Can you please help me with my Aloe? I have it since it was as small as those babies around the main plant (see pictures) It was just two leaves and had no roots when I got it. I put it in the water and when it grew roots I planted it. When it grew bigger I moved it in a bigger pot and it is growing just fine. The problem is that its body is really really thin but the foliage is getting bigger fatter and heavier. Plus, any new leave in the base of the main plant dies after a while (see pictures). I am using support for the plant because its body is too heavy to carry it. But soon I’m afraid it is going to become too heavy for its little body to handle. What should I do? Should I add some soil and bury the body? (ok this phrase sounds weird hehe) Or is it going to rot if I do that? This is a very special plant to me. His name is Aleister and he comes from a garden in England. Please help me.
This will be tricky, if not often fatal, as you need to sprout roots much further up the stalk. I have cut and repotted with 50% success. However there is also a much slower but safer metho"d: which is to fill a tube of potting mediun around the stalk, to an appropriate height, where you need root support. This will take up to a year or more, as you check for root development periodically... then once a solid root mass is visible , then cut , let the cut heal while still in its' sleeve, and then repot by removing the sleeve into a deep set pot. I would start with a small pot, and as the plant needs more root space, then repot into a deeper vessel. I hope this helps!
KBaron you seem to know what you are talking about and thank you very much fro your quick reply. But, I am not very good with the gardening lingo :s heh So, can you please clarify some points for me? :s When you say to fill a tube of potting medium around the stalk you mean that I dont actually bury the body but I just put soil all around it like a coat, right? And then you say once a solid root mass is visible, then cut what do you mean? What do I cut???? The root? :s And then you say let the cut heal while still in its' sleeve What is a sleeve? >_< Sorry Im such a noob :s If you find the time I would appreciate your answer.
No problem AlexandraNS, the rewrite of my last post, is as follows, and the following efforts on your part, will require patience....you want to promote root development from the bottom of the stalk that is in contact with the top of the soil... a sleeve of landscape material loosely wrapped around the bottom 10-12cm of the stalk, to allow room for the addition of potting soil, where you will hopefully have roots develop. This tube of fabric, should have a moisture barrier added such as plastic wrap, to prevent the sleeve of soil from drying out completely. Over many months, the roots developing inside the sleeve will be ready to nurture the top of the plant... this waiting period could take over a year! The area to cut would be just below the sleeve and into the soil medium, to include a few original roots that will also aid the plant in it's new pot. The cut should be allowed to heal/dry for at least one or two days, so be sure to keep the roots above the cut protected (you will need to lay the plant down on its side) for this period. Repot, but do not water right away, the Aloe should be watered after a week or two in its new potting medium. You realize that the Aloe will continue to grow taller during this waiting period. Ideally, the pups or side shoots would provide the new Aloe plants to repot for your collection. The quick method, or other option is to cut the stalk of your Aloe, just below the soil to include a few roots. Let the cut heal, and then repot in a deeper pot... this is the quickest result but if you loose the Aloe, that would be a shame. The latter option is easier but be careful not to over water the plant.
Thank you so very much for you detailed information KBaron I will try to follow your instructions as well as possible. I will not choose the easy way. I really do not want to kill Aleister >_< Thank you for your patience and all your help :)
