Aloe Vera plant seems very "unsteady"

TangledMemories_2

Hi All,

I've got an aloe vera plant and whilst it's all nice a bright green and fleshy....it's very unstable and feels as though it could very easily come away from its roots.

Is this a normal occurrence of aloe veras?
The pot is definitely the right size...each time I water I try and compact the soil tighter to try and keep it steady.

Thanks!

culpepper

They do have quite wobbly roots.
Ive got several and they are all like that.
You can repot any bits that come away with a little bit of root still on and they will most likely survive.

TangledMemories_2

Thanks for that...I thought it was just me being daft!

Joly_Roger

Off topic, but from someone's signature:
'A penny saved,is a penny earned!' Benjamin Franklin,
I would say that a penny saved is 1.3 pennies earned as you pay tax and N.I. on earnings.

Charco_2

Are you positive that the pot is not just a little too short for the plant?

My aunt gave me an Aloe plant which is now thriving but when i first got it, it started to fail. I re-potted it into something a little deeper which made it much more sturdy... my aunt still has a plant which is sticking up too far out of the pot now and doesn't look so great so i'm going to re-pot it for her.

When i re-potted mine i was able to detach a number of little "pups" from it which were also affecting it's growth (they make it go lopsided!). I planted these and now have seven little aloe plants all cutely lined up on a slightly shaded side of a windowsill... my girlfriend took one for her mum and i suppose i'll give the others away soon.

I'm not great at plants - just starting to learn - but the only other thing that seemed to cause problems to my aloe was "scale flies". They're a parasite that slowly drains the goodness from the plant and they just look like (well, like scales) but they also look like natural spots on the plant til you rub a few of them away with a cloth. Keep it wiped clean, ignore it, water it rarely and they seem to thrive!

Joly_Roger

I've got a massive Aloe Vera plant outside, planted in the ground. It sends up a tall flower spike every year. I'll have to dig it out soon to overwinter.

When I last dug it out (this time last year) it was incredibly heavy as the thick leaves are turgid with water. It was so heavy I thought it had tap roots still attached.

Has anyone here ever managed to overwinter an Aloe Vera outside? I reckon mine would turn to mush at sub zero temperatures.

Charco_2

Could you wrap it up nice and warm?

Could you (instead of re-planting it) pot it into a large plant pot to sit outside but would be easier to move inside in tougher weather!?

[Deleted User]

I've got 4 and they are exactly the same - thriving, healthy, but wobbly.

I just pack little stones around the bases.

Are there different varieties or just the one? Perhaps some are wobblier than others.

Joly_Roger

Reply to Charco. I tried that (just leaving it in a large pot all year), but it really didn't seem to like it, the leaves went brown and it never grew. Hmm.

I've created an arid raised bed (Cordyline Sundance, Agave Americana, Yucca Gloriosa, Yucca Elephantipes, Yucca Filamentosa and Aloe Vera) and it looks brilliant there. Last year the Aloe Vera had over 20 offshoots which I've potted up. I think it likes the sunny aspect and the good drainage with plenty of space for roots.

I might try placing it in a massive (50cm) pot and leaving it permanently next to our house which should protect it from the worst of the cold with bubble wrap for the coldest nights, but there agian, It does look great where it is now.

Tough choice!