My aloe plant and I need help.

[Pixie]

I messed up. I accidently killed my aloe plant. I didn't know that it was a cactus, so I over watered it. It's dead. The roota are totally gone but most of the leaves are still green and healthy looking. I dont want to throw them away,and I won't be needing to use that much aloe so soon. At the moment it is wrapped tightly in the fridge. My question is what can I do to preserve the aloe, are there any recipes one could share for lotions, soaps, creams or tinctures I could make to use this aloe before it goes bad? I will be searching the internet as well. (many heads are better than one, eh?) heh heh

 

I just put the aloe in the fridge today so it should be good for a couple weeks?

 

 

(betcha thought it was a gardening post! )

[Amishway Homesteaders]

Try this . . . .

take one small stem and cut it into 2 inch pieces.

then put the end that was facing down halfway down into some potting mix.

water A LITTLE BIT!

and put a baggie over the pot ( mini greenhouse)

they should root and give you new plants!

**this may take a while but check every few days to see if they are dry and if so mist them a bit.

 

good luck

[Pixie]

I potted 4 pieces in 4 small pots with 4 baggies.

 

As for the rest of the aloe...I still would like recipes for it. I am growing more aloe, so I would like to be able to use it.

[halfpint]

As stated above you can root some of the aloe. I have also put stems in the freezer in bags before. I found this to be good a few weeks ago when bumped my hand while putting wood in the stove and got a small burn - I had about a 1" piece of aloe in the bag in the freezer and it worked great to both cool and soothe the burn.

 

Dawn

[Pixie]

That SOunds like a good idea. I wasn't sure how well it would freeze.

 

Does anyone know how to make aloe drinks? A friend mentioned boiling the aloe, but wouldnt that kill a lot of the healing properties?

[Grubby]

I have a question about my plant.

 

My plant is starting to get really big and the arms/leaves

are starting to bend. Am I doing something wrong? Should I be

cutting these off?

 

I have a black thumb!!

[Pixie]

the leaves will bend! They dont stay straight, and some varieties of aloe curl more than others.

 

At least, this is what the lady told me that i bought my aloe from. SHe has an aloe plant that is almost 30 years old, it is HUGE! The plant I have is one of its great great great great great great grandbabies. heh heh THe reason I had asked her in the first place is because My SIL has an aloe plant, and it is a much darker green, the leaves are wider and they curl right over the side of the plantar. Mine stayed straighter, were more round than flat, and were a brighter green.

[Pixie]

this is what my SIL's plant looks like

 

 

this is what mine looked like.

 

[Screaming Eagle]

Pixie,

I'm thinking your SIL's plant is just another variety of Aloe but I'm not sure.

The thing to remember is that it's a 'succulent' which is close to cactus in water and environmental needs. I've had them freeze back in winter when unprotected outside and send forth shoots later in spring as they respond to warmth and (more importantly) light to stimulate growth. Temps above freezing are best since the cells rupture when frozen (which is what kills most tropical kinds of plants).

Water moderately in well drained soil. They sorta 'hold their own' water and can make it with minimal fertilizing but do like a weekly (or so) thorough watering with 'almost' drying out between waterings.

Good info about freezing the shoots. I didn't know that. But I've got lots of healthy aloe and 'pups' galore in spring. One of mine literally overflows the pot it's in and just keeps producing new growth year by year with very little care other than described.

[Grubby]

Pixie mine looks like yours.

[Pixie]

There are around 400 kinds of aloe acording to wikipedia.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe

 

 

I watered my aloe once a week and it died. My friend who had the almost 30 year old aloe said to water it once a month, but dont water untill the soil is DRY. Completely dry. We live in a very humid place, so maybe we have to water ours less than someone in a drier climate? just my guess.