I would dump it out, see if any roots are alive, and if so, there is still hope. I personally plant aloes in a much more water - retentive mix than 'gritty mix', though some aloes do do well in that sort of mix. Aloes, particularly this time of year, can be very thirsty plants, tolerating, if not even loving, daily water (mine are planted in a clay soil and it can rain daily on them and they seem to love it... sadly not all like this sort of situation, but the large majority sure do).

they're probably getting fried on that west window. the insides (gel) is the plant's water reserves. you need to give them time to establish themselves. start them out in partial shade, or put a piece of light colored cloth on your west window. i dont remove the pups off my large aloe till they're 5-6 inches tall and has decent roots.

To the original poster: Asking neighbors for a friendly warning before spraying sounds like a good idea. Covering your plants *well* would help to a certain extent, though you might have to leave the covers on for 24 hours or more. Another option to consider is delaying your average plant-out date, this gives the neighbors time to spray their lawns (as it did mine). The bonus is that you avoid most of May's unpredictable weather and plant growth will take off in soil that is warm 24/7. Another idea for next year, plant a few extra seeds of your rarer, most special plants as backups. Keep them safe and in a different area (under lights for a longer time?). If herbicide damage happens again, you'll have quick replacements. Personally i would avoid the confrontational, accusational or guilt trip route. Keep up good neighborly relations because spraying herbicide to kill weeds and errant grasses is fully a homeowner's right. There's so much literature that advises doing it, that most people think it's the right thing to do, you may never convince them otherwise. By the looks of it, some of your plants may recover, it will set back some of your production though. Maybe plan for a few replacements now, and head over to a couple of nurseries to see what they have in stock? This post was edited by sjetski on Tue, May 28, 13 at 13:30

Jennifer —-(Spraying with Neem Oil and or and other mixtures to eradicate the insects organically could still harm those beneficial insects. Some people will just let those pest stay on the tree because they dont want to harm them. Its a difficlt choice to make for some and you need to understand that some bad infestations that might get out of hand and could cause your trees to become weak and allow other diseses to slowly kill your tree. i always try and let Mother Nature work on the right balance of the pest verses the beneficial insets to keep everything in check. But sometimes i will have to step in and use more than organic to combact the problem. its up to you to decide what is best for your tree. Laura Even those that eat leaves ___ Katydids 🌺