I have two aloes (an A. vera and an A. saponaria) which I acquired when I lived in Arizona, and now have in Minnesota. Both flowered endlessly in Arizona, but have not yet here. They both produce pups fairly freely, but I've been trying to analyze the flowering issue. First, aloes are winter bloomers in the desert. I can't say from experience what they do in native habitat in Africa, but in Phoenix they flower from roughly December to March, when the temperature range is 30s or 40s to 60s or 70s. You might say, if the're inside during the winter in a colder climate, it's in the 60s or 70s, so why don't they flower? It presumably has to do with light levels, which are still high in the desert in winter but really low in zones 6 and colder at that time of year. It may also be that the trajectory of temperatures is necessary for flowering. Another issue is, as some others have noted, it is tricky to get an aloe used to sun again after being inside during the winter. I have to endlessly move around my winter-growing plants in early summer to get them acclimated without being sunburned. This year we had a late spring up north, and my aloes are still not up to full sun yet. I have the feeling that by the time I get them worked up to sun, there's not enough time left in the summer, or not enough light overall. Maybe some of our southern plains folks can give more information about how they work aloes up to sun again and then flower. My Haworthias and Gasterias bloom no problem, but in three years I haven't had an aloe flower yet. This is why I think the advice from Californians is not wrong, but not particularly relevant to regions where plants have to go in for the winter. I think they if they are winter growers, they get set waaaaay back by being inside for the winter, even if they are under lights (as mine are). This issue just doesn't exist in the desert, as I have learned moving from AZ to MN. By the way, Aloe vera produced pups like crazy. It is quite possible that they make so many you can't give them all away; I eventually told myself that I can't keep every baby, and some have to go in the compost pile.

I know very little about plants but am learning as I go. I am especially new at nomenclature. I had an "aloe vera" bought at some store or other-bright green with spots. I had it a couple of years and it got very big with my care and had many pups that I cut off and gave away several times. When it was about two feet tall (not counting the bloom)it lost its spots and became less bright green and started to bloom every late winter with yellow flowers. It still had many, many pups. Maybe the confusion is just that the plant is differant colors depending on light and/or age. Lots of pictures of the same kind of succulent are all different colors, same plant, depending on light and heat and culture etc. Too bad mine was over balanced in its pot and did a suicide leap off the desk. Now I am back to one little 3 in. pup, bright green with spots, that isn't getting much light under a plant light in the basement. I am inspired now to bring it up into the light...where it will get huge again... and less green and..... I will post a picture on the gallery page. I know how to do that, I think.

Those are some great looking plants randy. This is a very old post. Since then, my big aloe plant got worse and worse. It started losing leaves, and the black spots have spread everywhere except for the pups and a few leaves in the middle. I watered very little, much less than I used to, which was only once a week... Unfortunately that did not help and I was forced to get rid of the plant, and I planted a new one from a pup I had left. This new plant is growing extremely slowly, it's very frail and pale. The leaves are very thin and look like they are half dried out or even dead. Only a few leaves in the middle are nice and healthy. I am only watering a little bit once in every two weeks since it's the winter, but there is just no positive change. Well at least the plant is not dying. It's just sort of staying in this miserable state without any change for better or worse.

Yep, I'm same way as malfleur, burning sensation and rash. Yuck. That's with just an aloe lotion, I'm afraid to even get close to the real stuff.