Please help me save my aloe!

Hi,

I have an aloe plant which I keep in doors, on a shelf in my bedroom. Its quite a shaded room. I don't water it much probably once a week, and it is potted in compost for cactus plants.

Up until recently I thought it was doing ok apart from it had some white spotting on the leaves but now it is completely floppy! I moved it into the bathroom today to try and get it some more light but I don't know if that is the problem and it can't stay in the bathroom. I was also thinking of planting it in a bigger pot? Ive posted a picture.

Thanks!

Another picture...... (sorry didn't know how to put 2 in one message!)

deeneezy: You posted your photo's correctly, we are only able to do one photo per post so we have to upload additional pictures below in a new post.

Your aloe ... I'm afraid it's probably received too much water. These succulents can go for quite awhile without being watered so watering once a week is more than likely the problem. I hope you can save your plant. I'd remove it from it's current container and sit the roots on newspapers or paper towels to try and sop up as much moisture as possible. Let it dry out for a few days, then re-pot in fresh potting medium and don't water it for awhile. I don't know if your plant can be saved or not but it's always worth a try.

Also make sure when you do water it that you empty out the tray that it's sitting in right away after you water--if you leave water sitting in there then its roots will stay way too wet.

Thank you for your replies.

I have had this plant for about a year now and never had any problems before (i have moved home in that time), it was only small when I bought it and it has grown so much, I hope I don't lose it! Thinking about it now... i don't think i did used to water it was much before.... I got a new plant a couple of months ago that likes to be watered more and maybe thats why i have started watering my aloe more and not keeping track of when I last watered it :s

Is the pot it's in big enough? Or once ive let it dry out, will I need to put it into a larger pot? Also, do I need to place it somewhere lighter?

Thanks!

From the looks of the size of the plant and the pot it's currently planted in, I don't think it warrants a larger pot.

Aloes are incredibly tolerant of neglect. I had a baby that got broken off and must of laid in back of the water heater for 3 months. I say for 3 months because I moved the parent plant and and three months later I found the baby. I think Cat may have had something to do with the broken off baby. Anyway I put it in a pot of dirt to see if it would grow it it did.

I found that I couldn't water them much more than about once a month in the winter and every couple of weeks in the summer or they woud grow too much and become soft and subject to rot.

I water mine about once a month to once every three weeks, as I do my cactus plants, and it's extremely healthy, multiplying like rabbits. My sister accidentally left hers out during a rainy spring, and they mushed out and died on her.
But that was an extreme case--you have a better chance of saving yours. Keep us posted!

UPDATE ON MY DYING ALOE!

Ok so i took the plant out of the pot and left it to dry on on newspaper for 2/3 days. Then repotted in fresh dry compost and left it another 3 weeks before i watered it and if then i only gave it a very little bit. Most of the large leaves that were on there went a bit rotton at the bottom and dropped off! :(

However, as in you can see in the pics, 2 new babies are coming through! :D so finger crossed it is going to thrive!

Thanks for your advice guys :D

..........................

Congrats!!

How sweet, your Aloe is rewarding you with new growth :>) Congrats !!!!!
Christine

Hi, Deeneezy.

Yes, keep your aloe on the dry side and not planted too deeply in the soil. Light! Lots of light! You cannot give an aloe too much light indoors, in my experience. Place it in the sunniest window you have available.

I took a pot of aloes outddoors last summer and placed the pot on the ground in partial sunlight. (It received full sun for most of the day with shade in the morning and afternoon.) The pot of aloes thrived. Then I brought it indoors again for the fall since the aloes would not survive freezing temps here in Delaware (zone 7a).

Light + warmth + a bit dry = a happy aloe

Sincerely,
TJ Given