Question
Hi Greg,

I'm not sure if your knowledge covers aloe vera plants, but I have a challenge with several plants which have been succesfully grown indoors (we live in the UK) for about 5 years now.

We have had lots of 'babies' which have been succesfully repotted and are thriving.

The challenge is that the older plants are almost getting 'too big' for themselves - the leaves are thick and full of gel, they are over a foot long and it appears that they have become too heavy for their own root systems - hence, they are keeling over and uprooting themselves and some of the leaves are snapping in the middle.

What to do?? If this happens again I think we will lose the entire plant. At the moment they are staked up, but they seem so top heavy.

best wishes
Rachelle Strauss  

Answer
Hi Rachelle,

There may be two issues here. The first is your plants being top heavy and falling over. For an Aloe Vera that is normal. As the stem grows, the plant will bend over and creep along the ground. I have some Aloe Vera plants with up to a 3 foot stem creeping along the ground. There are 搕ree?Aloes (Aloe Dichotoma and Aloe Pillansi for example), whose stems are strong enough to hold up hundreds of arms with leaves on them if you like the upright look of the Aloe.

About the only solution if you want to shorten the stem, is to let it lay down into a neighboring pot (one with soil only) and allow the stem to come in contact with the soil. It may put down roots where it contacts the soil. If it does, you can make a cutting below the new roots and plant it upright again. Be aware though, that Aloes are very difficult to grow from a cutting without putting down roots first.

The leaves splitting is a sign that the plant is getting a little too much water. Not necessarily from you over watering it. If the air is very humid, the soil will remain moist. You can try cutting back on your watering routine to see if that helps.
Good Luck.

Sincerely,

Greg