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Introducing our Newest Veggie Gardener contributor, the gardening guru herself, CaliKim!
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CaliKim!! I am so excited you are here, welcome!
I am sure you are swamped but I have a question for you... We have this aloe plant floating around the office named Steve. It belonged to a former employee and now it is just part of the place. The thing is, it is not doing well and hasn't been cared for in a while (other than a few drinks of water every now-and-then). I took it home to try to re-pot it as the soil was old, dry and low. But upon trying to get it out of the pot I discovered that the roots of the plant are dried up and most likely dead as well as the middle portion of the plant. Basically the ends are just living off the retained water. However, I know that aloe is hardy and can regrow... Do you think if I cleaned off the dead parts and put them in water for a few days that I could re-pot it and have new roots grow? *fingers crossed*
I am sure you are swamped but I have a question for you... We have this aloe plant floating around the office named Steve. It belonged to a former employee and now it is just part of the place. The thing is, it is not doing well and hasn't been cared for in a while (other than a few drinks of water every now-and-then). I took it home to try to re-pot it as the soil was old, dry and low. But upon trying to get it out of the pot I discovered that the roots of the plant are dried up and most likely dead as well as the middle portion of the plant. Basically the ends are just living off the retained water. However, I know that aloe is hardy and can regrow... Do you think if I cleaned off the dead parts and put them in water for a few days that I could re-pot it and have new roots grow? *fingers crossed*
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Hi Shannon,
Thanks for the welcome - its great to be here! Your aloe plant sounds like it has quite a backstory and a bit of a personality too! I'm sure everyone would be thrilled if Steve made it!
With your plant, I would get it back to health before you try to propagate it. You'll want to put it in a pot with good drainage with some new potting soil. When watering, drench it thoroughly, until the water drains through the holes in the bottom of the pot, then allow to dry out completely between waterings. The most common reason aloe plants die is too much water. It does need bright light, so make sure it is in a sunny window or outside as long as the weather is warm.
Aloe is hard to propagate through leaf cuttings, but can be propagated easily by planting the "pups" or sprouts that are offshoots of the mother plant. Once your plant gets back to health, and starts to grow "pups", separate the pups, which should look healthy and measure a few inches tall, from the mother plant, grasping the aloe pup by the base and roots and gently pull it away from the plant. If the pup does not separate with minimal effort, use a sharp, clean knife to cut the pup free. Make sure there are roots with each pup. You can plant the pups in another pot and you will have a brand new aloe plant! Hope this helps and good luck with your plant, Shannon!
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