Aloes

[mickthecactus]

I'm building up a nice little collection of these so I will run you through them with appropriate links from time to time.

I know one or two of you are interested in them now.

[mickthecactus]

The said:

Shows how little I know about them - I thought there was only one sort called Vera. :

Oh good grief....

[4pygmies]

Ooh, yes please Mick! I have several which overwinter in the conservatoire.....they're fantastic plants I think.

[mickthecactus]

The said:

mickthecactus said:

Oh good grief....

Oh don't hit me Mick - I'm only little. ;D

I've got a Aloe in my bathroom BTW.

Called Vera presumably........

[4pygmies]

Mine's called Mildred...is that wrong?

[mickthecactus]

4pygmies said:

Mine's called Mildred...is that wrong?

How can you tell it's female?

[Sleepy]

mickthecactus said:

4pygmies said:

Mine's called Mildred...is that wrong?

How can you tell it's female?

Mick! You should be old enough to understand these things by now!!!

[Sleepy]

admin said:

mickthecactus said:

How can you tell it's female?

Mick! You should be old enough to understand these things by now!!!

If it's in a pink pot it is female. If it is in a blue pot it is male!!!

[Sweetleaf]

admin said:

admin said:

Mick! You should be old enough to understand these things by now!!!

If it's in a pink pot it is female. If it is in a blue pot it is male!!!

That may not follow these days babe, theres a lot of boys that look very pretty in pink

[madonplants]

sweetleaf2 said:

admin said:

If it's in a pink pot it is female. If it is in a blue pot it is male!!!

That may not follow these days babe, theres a lot of boys that look very pretty in pink

Good grief, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I don't mind women having equal status, but I don't want them turning boys into girls!

Keith

[mickthecactus]

OK, here we go.

I suddenly noticd that my Aloe collection had grown quite quickly and I now have 36 different species. This is a big family, the African equivalent of American Agaves. Many of the plants have beautifully coloured leaves and the bonus of showy flowers often in winter. By and large they are not difficult to look after and the usual soil and watering as elsewhere should work. The best leaf colour is usually in winter when they are dry. The Madagascan Aloes will need extra warmth say 11C.

Size wise they go from tiny (A. descoignsii) to huge, 10-15 metres tall trees (A. dichotoma, bainesii).

Lets start on them in no particular order and I would suggest you go to Google Images images.google.co.uk/ and ttype in the name. If there are other links I find I will confirm.

A. cameronii - one of my oldest aloes that was bought back for me donkeys years ago by somebody visiting Rhodesia (as it was still called then). This is a beatiful Aloe with sumptuous copper red leaves. The only problem is that the stems are thin and can only carry the heads for so long without bending down at which point I cut them off and reroot and sometimes simply plant in a flower bed where they will root up over summer. I have never flowered it.

A. plicatilis - the fan aloe. A very elegant Aloe with pale blue leaves. I grew this from seed and it now has 3 heads but is yet to flower.

A. ferox. Ferox means fierce which sums it up. Very spiky leaves which go a lovely pink in early Spring. Again, grown from seed it is a very big old plant and now stays out in the garden all year round in it's pot. I have used bubble wrap round it for winter protection but am trying a double layer of fleece this year. Yet to flower.

A. unknown "liberated from Spain". I saw this is in a Spanish garden and it was so handsome I pinced a bit. A low growing clump with small spiky leaves pale green with white markings. Yet to flower.

More to follow when I can.

[chickadeedeedee]

Hello. My name is Chickadeedeedee and I am an aloe killer.

I can grow orchids, cacti, all sorts of planty things but an aloe in my home is compost within a month, if that. I've stopped buying them, and ivy, because it is a death sentence for the innocent plants.

You've got a *very* nice collection, Mick. Love the descriptions you posted!

[maggyd]

Are you going to post a pic; of your collection? where do you keep them and in what conditions? I have a shortage of window sill space in my bungalow I used to have lots of house plants before we moved here now Ive a patio door in the living room and the window sills are in the two bedrooms!!

Would they servive in a cold conservatory?

[mickthecactus]

chickadeedeedee said:

Hello. My name is Chickadeedeedee and I am an aloe killer.

I can grow orchids, cacti, all sorts of planty things but an aloe in my home is compost within a month, if that. I've stopped buying them, and ivy, because it is a death sentence for the innocent plants.

You've got a *very* nice collection, Mick. Love the descriptions you posted!

C3D, you have to be experienced to kill Aloes. How are you growing them?

[mickthecactus]

maggyd said:

Are you going to post a pic; of your collection? where do you keep them and in what conditions? I have a shortage of window sill space in my bungalow I used to have lots of house plants before we moved here now Ive a patio door in the living room and the window sills are in the two bedrooms!!

Would they servive in a cold conservatory?

In time Maggy, in time.

They are in my greenhouse apart from A. ferox which is too big to come in and will have to take it's chances outside.

They will be fine in a conservatory but the Madagascan Aloes really need a min. of say 11c.

[bogmyrtle]

We were given two 'plantlets' a couple of months ago and don't know what variety and I haven't killed them off yet! The one has a little one, I will be following this thread to make sure they keep growing! (Not brilliant with houseplants).

PS - hubby calls them both Vera! Must try and identlfy them properly.

[mickthecactus]

bogmyrtle said:

We were given two 'plantlets' a couple of months ago and don't know what variety and I haven't killed them off yet! The one has a little one, I will be following this thread to make sure they keep growing! (Not brilliant with houseplants).

PS - hubby calls them both Vera! Must try and identlfy them properly.

Myrtle, if you can post pictures I will see what I can do.

