A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 drooping aloe plant

Hi all,
I just got an aloe Vera plant from a friend who did not remember she even had the plant. But suprisingly it looks pretty good. I pruned off the dead pieces and gave it a good watering, and have it near window that faces east. ( I only have east and west windows in my apartment. The only thing about the plant is that is leaning heavily to 1 side and is very droopy. It has lost alot of the leaves near the bottom of the plant giving a top heavy look. Should I do anything to it? Or should I just let it be as it is? thank you for any help

Myrna...I'm wondering if this is for sure an aloe vera? If it has "leaves" coming off a stem or stems, then that's not what it is.

You can look at the pictures and descriptions on this site to see the varied shapes, sizes, and colors aloe can have. Maybe yours is one of the stemmed varieties. Just give it as much sun as you can so it can grow strongly!


www.aloestudies.org

Thanks Margaret for posting that site, I had never been to it and am finding it very interesting!

thank you for the response, I guess I used the wrong term leaves, but I do not know what they are called. But I did find it in the pictures it is an aloe nyeriensis. I repotted it into a slightly smaller pot and it's not leaning anymore but it is still droopy. I have it sitting right near a window. I did not want to put it in the window because it is cold outside. I hope this is plenty of sun for it. I love this sight, my thumb is getting greener these days.

well, the Aloe isn't doing well. the droopy leaves I mentioned are now drying up, so I guess I should just cut them off, but than it will look stalky. will the leaves grow back from the bottom? I don't know what to do for this plant HELP!!!

Things take time. It's only 7 days since your first post. Trust your plant. It doesn't want to die, and if you give it the right conditions, it won't. It also won't show luxurient new growth in 7 days. As the dying leaves dry up you can take them off, or leave them there, whatever you like. It won't grow new leaves from the stem, just from the growth point at the top. It may send out new shoots from the bottom in the warm weather. Some aloe have stems, with or without persistant dead leaves. Most aloe species rest in the winter, so your job is to be of good cheer, and wait until it starts active growth. Give it sun and a little water sometimes. In the spring you can lop it off and reroot it, I or someone can tell you how then, don't try it now. For now, let it be and see what it does.

ok I will let it rest than. I am going to remove the dead leaves and "be of good cheer" I was worried that it was dying. I have just recently gotten intersted in plants from taking care of the ones on my job. I was so proud that the ones at work have started to show signs of life again. So when I took the Aloe, and it began to look so sad I was afraid my brown thumb had returned. I am really enjoying plants now. thank you for your words of encouragement

Myrna, when you say the plant is "near" the window, do you mean the plant is situated at the side of the window, directly in front of the window but a few inches back so the plants isn't touching the cold glass, or something else? And how far (in inches or feet) is the plant from the window? These are all variables that determine the amount of light your plant actually receives.

Cricket

Something else to consider is that most plants slow down growth during the winter when the light isn't as available, which means that water requirements are reduced. Be careful not to overwater, especially during the winter. A droopy Aloe might be a sign of overwatering as could be soft stems. Have you noticed that the droopy stems are softer than they were?

Cricket

I have the aloe about a foot away from the window. It's very cold here and I was afraid that the cold air would be too much for it. The window it is near has a heating vent next to it so I have the plant back about a foot from both. Now the droopy leaves at the bottom of the plant are drying up but the top leaves are still plump. I have not watered it in since 12/8, this was after repotting it into a smaller pot, this helped with the leaning problem. It is very dry now but I have not watered yet. Should I?