Aloe neglect. If these plants were children, they'd be wards of the State by now and deservedly so.
| Let's view a few crime scene images. The victims in question here are a young Aloe broomii, to the left, which has been knocked over in a too-small pot at some stage and stuffed back in halfway. This has caused it to send out a spiral of adventurous moisture-seeking roots which is a typical response to hardship by this tough species. Please don't judge me. Below centre is a bit of a different story- a young Aloe harlana which has just outgrown its pot, a great sign. I really like this (in NZ) difficult-to-source species and am looking forward to seeing it develop into a nice plant. There's a lot of healthy, normal root development going on here and that's an extremely gratifying development. To the far left is the same little harlana from underneath, showing the stone I'd used to constrict the big drainage hole in this pot completely engulfed by new roots. Ka pai! |
Harlana :)
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Harlana :)
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Somaliensis : /
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To the far right above.... erm... yesss. A less innocent tableau; we have a much abus'ed and forlorn old Aloe somaliensis colony, veteran of some shocking mistreatment. It had been knocked over/shoved back in three times over summer with very few figs given, losing more soil with each incident and its poor roots getting more and more parched and broken. I've taken this guy for granted for years and it's time to do the right thing by it.
We'll do the harlana first. It's just a straightforward rehousing job and because this plant is not particularly fussy or showing signs of stress I'm putting it into a much larger pot, which it will fill out by this time next year.
> Soil: I use a proprietary cacti and succulent mix plus this large grade of pumice, usually a half and half mixture unless it's a small or delicate plant in a little pot and then I cut back the pumice. | I did the same thing for the broomii since it was chugging along nicely despite the rough treatment. It's a hardy plant and appreciates a good root run. If you're dealing with a damaged or more water-sensitive species, be conservative and choose a smaller pot than this so that you're not sitting any tender roots in a mass of damp, vacant soil too long. Certain death, my friends.
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You can use a smaller grade. I find it compacts a wee bit, and I prefer this size as a top dressing since it tends to stay put. I like to shake some old soil from around the roots of the plant in question into this new mix; it's probably just a superstition but since it preserves some of the microflora/PH from the previous environment it might just be beneficial. Who knows? Don't do this if your plant is struggling or displaying rot; you want a fresh start in that case. I am an incorrigible over-waterer so I always use ceramic pots and an open soil mix to give my collection a chance to survive my attentions. If your vegetable children are faced with a very arid, hot and/or neglectaroony type situation you might want to ease up on the drainage amendments. But to my eye, below right is some hot looking dirt, and if I were a xeric plant in a bar, I would definitely sway drunkenly toward it.
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< I like to fill the pot til just below the root/leaf union, and then to top up around the base of the plant with pure pumice. It's a fraught area for many species, especially those low to the ground and in the habit of hanging on to the dead leaves beneath their rosettes. In a damp winter or overwatering situation it can become funky town in no time, harbouring a nice dose of basal rot. |
Below- Let's move onto the poor somaliensis. I'm choosing a luxury plastic pot for this guy, even though I hate them with a white hot passion. This species is a survivor and I don't tend to overwater this specimen for some reason. It's pupping away too; multiple plants and busy roots mean there's less chance of soggy empty soil.
| < Same procedure as before. A shallow course on the bottom of the pot and careful filling all around the roots, then a good tap or shake of the pot to make sure the soil's worked all the way down and there's no gaps. > I broke off one of the small pups from the base. I'll let its stump dry for a week or two, then just push it into the upper layer of pumice where it will put out roots in a few weeks, forming a new plant. | 
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Below left: Brush all the soil and pumice out of those leaves or you're setting your plant up for some unsightly fungal spots. I keep two sizes of paint brush exclusively for dusting junk from my succulents; it's generally not a good idea to draft one in from your DIY stash as any solvent residues can burn your plants. And finally, below right: the finished product. Some grateful potted-on aloes beside their former homes. Only another two dozen or so to go.
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