Ok so I have been growing an Aloe Vera plant for almost a year now.... probably maybe 7 months or so.... it had been growing fine until two months ago; here is a pciture of it when it was smaller The bigger of the two is the one I am talking about, the smaller one did not survive. In any case, I decided to transplant it today and when I did, I found this now... I did transplant it, but I want to know... are Aloe roots supposed to be so long and huge? I wrapped little by little in the new pot and put soil over each wrap, but I would like to know, why did it stunt its leaf growth to enlarge its root growth, and how do I promote leaf growth? Thanks for reading!! Moderator's note: added a more descriptive title to topic
New plants, whether seedlings you started or plants you bought and transplanted into the garden, will spend time developing strong roots before you see a lot of above ground growth. And Aloe are slow growers so it's probably just fine. The soil in the first photo looks very wet? How often do you water it? They shouldn't be watered on a schedule but when the soil is dry...usually every week if it's outside and maybe every 2-3 weeks inside.
I do not water my plant more than once a week. I was instructed by the instructions to keep it moist for 3-8 weeks while it grew and established itself and was inside a dome "greenhouse: thing. Now I only dampen the soil every 5 days or so. I make sure that it doesn't dry out under the soil, but I don't drench it like i did in the early weeks of its growth.
Weekly watering is likely why the roots are growing but not the top. Remember this is like a cactus. I have one that is about 8 years old and during the summer I water minimally about every two to three weeks. Winter I water either once a month or 6 weeks. It is in a gallon pot and I give it about three cups of water and same in winter. The leaves store water and if you watch them they will tell you when it needs water. When the leaves are less full and not as perky, I water it.
Are you sure this is the aloe vera that you use for burns ect. Yours looks like it has flat rather than round leaves. There are several different varieties of aloe. Mine is the round full leaves. OK not exactly round, just round on back and flat on top. 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick when full of water. If yours are thinner than that with all the water you give it there is something wrong. How much light is it in?
It is in north facing side, I only have windows on that side or i'd have it south or west, but yeah I am not sure the package says it is a varying aloe plant, but it is still the type that helps with skin and burns Edit: I must have some kind of mutant plant hahaha
Could be. My old plant is about three feet tall and I have two year olds at 2 feet tall. One that is this years baby I haven`t repotted because I do not need any more. You want it just for postage? Another problem you may be having is with a potting soil if that's what you used, a good old sand/dirt mix they love. Thats what I use. Just go dig some dirt. If it packs on top no problem with these plants. I have repotted my old plant once in 8 years, they don`t really like it.
I've never seen an aloe with such long roots! I have a three varieties of aloe... one's the regular ol' Aloe Vera, the other is Soap Aloe and another smaller one (can't remember the name right off hand). And neither have roots like that and they grow pretty fast. After a few months they even start to multiply. So, I wonder if maybe you just have a variety that doesn't get very big?
I just found this post about my Aloe, which has FLOURISHED! And is super crazy!! So here's an update on an old post, but Well woth it! So the tiny little thing I was worried about, and with the super long roots? well Here she is! in her full glory! It's about half as tall as I am!
Strange... As the Aloe Vera we have here in my part of the world, has very tightly packed roots. We also refer to this planet as mother-in-law's tongue. And Yes, it doesn't require much water. As it's a heat loving desert plant. It's a favorite with the ladies. As the belief is that you can make your own natural skin care and products out of it. No idea if it's true or not. But women believe that the gel in the leaves of this planet will rejuvenate their skin or something... Commercially available products of this are also available in the cosmetic sections of department stores and in shopping malls. The internet and YouTube too is full of home remedies and cosmetics which can be made out of this planet. Personally I think it's just hogwash. As you only need to package something in green color and call it "100% natural" - And women everywhere will buy it, no matter what the price, regardless of what the real ingredients might be. And women who make their own cosmetics out of this planet at home - I am yet to see anything special in their skin. To me they just look silly, with cucumber slices on their eyes (and in the water they drink). And the hell of this planet whipped into a cream rubbed all over their face, neck, and hands. To me, such woman actually end up looking like marinated fish which I often barbeque. So not exactly beautiful by my standards - But then again, what do I know about fashion or beauty products anyway...
I do happen to be a woman and my only belief in them is they are very good at taking care of cuts and burns. ♀️
I wish I knew something which would be of help. But I have only started to learn about plants. It is a very beautiful plant nonetheless. @S-H Funny! Specially the fish! LOL! All I will say is that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Yes it's an obsession with us women. And no, we don't care what the rest say about our dedication to ourselves.
