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lizs4

Aloe troubles, probably root rot but trying to figure out why...

lizs4
8 years ago

I adopted a severely rootbound aloe plant a little over a year ago, split it in two, and repotted both into their own pots, each larger than the original (the pot - plant ratio was INSANE). After that, the plants went nuts, pushed out a ton of suckers from their very long stems, and looked fabulous. Since then, I have been "harvesting" the suckers once they reach a certain size, and planting them.

It's unfortunate that I have such a space-dependent hobby, as I have been unable to move out of my parents' house for a few years now.....In any case, most of my plants have had to deal with being smooshed in a small basement space since October or so, surrounded by plastic and under a grow lamp. For most of this time I've been battling aphids with organic insecticide, horticultural oil and Safer soap, and I've been fertilizing every so often with Fox Farm's "Grow Big", since it seemed to be a safe choice for all of my plants.

I had no issue with my aloes going from their original owner's house (cool, dim and dry due to rootbound-ness) to the deck at my house - - - the only mistake I made was leaving them in the blazing sun on the first day. Once they turned grey, I put them under the shade cloth - whoops!

My mother didn't want any of my plants on the deck again this summer, and luckily I found out I'll be moving to Milwaukee with my fiancee soon, so I can take my favorite plants with me. Unfortunately, AFTER hearing about my move, my mother decided to take it upon herself to move all of my plants from the cool dry basement, out into the very humid, sunny Maryland summer. Also my backyard borders on a forest...bugs, hurray!

This is where things got bad. My aloes, after 1 DAY, were EXTREMELY displeased. The center leaves on both have lost their healthy, vivid green color, and have become washed-out looking. The leaves are no longer firm and strong, but limp and squishy. There are brown lesion-like spots on several leaves. This is root rot, right?

I'm assuming it was the sudden switch to heat and high humidity, the plant went into shock and went dormant, stopped drinking and started rotting? The soil for both was fairly dry, though I can't speak for any watering my mother may have taken it upon herself to do...

Any input or similar experiences welcome!

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