Ursula said: Steve, they are gorgeous! Especially the second one, great color and texture!

Thanks
The second one is a belfiore hybrid . The uk seller called it firefly . Clare Hernandez I think is the hybridizer . She has done a lot of amazing work
Steve

You never see anything like that around here! Enjoy!

Belfiore is active on FB. Very strong colors and rugged textures. The plants are apparently (it seems, from the pictures) small in size relative to other bumpy aloes.

Baja, I think I found it on Fb, is that Belfiore Succulents PH, located in the Philippines? I see gorgeous plants on that page!

Ursula said: Baja, I think I found it on Fb, is that Belfiore Succulents PH, located in the Philippines? I see gorgeous plants on that page!

Yes that is the right one . I think a some US collectors have them so they must be importing
Steve

Hmm, I have never bought anything over fb, but this sure looks tempting...

The plants continue their slow wake up . Some aloes as early morning sun hits the polytunnel

Gorgeous!

YUM!

To repot or not . .. .
I wonder why Steve @ketsui73 never have this problem?

I feel with you, a couple of mine multiply like that too!

@Kaktus

It's not a plant problem, though, is it? It's just the plant doing well and following through with natural growth. It does make for more work for the plant caretaker, for sure. Finding the time, materials and exerting the effort to deal with exuberant growth IS a problem. All too often caretakers get over extended because........well, too many plants for the time they take.

Kaktus said: To repot or not . .. .
I wonder why Steve @ketsui73 never have this problem?

@kaktus
Hi tjoe I do have some pots like that here are some now 👍



The reasons why I don't have as many, are actually due to a bunch of problems and challenges I have keeping these plants in a climate that is so far from ideal .
It's mid may and the majority of my plants still are not out of winter dormancy and they look pretty crap . It's seems like as soon as I get them going we are thinking about shutting down again . Autumn here is very wet , too cold for the plants with low light and high humidity. I always seem to lose a few at this time to rot . This means my growing window is actually pretty short . It can take me years to get were you guys can in one season. In winter I spend a fortune keeping the space warm enough to keep the plants alive but dormant . As my plants are crammed into a plastic box I have to constantly have fans running to minimise the build up of airborne bacteria/ fungus and a pest usually runs riot if it gets a foothold 😀 We all lose plants , but often I can lose an expensive one before I get a change to have a backup .
I am sure you have as many problems to me with high temps , CAM , pests in the outside environment 😀 etc . The reason for the long post is to try to get you to understand what I came to realise a couple of years ago . If you live outside the ideal environment, you are mostly certainly having a battle which can feel overwhelming at times. The truth is when things got well it's all the more satisfying.
So get get back on your horse solider and either pot up or split them plants 😂😂😂

After many years of playing this game I have arrived at a pretty good system for dealing with these proliferating aloes. Twice a year I split the clumps that need splitting, and pass the results on to others, keeping either the mother plant or an offset to continue the line. I do this in the fall and in the winter (typically) because that's the best time for propagating most succulents in our climate. I have yet to lose an aloe in the process. (I may lose them for all sorts of other reasons later.)

Whenever a plant is starting to look like it's competing with its offspring for dear life, I sort of make a mental note to include it in the next batch of outgoing plants. It's like a teapot that whistles when it's ready. I just put it aside mentally knowing that everything will be sorted in the near future.

As time goes on, my tastes have changed. I find myself seeking out more solitary plants for new acquisition, and passing on the ones that clump in a way that requires intervention. I guess you kind of have to arrive at a personal balance in that regard.

Baja, that is a plant wisdom , something that I don't have, I have it for my koi fish pond, maximum 8 fish, if I bought the 9th fish, then 1 of the existing fish has to go, need some effort to reach there, started with 10, then slowly increased to 25, and finally concluded that 8 is the max.

The question I always find myself asking is 'when does a hobby become a chore' . There is no doubt a buzz that comes from collecting. But in the end the work can become overwhelming, sapping all the fun out of it .I admit I find it hard to strike the right balance at times. I am getting better at accepting that some of my plants cannot stay with me long term. These online communities we form are amazing for friendship, knowledge , support and guidance . But I do think they have a tendency to skew what is normal 😀.
When the people you interact with, keep hundreds or even thousands of plants , you kind of get a 'mind bias' as to that's what you need to be doing as well .
I know some of you are stronger minded and less addictive than me 😀

What Aloe is this. I started it from seeds but managed to loose the tag.
Don't recall where the seeds came from.

Major upgrade, from 4 inch to 8 inch pot.

Kaktus said: Major upgrade, from 4 inch to 8 inch pot.

Nice work
Steve

Looks great!