Question about a medicinal aloe plant. Help, I think I'm committing plant murder!?

Okay, here's the deal, I'm not real good with plants. But we have a small aloe plant in about a 6 inch pot. I had it in a room with little sun and I think I watered it too much because the stalks got soft and lay limp over the sides. So I moved it to a room with better sun and over the winter it barely survived (I'm still not sure how often to water it). The big stalks are still a little soft and limp but in the middle new nice healthy stalks are growing. Can you help me save it, I'm not sure what to do? Should I cut off the large stalks around the smaller new ones?





I know, I'm pitiful when it comes to plants, but I'm trying! Thanks.

Question about a medicinal aloe plant. Help, I think I'm committing plant murder!?
Maybe your plant got a little cold in its previous location, and that's what caused the large outer leaves to get messed up. If the plant is growing, as yours is, then it should be okay; something just shocked it before.


Keep it in a warm and sunny location, away from drafts (especially in winter). You can water your plant whenever its dry. If it seems to be growing a lot, you can water it more often. Get accustomed to how heavy the plant and its pot are before (when its really dry) and after you water it to help you determine when this is. Also you can feel the soil surface to see if its moist or not (if its dry so no soil sticks to your hand, think about watering it).


If the large stalks are not rotting, you can just leave them on until they shrivel up, or cut them off a few inches or so from the center of the plant and let the remainder shrivel up before removing them completely.
Reply:I water mine about once a month, but it is a very large plant in a large pot. I have smaller aloe plants that I water about every two weeks. It sounds like you are doing the right thing now! Many times I will cut off one or two of the lowest leaves to give the plant a bit of a boost.





You are not pitiful, you are just learning in the same way all of learn with plants! Good luck and keep trying!
Reply:aloe plants are related to cacti, DO NOT water them unless they start to look bad!! aloes can absorb moisture from the air,, they also store water in the leaves.. thats what all that healthy sap is!! unless the dirt is crumbly dry and the plants look like they are deflating just leave it be and it will thrive,,
Reply:An aloe is a type of cactus and doesn't need a lot of water. I don't do well with plants either but my mother has a green fist so I asked her and her response was every time it rains in the desert. good thing she has a sense of humor. I sometimes go 2 weeks before it water my aloe and Christmas cactus and they are still alive and kicking. I also use Miracle Gro when I water. My plants beg for it.
Reply:i am too..here is what i did...stop watering the plant..water every week ..once..dont do it again..it will be fine...let it have sunlight...clip the old stems off they will then dry up and fall off..
Reply:my mother gave me one of her babies off of her plant just last year. the pot she put it in was big enough to fit a small shrub. it looked real funny. since then its had several babies %26amp; just recently ive taken those babies out, %26amp; left the larger one in that same pot. it now looks great because its now larger than the pot. at this rate i'll have to find a bigger pot by the end of summer.


i hardly ever water it. sometimes if im away for a couple of weeks to a month it doesnt get any water at all. whenever i transplant anything i always make sure that it has good drainage.


whenever something glass or clay breaks, i save the larger broken pieces, because they make a great base for the bottoms of my pots for drainage.


also aloe vera plants grow better %26amp; bigger if there is just one plant per pot. when the babies come i let them get big enough to transplant, %26amp; if i dont have time to transplant them i just shove them in a glass of water. whether they have roots or not. if left in the glass long enough they will produce roots.


by the sounds of your plant, it was watered too much %26amp; if the stem is soft %26amp; falling over then i would think that part of it is already rotten. personally if it was mine i would cut off the soft part take off the lower part of the leaves %26amp; put the remainder of the stalk in a small glass of water till i seen roots forming.


when you have a plant, %26amp; half of it is dead %26amp; the other half hanging in there. then by leaving the dead parts on it the plant is having to work twice as hard in order to get the proper nutrients past the dead parts, which causes more stress on the plant, therfore not giving it its full growing potential. so by riding it of the dead stuff all it has to do is concentrate on growing bigger %26amp; healthier.


did your plant ever have babies?


ive also had a few aloe vera plants before this one %26amp; have done the same thing as you have . so i wouldnt feel bad if i were you cause everybody at some point in their life have unintentionally screwed up on a plant or two.


i also found out through another mistake. .. i just figured that because it was from the catus family that it should be able to withstand some heavy duty sunlight %26amp; outside. boy was i wrong. i had put in in my garden outside amongst my other plants. it got the morning sun along with the other plants. all that did was fry my poor plant...but... i was unbeleivably able to save it though, %26amp; i still have it today. mind you it is no where near as big as the one i got last year, %26amp; ive had this one for about 3 yrs or so now.


PS: boy i guess i got a little carried away (LOL)