Aloe Vera

Sorry for spamming up the boards will all of my questions hehe.

I have another question (obviously lol).

I was looking to get an aloe vera plant, I know they propagate from pups but I’m going to buy some seeds to see if I can grow them from seeds (for the challenge) plus I’d like to start with a small one and watch it grow big rather than get a big one and it get bigger.

Anyway does anyone have any tip on what to do with the seeds? I’ve looked online at what to do as well but I fine online tends to contradict itself quite a lot; just if anyone has grown them from seed before.

My second question is how quickly do they grow (I don’t mean from seed, I just mean in general, once established etc). One site said Aloe Vera are quick growing plants, another site said slow growing plants…so I’m back to square one on that haha.

Thank you

Let me know if the seed thing does not work out, I have 20 pups needing homes :)

I've never sown their seeds so I am useless to you here. Good Luck!

I don't think you would be able to send the pups across to me in the UK but thank you very much for the offer :-)

I have never grown them from seed,but the pups grow very quickly.One will fill a pot the first year.

Lynn

Well I bought an aloe vera yesterday. I found a garden centre that sold smaller ones and not the huge ones that all the other ones sell.

Do aloe's do ok in normal soil or do they need to be in specialist stuff? Its in a kind of barky mixture stuff at the moment. I don't personally like the stuff and it doesn't need repotting, I'm just asking so I know for when it needs doing.

The stuff its in, was bone dry, when you water it, all the water just drops straight out leaving the mixture bone dry again within about 5 minutes, I steeped it in water to give it a good soak through and its nicely watered at the moment. I know they don't need watering very often but it's just the bark I'm curious about, as I have a small succulent in the same mixture, I got it, watered it, the water dropped out, I kept watering it, watered it from the bottom and most of the leaves fell off :-( it was still dry, so i steeped it until the water came through it all and since then it's lost no leaves (hence my concern about the mixture in my aloe).

Thanks

Dipsy: It sounds like that is a great mix for the Aloe to remain in. They prefer fast draining soil. If you plant it in a mix that holds too much moisture your Aloe will end up with root rot. Are you certain that after you water it well, it is bone dry within 5 minutes? When you stick your finger down into the soil about an inch or so it should be moist but not soaking wet. When you re-pot, you don't have to use that same exact mix if you don't like the looks of it but I would make sure there is a lot of perlite or sand or something in the mix to help with drainage. You don't want any moisture staying around the roots or base of the plant.

For me, personally, I prefer a mix just like what you describe that your aloe came in! ^_^ I use a mixture of potting soil, lots of perlite and lots of orchid bark for almost every plant I grow. I very rarely water my Aloe's ... maybe once a month!

http://www.gardenguides.com/plants/info/herbs/aloevera.asp

Thanks, like I said it definately doesn't need repotting at all yet, I was just curious for when the time comes. I dont know what it is really, it's like a REALLY fast draining orchid bark, I find orchid bark keeps a bit of moisture, but this stuff doesn't seem to and I don't like it. It's not the looks of it, it's not for me to like, it's for my aloe, and if it likes it then fair enough. I'll just keep an eye on it for a while and see how it goes :-)