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Grande Prairie alberta  Danirayed May 16, 2018 7:10 PM CST |
I have an aloe plant I repotted a few months ago and it's not doing well. I don't know what to do for it. It used to stand up and be beautiful. It flopped over like this then had a bunch of babies, I recently took the babies out thinking it may help but so far nothing. Anything I can do to make it come back to its perky self?     |
Name: Baja Baja California (Zone 11b)              Baja_Costero May 16, 2018 7:16 PM CST |
| It looks like it needs much more sun. There may also be issues with watering (too much or too little) which contribute to the floppy posture. The plant should "see" the sun for hours a day. It is not getting enough light if it lives on that table... needs to be right in front of your sunniest window for best results. Even then, light may be seriously limiting in the winter that far north. I'm not convinced your plant is actually Aloe vera (there are 500 species of aloe in addition to that one) but it's hard to tell what it might be, because of the way it's flopping around right now. How often and how much do you water?  |
Grande Prairie alberta Danirayed May 16, 2018 8:14 PM CST |
I water it only when it's completely dry so not very often I guess. It actually lives up above the fridge I'll post a picture of where exactly. I have a zillion windows and a tonne of light it's not south facing but it's very bright. It's lived up there for almost 3 years and been perky up until a short while ago. I'll also post a picture if it's babies so you can see if it's an aloe or not. Maybe I'm wrong lol   |
Name: tarev San Joaquin County, CA (Zone 9b) Stay Home-Save Lives-Wear a Mask!           tarev May 17, 2018 9:09 AM CST |
| To me it seems to be seeking more light. If your overnight temperatures is at least 45F to 50F, it may be okay to bring it out to get more light and better air flow and gradual increase in warmth as it gets exposed outside. But keep it on the dry side for the time being. Or maybe position it as close to your house when you try to bring it out. Experiment with one of them and see if it perks up. At times, these plants need to feel that increase in light, temperature and air flow around them. |
Name: Baja Baja California (Zone 11b) Baja_Costero May 17, 2018 7:34 PM CST |
| Thank you for the extra pictures, which show the layout very well. The windowsill location looks great. The spot over the fridge is not going to be bright enough. While you're in the kitchen doing stuff, take a look where the sun hits inside during the day. There's no substitute for direct visual observation. If the sun does not hit the plant through the window, so the only light it receives is diffused and reflected and mostly second-hand, it's not going to do well. You will see some seasonal variation (winter is a dim dark time). Maybe that upper window on the wall faces due south and has saved the plant thus far... but it does seem to me sort of a miracle that it's gotten so big and survived so long where it is.  Another reason that spot over the fridge might not be so great is if the fridge is putting out warm dry air, which would tend to rise (this would depend on the air circulation) and that is maybe drying it out faster than another location might. Just guessing, but again you can do a little observation to see what's going on. As a general rule, given that the sun comes from above our heads, especially in late spring and early summer, the higher the location a plant occupies in a room, the less light it will receive. Unless of course it's under a skylight or some translucent surface. Lower down and especially closer to the window, you provide the kind of angle that allows the sun to bathe your plants and keep them going strong. The babies look charged up and full of life. The soil level is too high in those pots. You need to remove some of the soil so that none of the leaves are buried. The base of the plant should sit on top of the soil, more or less, with just the roots extending underneath. You run a serious risk of rotting them out otherwise. But it's an easy 5-minute job, so why not nip that in the bud. Also, do those plastic containers have holes at the bottom? If not, see if you can make some so the water can exit. With respect to watering the big plant, try not to leave it bone dry for any extended period. There is no advantage to that. It's a desert plant and it can survive drought incredibly well, but it likes water when the soil goes dry, not a whole lot later. Try poking your finger a couple of inches into the soil on a semi-regular basis until you get a clear sense of when that is (which will of course also depend on the season, the light, the temperature, and everything else). |
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