Hi Anne, Funny abt Marietta, OH, I hadn't heard that. I'd put feedback at that Seller, but that's just me & I don't use EBay at all or even shop online. FYI: to anyone for whom this is not obvious: Anyone transacting in Aloes or other fleshy leafed succulent who is shipping their plants wrapped in wet paper toweling & Plastic Wrap doesn't know their A** from their elbow & I would stay well away. That'd be the fastest way to ensure the recipient would receive a pile of wet & rotting MUSH that I can think off. Proof the Seller has absolutely no clue! How anyone dealing in succulents doesn't know that it's best to ship DRY, bare root, rolled up in newsprint DRY & open to air (no plastic wrap or sealing-in type materials) is beyond me! Anne, I completely understand your confidence in the Seller being shaken when you opened the box -- I'd go back & tell them so, on the off chance they don't know better - yikes. From here, it looks like a nice plant to me! I hope it recovers well.

Thanks for the tip. The adjacent nursery said their yard was warmer than their other growing grounds they had....lows "27/28/29 every now and then but I do not recall our dipping much below that (even in the historic lows about 7-8 years ago)." Small world, I had asked you about frost hardiness of A. cameronii on Daves Garden mail. You had said mid-twenties would cause damage. Thanks Palmbob!! Nate

Hi Eileen, Thanks for asking! My aloe plant is doing much better now in terms of hydration. Following the advice of hoovb, I changed the mix, put the plant outside for the summer in a wider pot, and kept careful watch. It seemed to stop declining, which was a relief. The leaves didn't really start to improve till I decided to submerge the entire planter when watering (for about 10 minutes each time), rather than pouring from the top. Around July last year — discovering that the roots were still mostly way too dried out — I repotted again with roughly 30% cactus soil mixed in with 70% grittier stuff (including pumice and bark), and put in a thicker cotton wick. I watered differently afterward, mostly from the top again, since the soil was different. Since then, the leaves have plumped back up. (Some of what I did went against instinct, but I tried to observe how my plant was reacting.) See attached photo of how the aloe is now — not as thirsty, though suffering from lack of light (a combo of winter and surrounding buildings, even though I use a grow light; btw, it doesn't live in that spot). I hope to correct that now that the season is changing, and it can go back on the balcony. It has a way to go toward full health. I credit hoovb's advice for setting my plant on the road to recovery, so those are good instructions to follow, especially regarding observing your plant closely and adjusting where needed. I hope the your aloe gets better soon as well! Please post how it goes. Good luck! jc

Jeff It seems to me that I am the only one against the misting. But I have to make myself clear: I believe many (not all!!!) ppl just assume that they should mist the plant. Misting the soil should be np, but I still rather put them in gritty mix, in container with drainage hole and water if and when needed. I don't need to worry about not wetting the plant, about overwatering, and drainage. I won't say that everything always survives, but success rate is quite high. Many don't care about gritty mix; I love it. I can take a hose and water them all outdoors. It can rain and I don't have to take them inside (obviously, not a torrential rain that lasts for days and days - but we don't get that kind of rain; and obviously - not hailstorm...) I like to make it simple and found gritty to be very simple. Much simpler than hoping to find a bag of 'good soil'. Buying ingredients in bulk is very economical too and I would bet that this 'custom' mix is much less costly than bagged soil. I know that it isn't possible for everyone, especially if no storage - and/or car - is available. I was, perhaps, bit obsessed ('anal'?) at first, trying to find the right bark...measure exactly...I can go on. Don't do it any more, buy ingredients maybe 2x/year in bulk. I have many other plants - won't bore anybody with naming them, there is close to 100, and many are going into grittier mix when needed to repot. I use some soil for those plants, but no more than 50% and often much less. And yes, I use chicken grit for those too.