[chickadeedeedee]

mickthecactus said:

chickadeedeedee said:

Hello. My name is Chickadeedeedee and I am an aloe killer.

I can grow orchids, cacti, all sorts of planty things but an aloe in my home is compost within a month, if that. I've stopped buying them, and ivy, because it is a death sentence for the innocent plants.

You've got a *very* nice collection, Mick. Love the descriptions you posted!

C3D, you have to be experienced to kill Aloes. How are you growing them?

Sorry to say I do have the secret touch ... and know-how to kill an Aloe. I can kill them any where in the house. On the window sill with the cacti and barely water them or on the other window sill and water them lightly ... or in the living room where the bulk of the house plants live ... They all turn to mush fairly quickly.

I thought I was over watering them as the base of the plants would get soft and decay and the crown was rotted. I replaced the plant(s) and ignored their pleas for any water and they still turned to mush although I never watered them! They have never survived long enough for me to even think about a feeding schedule.

I have purchased some in the summer and left them outside in partial (40%-50%) dappled sunshine. Those too turned to mush.

My experience is kinda like the Father in Monty Python's Holy Grail movie as he describes his rebuilding over and over of Swamp Castle, no? ".....It burned down, fell over and then sank into the swamp...."

[mickthecactus]

chickadeedeedee said:

mickthecactus said:

C3D, you have to be experienced to kill Aloes. How are you growing them?

Sorry to say I do have the secret touch ... and know-how to kill an Aloe. I can kill them any where in the house. On the window sill with the cacti and barely water them or on the other window sill and water them lightly ... or in the living room where the bulk of the house plants live ... They all turn to mush fairly quickly.

I thought I was over watering them as the base of the plants would get soft and decay and the crown was rotted. I replaced the plant(s) and ignored their pleas for any water and they still turned to mush although I never watered them! They have never survived long enough for me to even think about a feeding schedule.

I have purchased some in the summer and left them outside in partial (40%-50%) dappled sunshine. Those too turned to mush.

My experience is kinda like the Father in Monty Python's Holy Grail movie as he describes his rebuilding over and over of Swamp Castle, no? ".....It burned down, fell over and then sank into the swamp...."

That's bizarre. I know they can lose their roots but turn to mush?

What are you growing (or not growing) them in?

[chickadeedeedee]

Hi again.

The plants are either in a potting soil or a sandier cacti type medium. I've never even transplanted them from the pot in which they were purchased. I thought there was a fungal infection at the base of the plant that spread upwards causing it to rot above and below the soil line but that's just a guess.

I don't have any more Aloe now. Dead or semi-alive. I never photographed them either so I can't post a photo either.

[mickthecactus]

chickadeedeedee said:

Hi again.

The plants are either in a potting soil or a sandier cacti type medium. I've never even transplanted them from the pot in which they were purchased. I thought there was a fungal infection at the base of the plant that spread upwards causing it to rot above and below the soil line but that's just a guess.

I don't have any more Aloe now. Dead or semi-alive. I never photographed them either so I can't post a photo either.

I always repot any plant I buy as soon as possible as you never know what it has been in or what bugs might be on the roots.

Give them another go - they are worth it.

[mickthecactus]

Aloe calcairophylla - a little Madagascan aloe that I got from Kew last year. It is a relatively new discovery with blue leaves stacked one on top of the other. It's reputed to be difficult but it's been OK for me so far and now has 5 heads and flowers easily.

A.capitata v. gneissicola - Another Madagascan that I grew from seed. Lovely pale blue leaves with red edging and minute teeth growing in an urn shape. A really lovely Aloe. Can't remember if I've flowered it!

A. laeta also from Madagascar and also from seed. Another small growing Aloe with powder blue leaves edged with pink. Another lovely plant just flowering now.

A. polyphylla - an odd Aloe (as you can see from pictures) that comes from higher elevations and can be grown outside all year round in some areas. Still quite rare and needs a lot of water. Only got a small plant earlier this year but growing well so far.

A. dorotheae - I got this from Kew this Spring and it caught my eye because of the incredible orange colour of the leaves. Hasn't flowered yet.

[chickadeedeedee]

mickthecactus said:

chickadeedeedee said:

Hi again.

The plants are either in a potting soil or a sandier cacti type medium. I've never even transplanted them from the pot in which they were purchased. I thought there was a fungal infection at the base of the plant that spread upwards causing it to rot above and below the soil line but that's just a guess.

I don't have any more Aloe now. Dead or semi-alive. I never photographed them either so I can't post a photo either.

I always repot any plant I buy as soon as possible as you never know what it has been in or what bugs might be on the roots.

Give them another go - they are worth it.

I know they are nice plants. I did pick one up at the grocery store today, Aloe vera. I put him back *knowing* I'd kill him like all the others.

What can I do to not kill the next one ... if I have a next one?

[4pygmies]

All the Aloes Mick has mentioned above are viewable, alphabetically, on the link below - and just about every other Aloe in existence I think...

public.fotki.com/Grootscholten/aloe_prive_coll/



I didn't realise how many there were Mick - they are wonderful aren't they? I LOVE the Aloe polyphylla...oooh, I want some of these.....

[mickthecactus]

4pygmies said:

All the Aloes Mick has mentioned above are viewable, alphabetically, on the link below - and just about every other Aloe in existence I think...

public.fotki.com/Grootscholten/aloe_prive_coll/



I didn't realise how many there were Mick - they are wonderful aren't they? I LOVE the Aloe polyphylla...oooh, I want some of these.....

Good link 4P. Hadn't come across that.

I will have some spares next year. A. parvula, melanacantha for starters.