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| Hello! I am attempting to work on my green thumb (which is currently brown)... I have just acquired an older, large, aloe vera plant. I am excited to learn about it and what it needs to grow. :) I have a couple of questions -- I would really like to train the plant to grow wider and more horizontally, rather than vertical. In fact, it is very vertical right now and is verging on toppling over! I love the pictures I see with aloe plants that are in wide, shallow pots and are very full (and all the "leaves" are around the same height). Would I be able to take the "babies" from the larger plant and somehow train them to grow this way? How would I ensure that they all stay around the same height (i.e. avoiding one leaf growing incredibly tall). Also, what should my plan of action be for the mother plant that is too tall to hold herself up? I have read that they do not like wet soil. What is the best medium to use? I need to apologize up front -- I am VERY new to aloe plants (maybe I should reword that to houseplants in general!) and the more detailed the explanation, the better! Thank you all, in advance, for any advice and support! Many thanks!! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by stephanie_kay 5a IL (My Page) on Wed, Mar 13, 13 at 16:54
| Hello em4plants, do you have a photo of your aloe vera? There are a lot of knowledgeable people over at the "cacti and succulents" page. I have a fairly large one that I plan on removing the babies and putting in a bowl this spring by itself. I will then put each of the offsets in their own pots and find homes for them. I am hoping on getting the large aloe to bloom for me this year. You want a good draining soil for your aloe. I would go over to the cacti and succulent page and do a search for aloe's and read up on them. Hope this helps you a bit. |
This post was edited by stephanie_kay on Wed, Mar 13, 13 at 16:59
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- Posted by FrugalFanny 4 (My Page) on Thu, Mar 14, 13 at 14:51
| em4plants, Hello! My aloe vera was my first houseplant; my mom let me pick out something at the nursery when I was about 12 years old, and that was the one. I still have it, amazingly. It's been through a lot as I've learned how to care for plants. The most important thing my aloe has taught me is to absolutely NEVER overwater it, especially in the wintertime. Mine isn't that thrilled with me because it wants more light, but it's gotten so big and unruly I have to keep it where it fits, which unfortunately is currently in a north window. So, really porous soil that will drain well, minimal watering, and lots of light. As for your growing habit questions, I'm not sure about that. I wish mine would do the upright thing more than it is! We can never be satisifed, can we? lol FF |
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