They'll grow as fast or as slow as you allow them to. If you want the plant narrower, cut the bottom-most leaves (if that's something you don't find aesthetically displeasing. A mature Aloe vera will be about 3' tall and about as wide. If you want it to grow smaller, I'd suggest getting rid of it and getting a miniature aloe. You could start over with the pup, which is fine, since you already know what the end result will be (it will get too large and you'll have to do the same thing) but you'll have the fun of growing them up (and perhaps giving the mature one to a friend who does have the space).

Laticauda, I would if it was mines and then I would probably kill it. It actually belongs to my massage therapist and I saw it while I was waiting in her office. I was just so shocked that it was so nice looking and then to see it growing like that just blew my mind! Over 5 years like that, that's the most surprising thing. I figured it would of died long before today growing like that. Crazy JeffO you are too funny. Sounds like you are a scardey cat. These friends people here are not as bad as you may think,besides they all pretty much have known me for years and know I would not grow my plants like that)

It needs well draining mix, and more light. Soft leaves are usually sign of overwatering. If that's the case, leaves will start getting very soft and almost yellowish in color. Even if your mix is dry on surface, it may be wet around the roots. Mixing lots of coarse perlite with soil may help. Light color of the leaves is because of lack of light, not water. Those new leaves are extremely thin and have almost no chlorophyll. Even new leaves should have darker green color and be rather short, with spines - just like older leaves, but small. Pls. put it in better light, but slowly - they could burn very easily now.

Hi HU...8761, Pls know that your English is just fine, no worries there at all. Sorry, but I don't know what this means: "or palp to exposed soil of the drainage hole" It's important to get ALL the old soil off the roots or the repotting won't help. I use my fingers to crumble it off dry, or use a mini-rake also dry. The small rootball also suggests you need a smaller pot. For succulents we tend to recommend smaller pots, only an in or two, larger than the rootball. And since you're new to succulents, I'd suggest clay pots, they help where folks tend to overwater. You'd better off returning to your original clay pot, the size is more appropriate. You need to remedy your soil, w/ Perlite, Pumice or similar materials, but not sand unless very COARSE. After repotting, pls DO NOT WATER a few days at least. Sorry for the blur, but I'm trying to show the roots after removing much soil, I still had more to go. The lower pic is a separate part of the plant after I cut the connection btwn the 2, but see how I got all the soil off?