 miles away in a friends backyard. She can be 24 degrees and I will be above freezing still. She is at 700' above sea level and I am at 1400'. I guess it is all about micro climates. I am still figuring this one out.

I hear about the popularity of Aloes in Californian landscaping and Texas seems similar in some respects but lags far behind in testing these plants out. I am only now figuring out how Californian winters and summers differ from mine and trying to make judgements about plants that would or would not work here.. I have some friends in and around California and this year I have been following their weather on Weatherunderground and comparing highs and lows with me. Yes, I am obsessive.

I do have freeze cloths. They do work wonders. I guess I am one to take chances.