Wow...a lot of information I didn't know about Aloe Vera. The reason I stumbled across this forum is that I have a very big Aloe Vera (Big Bertha) she is healthy. She seems to be growing up the way at a very fast rate, with new growth always showing in the middle and she produces a lot of pups. The height is causing her to be top heavy and I was wondering if I should cut some of the bottom leaves off and pot her further down into the cactus soil. Another problem I have is that I have one window which faces South and where I put all my Aloe Veras during the Winter. Unfortunately during the Spring it is too cold to put them outside and the Sun can be very strong and sunburn the plants. I have no where else to put them or would covering them with the fleece you would use in a garden help?

Remove the plant and give it fresh soil and pot. It needs far more sun, it comes from, they believe from Northern Africa. (those who studied this species) I live in a hot arid inland valley , I grow mine in the sun. Don't move the locatiion quickly or you will burn the plant. Don't let the tips touch the glass windows. I notice that you are from Scotland. For sure the poor plant will need more sun. The leaves should be stiff and growning upright, and not spread out. L.E. Newton thinks it came from Arabia it is widely cultivated in Mediterranean areas (since ancient times)Also found growing in India and the West Indies. This information was copied right out of a book. What I'm getting at is that is loves the heat, and good sun. Make sure it is growing in at least a gallon size container, with good fast draining mix. Remember to fertilize, give fresh air to breath, it will need good air circulation. The dry tips could be caused by a drying out of the soil, too much water, to much artifical heat. So many things come into play. Many species naturally grow with dry tips. Sansevieria come to mind. Norma

They're very adaptable. Probably just adjusting to the new soil. I'd leave it alone for several days and see if it regreens. Btw, the composted layer under chapparal is a great base for soil blending. Scrape off the leaves and take the granular layer. Add half as much real farm compost. How to find a real farm? Go to small town farmers' markets. Wofford Heights near Lake Isabella has a great one 9-1 Sats, at north end of town. Free coffee too, for a whatever donation. If in a big city, ask each seller if they are the farmer, and continue asking around until someone rings true. A real farmer can tell you how they compost their soil, feed their chickens, etc, and will eagerly tell you all about gardening. A fake seller will look away and say, No, he's around here somewhere.

Okay, I understand. I'm going to keep these two in pretty small pots until they have more roots established. I don't mean tiny pots- just like medium sized I would say. And I will add some small rocks to the top in order to stabilize the plants. Today I unpotted both of my aloes to see how much damage there could be and if any, it would allow me to remove the damage and let them callus over before repotting this weekend or so. The roots of the smaller aloe look pretty good to me- there is plenty of new growth (including new baby roots and additional growth on the longer, older ones). This was the aloe with the two leaves on the bottom that turned yellow and shriveled up- which I was told was normal and the plant was just shedding the older leaves. These leaves were easily removed from the base with gentle pulling. Just wondering if you guys agree with me and the roots look good and this one can be planted as normal in the new gritty soil. Two pictures of the smaller aloe: Next, was the bigger aloe which I wasn't happy with. As can be expected, it's roots did suffer. So I trimmed off the dying roots and was left with barely anything. But I was happy to see it has one new root growing! So there is something left there (: My question with this one is should I remove the dark part of old stem that is under the baby root? I don't know if this is rotten or not, it's soft and dark but not mushy or smelly. I'm thinking I should remove it because it's not doing any good but will that much trauma to the plant cause more suffering? Bigger aloe: One more thing, I read about putting cinnamon on any cuts or damage upon transplanting in order to prevent infection. Should this be done immediately or after the plant has had some time to callus? Thanks in advance for any help (: