broken aloe

[dog-facedflower]

my beautiful giant aloe fell out of it's pot, (twice) about 3 feet to the floor. many arms broke and are damaged. thankfully it's still alive and actually seems to be growing again! my question is, some of the arms are flat, dead at the ends and just hanging limp. it looks terrible! can I trim the arms off and plant the base deeper? thanks for your help!

[thanrose]

Qualified yes to planting it deeper. You could go a little deeper with it if you have too much stem for balance, but there could be increased problems with rot, especially where the stem is damaged.

You can trim off the bent, smashed or broken leaves, but some of them might actually still be viable. If they bother you, trim them off. Your remaining aloe will probably throw off some pups that will camouflage the naked stem and some of the damaged leaves.

[Kisal]

I think you could plant it deeper, but not several inches. Maybe an inch deeper. Whatever you decide, let any raw broken or cut ends callus over before you plant it deeper. If you put the raw ends into the soil while they're still "wet", it will invite rot.

If you have some broken leaves, you can let the ends callus and then plant them in soil, too. Not all aloe species will start a new plant from a leaf, but some will, so it can't hurt to try.

[dog-facedflower]

thanks to both of you for your advice!