A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 One more Aloe Vera Question!

Hmmm...I wonder why there are so many questions here concerning Aloes--seems like it's a popular plant!

Anyway, I'm just wondering...I have an aloe,no, actually two aloes, in one four-inch pot. They're pretty much the same size. Either they are attached to each other or potted so close that from far away it looks like one plant. Should I divide it or just leave it like this? I want it to be as happy as possible. If so, I suppose just prying it apart or cutting it through would do the "dividing".

Thanks!

REPOT
Its not growing bigger much now is it? they can ve size controlled by size of pot.But they have shallow roots so are best happy in wide/shallow containers.I use a sandy mix,with my compost but yu can buy a cactus mix at walmart.i fertilize monthly and grow mine in full sun.I grow mine in ground in the summer and pot up for winter.I use just one leaf on plant for burns& insect bites& such& if i break one off I can let it scar over broke end and can stick in cup of mix and root up.It will also off set babies.I collect my babies around them in fall when dig her up.

Enjoy your plant

what type of fertilizer do you use for aloe? catcus food or something general like MiracleGrow? what type of "mix" do you use when you root a leaf? Sorry I'm very new to the whole gardening thing!

This is what I do--I give my aloe a dose of Miracle Grow (follow package instructions) once a month. I guess you can use cactus food too, but actually aloes are in the lily family. I've never rooted a leaf before...not sure if it works, but usually when I'm making a cutting I put it in a good quality potting soil. For more care instructions, you can search this website for helpful instructions on growing aloes.

By the way, I repotted my aloe vera into a new pot. She looks happy now !

I fertilize mine with 10-30-15.I don't know WHAT fertilizer they should actually get.I alternate kinds alot too.so they may get the perfect thing one time something different the next.My burgs& cannas are the only thing that gets the same thing really,but they get fertilized more roses too.I could by cactus mix ,but is easier to do the compost style and I add sand& peat to it so holds water pretty well but drains good also.when I pot out to ground.I add compost to hole spot is already sandy I turn soil& toss like a salad and pop my aloe in for the summer she looks droopy for a week then is perky self again.always looks better in ground.
I've had a few successful rootings,traded a few off some are slower seem root better in sandy soil and calloused ends.The 3 from last year have 4 leaves on them and one has 5.they are moved now to qt pots from drinking cup.they had stopped growing.