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don't understand my aloe

Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2004
by sammy on June 15, 2004 07:19 PM
Hi, Can someone pleeeease help me understand me aloe plant? [dunno] A friend gave me a very healthy aloe plant. I put it in the sunny window, I had gave it to much water at first,and as you probably know it was starting to die. Then it came back to life but the leaves are still brownish looking. When the weather started to stay hot I took it outside in the sun and it started to look like it was dieing again. [tears]
Then I put it in our computer room, it don't get that much light and I no longer water it that much and it is getting new leaves on top. I think it likes noise, but I really don't know anything about aloes. Do I need to do something with the yucky looking leaves? And what am I doing wrong with my plant? I thought they liked lots of sun? [dunno] Please help me understand this thing. Thanks Sammy [Wink]
by Nako on June 15, 2004 08:55 PM
Hello Sammy ^.^
Aloe plants are succulent. This means that its leaves are capable of holding lots of water, and it should only be watered if the soil looks pretty dry. This also means that if they get a icky spot on the leaves, that icky spot is going to stay there.

The reason your aloe started turning icky when it got into the sun is that it was introduced to sun too fast. What you should do if you want to put it outside in the sun, is give it gradual sun. Like, put it in direct sunlight for an hour at a time, then a week later, 2 hours, and so on, until you can leave it in the sun all day. *thinks* there's a page on aloe vera plants on the site somewhere i think. That might give you more information.

Anyone else have more information?

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by plantlady19 on June 15, 2004 09:03 PM
Sammy. Hi! I'm Plant Lady. I've literally owned my aloe plant my entire life and I've learned a few things. 1.) They like light, but indirect light. 2.) They are very resilient. You'd have to actually TRY to kill one I think. You can prune off the "gross" yellow parts without effecting the healthy portion. Just keep it in good soil that isn't overly moist. They also seem to like more humid conditions. Mine thrives next to my kitchen sink. They do well in bathrooms too. And this last part is just a neat tip. [thumb] --> Keeping an aloe in your kitchen serves another purpose. The sap on the inside to the shoots is a wonderful salve for minor burns. [Mad] Just break off a small piece and rub the sap on the burn. I hope this helps. [flower]
by sammy on June 15, 2004 09:22 PM
Thanks for the help. [flower] My friend gave me the plant because my 6yrs. old son got 1st. degree burns from cream of wheat at school [Mad] The aloe worked great. He healed faster than expected. [grin] The bottom leaves are yucky looking all the way to the stalk or stem, ( not sure what you call that part on an aloe [Embarrassed] ). Is it ok to pinch them off all the way?

Thanks,Sammy
by gardenmom32210 on June 16, 2004 12:37 AM
You can trim them all the way to the stalk(just dont cut the stalk) Plant lady is right you have to hire an assasin to kill an aloe. They always turn brown when in shock,but always come right back. I actually forgot about a baby I had,it sat on my gardening bench for a month before I discovered it,it looks great now!

Karen [grin]
by Sami on June 16, 2004 06:58 PM
Well, just call me the assasin, LOL. I started out with a beautiful aloe vera that was outgrowing its pot. I seperated the plants & re-potted them & ended up killing them all, one way or another. I have one little tiny one left & it looks pitiful! I'm trying to nurse it along, tho. I want to plant it in the ground, eventually.

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by Nako on June 17, 2004 10:16 PM
I've got 3 of them growing in a 5" pot. They're really small though, cuz i got em from work as lil outsider shoot thingies. I donno if they've even grown roots yet lol. I'm too afraid to check [scaredy]

But ya, they've been in there for around 2 or 3 weeks, so they've probably grown roots by now [Smile] I have a jade seed that just germinated growin in the middle!

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