an update of the flower's progress:(not a very good photo) in a week or so i may see the first flower!btw the plant seems to be a kind of striatula hybrid;it has most of striatula's characteristics...... but it lacks the striped stem sheaths....(*sigh*) Somewhat irrelevant to the subject, i visited my local flower,indoor/outdoor plant show where i bought a nice specimen of the common aloe variegata but it was unique among the 30 something plants they had;look what ive got: (evil laugh)

Thank you for your response.I've been comparing pics online to see the different varieties.I have aloe vera plants and use it for burns and insect bites.I also just put it on my skin cause I know it helps.I've been reading the book Aloe isn't medicine and yet it cures by Father Romano Zago and his recipe calls for the arborescens.

Tell us how you water, how often, and how you tell when it's time to water. Maybe scrape some of the soil surface away same give us a good pic of the soil. One of my plants has soil that looks like it's full of bark and perlite, but right beneath that is regular old water retentive potting soil.

Remember, aloe Vera is a desert plant. Here in the desert (I'm from Phoenix AZ), we get very little rain, have hard rocky/sandy soil, lots of sunlight and harsh heat. We never have put our aloe in potting soil and don't water it every few days (more like once every week, or every other week) and it thrives, almost like a weed. It's a succulent plant, here they are used to long periods without water. But at home you first need a pot that drains well, when the water sits in a succulent plant than it could kill the plant (or just make it sick). Second you want to make sure that you soak the soil (no spray bottles), that will tell the plant it's time to get as much water as it can because the droughts could be coming. Then let the soil dry completely and wait another day or even a few days. Aloe is nice because it has so many health benefits and you really don't have to do a whole lot to care for it. Make sure it gets plenty of sunshine, but if you have nights that freeze it's best to bring it in. Make sure you have the right potting soil mix (which you can buy a cactus mix at home depot or Lowes). This is just one spot in our yard the aloe grows, and multiplies