Newbie here to both the forum and to aloe gardening.
Unfortunately I searched for Aloe care after I replanted a sad looking aloe plant I've recently inherited. So I'm at a loss of what to do if anything.
There were 3 "pups" that I transplanted from a coffee mug into a slightly larger clay pot with normal soil and I don't believe any of the roots were exposed but I watered the new pot once the aloe was in. Did I just kill my aloe? Can I do anything or just leave it?
Thanks in advance for any help!!
Aloe plants are very prone to rot. When repotting an aloe plant, they do better when they are not watered right away. However I doubt that you killed it unless you are starting to have trouble with it or notice mushy soft areas on the leaves. These are fairly resilient plants. The reason it is best to wait to water after repotting an aloe plant, is that if their roots get slightly bent, or break because some of the finer roots can no matter how careful you are, it gives those roots a chance to mend or heal before bringing in water, that could make the wound soggy. Needless to say, when I first got my aloe plant, I did repot it, and I did water it right away, and I didn't have a problem.
If you want more information read on.
An aloe plant was the first thing I got to grow. Also the first problem I faced when I started growing plants inside 2 years ago. I'm very new still but I've done a lot of research about these plants because of my love for them and the problems I've had with them.
The most important thing that I've learned about aloe plants is that they are harmed when people fuss over them. I water mine less then once a month. It is placed in the sunniest window in our house, and it has doubled in size since we moved 6 months ago out of our dark apartment. If an aloe plant is watered too much, it will get sawgy and turn to mush. If this starts to happen, there isn’t much you can do for it other then try to dry it out again. For this reason, normal potting soil isn’t the best for them. It can work but you need to watch the watering very closely then. The best mix for an aloe plant, is a cactus mix. Or you can buy sand and mix that with the potting soil. Having said what should be done, I regret to mention that my aloe plant was in normal potting soil for the first year that I had it. Because I let the soil dry out completely, it didn't have a problem.
Aloe plants like to be root bound. So since you moved yours to a different pot I wouldn’t worry about transplanting it again for a while. When they become root bound, they’ll (Supposedly) start making more Pups. I say supposedly, because mine haven't had a chance to become root bound yet so I haven't had that experience of watching to pups grow yet. What ever container you put your plant in, Must have a hole at the bottom to drain extra water from. Aloe plants are very prone to rot and any moisture that stays on the bottom of the pot for a long period of time can hut them. I like to use terracotta pots because they draw the extra moisture away from the soil, but not so fast that the plant doesn't get it's needed water, and I've found that terracotta pots can be bought more cheaply at craft stores than gardening centers or super markets.
As far as the pups go, I'd check to make sure they have roots. I have a friend who gave me a second aloe plant a year ago that was a pup off of their huge, could substitute for a Christmas tree, aloe plant. When they gave it to me, it didn't have roots, and it was dieing. I used it as a learning process. And what I ended up doing was completely pulling the pup out of the soil. And letting it rest on top of the dirt. Once a day, I sprayed it with a mist of water, lightly, until it got something like a callous on the bottom, then I replanted it. Short story is, the plant is now growing and healthy.
Again. If given enough sun light, good drainage, these plants thrive on neglect. If you let it dry out, your aloe should be just fine. I've even heard of someone who had a large aloe plant, and moved. The plant got shoved in the back of their jeep and buried, under their luggage, where is stayed and was forgotten about for over a month, and actually grew to the window.
Can I do anything or just leave it?