So last year I got some young aloe plants. Everywhere online they classify these as succulents and say to put them in as much direct sunlight as possible and to not give them too much water. That's exactly what I did - I put them in my sunniest window with my citrus plants and cacti, and well... they became brown and sorry. I removed them from there, remember an acquaintance that had told me that aloe plants thrive the most when you stick 'em in a corner and forget about 'em. I put them on top of my bookshelf, close to the ceiling with no sunlight, where they didn't grow at all but slowly regained a lovely granny smith apple hue over the winter. With spring coming, I thought, well, I gave them a rest, they had a rough time last year, maybe now they're finally ready for this sun. A florist cousin told me I had most likely just given them a sunburn and I needed to acclimate them to the sun. I thought because the outdoor light was still rather faint (it was a foggy spring here in Montreal) that they would slowly get used to direct sunlight. But now. They're getting brown again. What am I supposed to do with these? I have moved them out of the constant direct sunlight and onto a shelf where they get *some* direct light but not for a very long period of the day. Is this uncommon for such plants? Any advice on how to make them happy? EDIT: This is not a picture of my plants, but just so you know which type of aloe plant this is, they look exactly like this, albeit a bit sadder: http://www.abigailsherbblogsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/aloe-vera-plant.jpg
Brown and mushy, or reddish and still quite firm? It's perfectly normal for aloe leaves to redden in direct sunlight - it's the plant's way of applying sunscreen. However, if you're seeing mushy or squishy leaves, that's a water issue (not a sunlight one.)
They're not mushy, they're more dried out. The ends of the leaves especially become all hollow like something sucked the juice from the inside. If there's a water issue, it's under-watering, not over-. I have cacti that are doing really well and I water my aloe at the same time, once in a while I'll water the aloe even though I'm not watering the cacti. I'd say the aloe gets water every 3 to 4 weeks on average.
Is there any way you can post us a picture of your plant? In some cases, it's worth a zillion words in terms of identifying the problem.
Yeah I know... my camera is out of batteries but ill take one with my webcam. Wow, okay, the pics are probably not gonna help much. You can't see the colour at all... oh, well, I tried. Since I took them out of constant direct sunlight they have gone back to green but the tips are still khaki and brown.
OK, underwatering and normal reddening from sun exposure. They're quite healthy otherwise - I'd step up the watering a bit and keep them in bright, indirect light.
Thanks so much! I had such a hard time bringing them back last year, it took months for them to start looking normal again - so I didn't want ti repeat the experience, I'm glad I came to you guys. How often would you water them? They are in cactus soil so the water goes right through, doesn't really retain much.
I'd go with once a week until they plump up some. This is really taking me back - I haven't had potted aloes for about 5 years (mine are all in-ground).
Perfect! Thanks so much for the advice. I definitely was NOT watering them every week, and never would have done so on my own. So here's to hoping it'll help them out.
By the way, I just wanted to say that my aloe plants are now doing fantastic. I kept them out of the scorching sun and into a bright but indirect light area. I've been watering them more. They are back to their lovely apple green and are growing faster than ever. Thanks so much for the advice!
