A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Please help me save my lovely Aloe Vera

Hi all,

My aloe vera plant, about 2 years old and approx 18 inches across, needed repotting as it had sprouted 5 babies and the pot was rather full. So I repotted them all.

NOW: 3 of the babies have lost their roots - how do I rescue them please?

AND: the mother plant's "leaves" are no longer full and succulent green, they're going brown/yellow with brown tips, and they feel limp. Even the new stem shoots are coming through like this

The ONLY thing I did different to before was repotting. It's watered extremely sparingly, it's on a south facing windowsill...it was flourishing well before I repotted

How can I rescue my lovely plant, please?

Thanks in advance

Did you use a cactus potting soil or one that retains water?

Does your new pot have sufficient drainage?

Did you move it out of the sun by any chance? Or into a much sunnier location? If so could it be sunburn?

I used a standard houseplant compost, exactly the same one that I potted it in when I first got the mother (when she was just a baby) and subsequently - so while it COULD be that, it's strange that they've all suddenly taken a dislike to it. I'll probably get the cactus soil over the weekend and carefully repot (with some root hormone for the babies). Funny thing is, two of the babies are doing really well, in the very same soil!

Pot drainage is fine, and the pots are in exactly the same place as before: south facing windowsill, gets all the light/sun as before.

It's really baffled me!

i would put the babies directly in dirt, they should send out roots- or you can place in a shot glass with a tiny amount of water just on very bottom of plants and place in dirt as soon as it sprouts little roots.

i think your aloe needs time to adjust to its new pot. if it was not root bound i would have left the mother aloe in the same pot and just plucked a few babies off- it may have not needed a transplant.

it is normal for some aloes to wilt their bottom leaves as they grow- as long as the top ones are healthy still. if it looks wilty and brown all over it could be too much water- a bigger pot will hold more of the water you give the plant longer- and roots can rot. stick your finger an inch or so into the dirt to feel beyond the top layer of dry dirt- if its moist at all DONT water as often.

perhaps the season is switching and it is getting too much sun even though its in the same spot?

hope your plant cheers up soon!

My Aloe suffered the same fate. It was due to overwatering.

monitored it for a month and now, it is sprouting new babies again.

it is normal for the bottom leaves to dies off. maybe a better alternative is to cut it the moment it is turning yellow and use it for skin care?

I have an aloe vera that is in my bathroom. I don't think I have watered it in 6 months or more. Just the steam from the shower is enough to sustain it.

Maybe yours is getting too much water?

I think it was a combination of overwatering and it's new pot - bit of transplant shock! It seems fine now - 2 of the babies are happy, and I'm trying to encourage roots on the other babies. One of them is so happy that it's growing!