Growing Aloes is both easy and rewarding if you follow these guidelines.
The easiest way to kill an Aloe is with too much water. They hate wet feet!!
1. (for bare rooted plants ) remove any roots which may have been damaged in the mail. Cut off the damaged sections of the roots only.
(for potted plants ) wash away existing soil around roots with a trigger hose. Gently tease out any root bound roots using your fingers , or a small implement such as a pencil or 3 inch nail. Don’t worry if you damage a few of the roots as these plants are fairly hardy and they recover quickly. Cut off the damaged sections of the roots only.
2. All Aloes require a good quality well draining sandy and loose potting mix. It is essential that this mix does not hold water as wet soil will rot your plants stem and roots, and kill it!
We use a mix which is approximately one half coarse river sand and one half organic mix soil. We then add some small 3mm scoria or any small pebbles and some Perlite. This helps to open the soil up making sure the water drains away from the soil easily. If you do not wish to make up your own mixture, the bags of succulent and Cactus mix available from your local retail garden center will suffice. Some slow release fertiliser and or blood and bone should be added.
3. Keep in a shady situation and do not water for a few days.
4. If planting in the garden, do not plant in full sun until the plant has acclimatised and ensure it has good drainage. If you have a heavy soil which retains moisture, raise on a mound but do not disturb the original soil. Do not create a sump which would hold water. Some slow release fertiliser and or blood and bone should be added to the garden bed.
5. Once established in a pot or garden, inspect regularly for sap sucking pests. If there are a lot of ants on your plant it is a sure sign of Aphids .
6. Only water when the soil is very dry and dont water again until the soil is very dry again. If there is any sign of moisture in the soil DO NOT WATER!
7. Do not water on a very hot Day, especially if in a plastic pot. Wait for a cool change or
water a day or two before the heat comes.
8. Reduce watering drastically in winter. Even winter growers will do better under – watered rather than over- watered. If you feel you must water do so in the morning to allow the mix to drain wellespecially if you’re expecting a cold night. A wet mix and a cold night (< 5 C.) could promote rot.90% of my potted aloes get no water in Jun-Jul- Aug. Slowly introduce water in Sep.
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