Aloe Vera Replant Problem

I have a huge aloe vera, which I'd been keeping in a square pot with a rounded rim. It had 3 babies this year. Spring came and I thought it'd be a good time to separate the babies and repot the large aloe vera, since the weight of it was tilting it and I'm always afraid the plant is going to fall over.

I'd been planting other flowers and such and this might be my mistake? I planted the babies in the peat moss+tiny bit of lime mixture soil I had. Also when I repotted the adult plant, I used some of this mixture, as well as putting the plant into a regular round pot.

My problems are:

* The adult plants lower spikes leaning against the pot are not looking good - does it not like laying against the sharper rim?
* Both adult and babies look terrible! What were healthy plants two weeks ago look awful. The babies are all wilty and discolored. The adult plant is losing a lot of the hardness in its spikes - even the big ones. I'm afraid I'm going to lose it if I don't fix it soon.

The adult plant is still inside but the babies are outside in the morning sun.

Is there anything I can do to make it better?

Can you post some pictures? On the big plant it could be too much water which you would definitely want to fix right away. Check by sticking your finger down a few inches into the soil and see how it feels--if it's really wet then you need to let them dry out a bit more in between watering. Or, it could also be too little water. Normally I wouldn't suspect that with aloes since they're succulents, but since your soil is mostly peat it could be lack of water. Peat moss repels water and is very hard to re-wet once it's dried out, so you can water and it'll just run straight through the pot and the soil will mostly be left bone dry. You have to really, really soak it in order to get it wet all the way through.

And for the babies--were they outside before you separated them? If not then I'd bring them back inside, outdoor light is much more intense than indoors and even if they hadn't just been separated you need to adjust them gradually to the sun. If they were out there before, maybe try giving them a little more shade than usual for a few weeks until they get going.

As far as your soil, the peat moss could cause a problem with water as I mentioned above--many potting mixes have some peat in them so they all are prone to that issue to some degree, but if your mix is mostly peat then the problem will be even more severe for you. Peat is also acidic and adding a tiny bit of lime potting mix probably won't have a significant effect. I'm not sure if aloes like acid soil or not, but if the soil is more acidic than they'd like that could cause problems too.

If they are turning yellow then it too much water. If they are turning pale, or tips have a reddish color it is not enough water. I think ecrane3 is right, I think the soil is wrong .


This message was edited May 8, 2010 7:38 AM

OK I'm posting some pictures. Sorry I can't figure out how to post multiple pictures on this forum. I'll figure that out later.

Here's the adult. The inside looks ok right now...
http://i44.tinypic.com/35ml83r.jpg

But when I let go of the spike, there's no lift. It wilts and droops.
http://i43.tinypic.com/ehc6mf.jpg

The babies:
http://i39.tinypic.com/qp2azc.jpg

On closer look you can see that each one has had die-back of the entire spike.
http://i42.tinypic.com/soaiww.jpg

This one has what looks like a strong spike but when you gently squeeze it, it's not firm - you can tell it's starting to go soft.
http://i42.tinypic.com/rhir0k.jpg

I have the babies in the shade outside (they're getting a bit of morning sun). I just put the adult outside today. The soil is somewhat moist. Maybe I watered it too much after I repotted; I usually don't give too much water because they do better on the drier side.

If you suspect it's my soil and I'd better do something now, is it safe to repot with just some of our outside ground soil? We have a bunch of topsoil here (we're digging a project) and our soil is on the acidic side. Or should I just wait on it, does the adult look ok enough to wait longer?

I'm afraid to touch the babies (repot) because there's not much left to them.

A couple things I noticed

--your pots have saucers attached at the bottom to catch excess water. If you aren't emptying these after you water, then the plants are sitting there with permanently wet feet which is not good for them

--the babies look like they may have been planted too deep, which will also cause them to rot (maybe the adult plant is too--it's impossible to tell from your pictures)

As far as repotting--I still don't think your potting soil is ideal. Garden soil is not a good idea either, it is not appropriate for use in containers since it won't drain well enough. I would go out and buy yourself a couple bags of potting mix. If you can find one for cacti/succulents that would work, but otherwise any potting mix is probably OK as long as it doesn't have the moisture control crystals in it. You can do better if you want to take the time to make your own, but if you're in a hurry the bagged stuff should be alright. Here's a thread with some info about soil/water/containers--since you're not a subscriber all you'll be able to read is the very first post but there's a lot of great info even in that first post http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/719569/

Oh thank you - I'm reading the link you posted now.

I will try your tips - I can get cacti mix but I do have regular potting soil. I'll see if I can take your tips and fix this problem. Thanks!

It is the soil. I use 1/3 sand, 1/3 garden soil and 1/3 potting soil. Mine pout every time I move them out in spring (to partial sun) and back in the fall (to south windows). Turn sorta greyish. But they get over it. Have been growing them for 25 years and have had blooms two times.

Just remember that they are native to Arizona, i.e. a cactus. About the only way to kill them is by drowning. My original plant wintered over inside a rolltop desk one time (I forgot it) and took right off when she hit the dirt. I now keep the big droopers that come off in the fall in a paper grocery sack to give out as starts, or when someone gets a severe burn.