![]() Soil requirements: All aloe plant want a very well drained, light soil.In fact, of the many natural species, we have chosen the best aloe plant varieties for cultivation. Once you have read this article, you will be able to recognize and grow the most popular types of Aloe, as indoor or garden plants. These also give them qualities that make them suitable to different settings, both indoors and outdoors.īefore you choose from these many species of aloe plants, you need to know which one you are looking at… The shape of the all aloe plants is usually quite similar, but you can distinguish aloe plant by the size, leaf shape and, and often by the flower color as well. Belongs to Asphodelaceae family, plants of the Aloe genus has grown for millions of years on the Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian Peninsula. ![]() But if you put together various Aloe plant varieties, you will see how different they are, with their height, leaf shape, rosettes and serrated edges, which give Aloe its prehistoric appearance.Īloe is a genus of flowering succulents containing over 560 known species including trees, shrubs and perennials. They are known for their medicinal properties, but also for their beauty, long lasting blooms and exotic personality. ![]() ![]() I’ll focus on plants that do well here without requiring special treatment, and whenever I get a chance I’ll enjoy the incredible specimens at Succulent Gardens in Castroville.When you hear “aloe”, I bet you think “ Aloe vera”, but it is actually a vast genus of succulent plants. Will I get another Aloe polyphylla? Probably not. Ironically, I had toyed with the idea of planting it in the ground. I feel sad because this was one of my favorite succulents. Looking at the amount of rot, I don’t really see any way that my plant can survive. If I had transplanted my Aloe polyphylla earlier in the spring-or waited until fall-it might have been fine because it grows strongly when daytime temperatures are moderate and nights are still relatively mild. And then, seemingly from one day to the next, rot started to spread from the crown outward and the center collapsed. So all summer and into fall-we had hot days until recently-it sat in a pot that never dried out even though the soil was loose with at least 50% pumice. Since Aloe polyphylla doesn’t like hot summers, it goes semi-dormant, with growth slowing to a crawl if not stopping outright. The fatal mistake I made was my choice of timing. That in itself wouldn’t have been a problem because Aloe polyphylla has a vigorous root system that in time would have filled this deep pot. However, the pot is quite deep and holds a surprising amount of soil. Sure, it looked good in this egg-shaped pot and the width of the container was just fine. Then I made what in hindsight proved to be a fatal mistake: I repotted it into a container that was just a size too big. Since Aloe polyphylla is native to a high-altitude climate with moderate summer temperatures, it has a difficult time dealing with our 95☏+ days.Īgainst all odds, I managed to grow a specimen for a small 6” plant to a 12” specimen that was burst with vitality. Oddly enough, it’s our summers that are a challenge. ![]() It’s quite cold hardy for an aloe so our winters are no problem. Unfortunately, Aloe polyphylla is one of the more difficult aloes to grow in our climate. Take a look at this specimen at the UC Botanical Garden in Berkeley and you understand why.Īloe polyphylla at UC Botanical Garden, January 28, 2012 Most people fall in love with spiral aloe ( Aloe polyphylla) the first time they see one. ![]()
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