I have an aloe vera I would like to repot but have no idea how to go about it. Any help or suggestions? Would like to pot lower.doing away with ragged bottom (which would mean removing about 6 inches of stem).
Photos show plant from two angles.
Go to Wally World and buy some cactus planting soil
I almost killed mine cause I put it in regular soil with no sand mixed in
I don't see any problem with what you want to do although you will need a larger, deeper pot to bury the present root ball and the trunk you want to hide. If you want to gamble you could always cut the stem at the base, let it dry and callous for a few days then stick it in some well draining mix, like the cactus soil. No guarantees on that method though.
It is hard to find any potting mediums these days that do not contain moisture control granules. That stuff is fine for annuals and that is about it. For any other plants it is worth it to find a product that does not have any additives like the granules or fertilizers. Always better to add you own. GOod luck.
I am wondering if I might be able to cut away the bad bottom leaves put a sleeve of some sort around the stem, like you would do in air-layering to develop high roots, then cut away from the present root when new roots formed.
Suppose that might work?
Aloes are hard to kill, overwatering/poor drainage is their only real enemy. I don't think you would need to go the sleeve route but I don't think it would hurt either if you want to try. In regular air layering you would want to maintain some moisture around the stem, you do not want to hold moisture against an aloe stem. You would have to devise a method where the medium could drain well. Maybe a plastic cup with the bottom cut out???
