Brown leaves on my aloe

Discussion in 'Cacti and Succulents' started by gardengirl, May 4, 2008.

  1. gardengirl

    gardengirl Member

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    Should I cut these leaves off they are kinda mushy the new ones coming form the middle look nice and green, will these brown leaves recover?
     
  2. constantgardener

    constantgardener Active Member 10 Years

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    can you post a pic so we can see it? Much better id that way.
     
  3. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    i agree, we really need to see a pic.

    there is more than thing that can cause this type of 'browning', so without seeing exactly what is happening, it's hard to say what should be done to correct it.
     
  4. gardengirl

    gardengirl Member

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    I will try to post a pic as soon as I get it figured out.
     
  5. gardengirl

    gardengirl Member

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    Here is the pic of my aloe, I hope I am doing this right, sorry if the pic is too big.
     

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  6. tractorgrrl

    tractorgrrl Member

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    looks like it's getting to much water and not enough sun. they love the heat from the sun. i have one that got watered once a month. it got to big for my home and i had to put it outside. it's about 4 foot tall.
     
  7. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    i agree. overwatered.

    is that pot unglazed clay or plastic? if it's plastic, change it out for unglazed clay. and there should be a drainage hole in the bottom.

    what kind of soil are you using? aloe do not need anything that retains moisture, so, cactus soil mixed with perlite or small rocks is best for them.

    it's possible that there is some root rot there. only way to tell for sure is to un-pot and take a look at the root. cut off anything that looks dark/mushy and then pot up again.

    they generally do well in full light - not sure if that window provides that. what direction does the window face and how many hours a day is there sunlight coming in and what time of day?
     
  8. gardengirl

    gardengirl Member

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    The window is facing south east, good idea for putting small rocks and perite I'll try that, thanks. Okay I think it's offical Iam QUEEN OF OVERWATERING :)
    Its so hard to judge (well for me anyway) when you move into a new house and plants are in different light situation, temps etc.
     
  9. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    i agree, it's hard to help the plants make the adjustment to new surroundings!!!

    with succulents like aloe, euphorbia and cacti, you can always go the route of not watering at all for a bit as they can certainly deal with the lack of water. now, i know that it's hard to get used to that thought...we're so used to giving water to make our regular plants feel better that it takes quite a bit of adjustment on our part to not reach for the watering can when our succs are having issues...

    you can unpot it and let the soil dry out for a couple days and then pot it up again...and trim off any roots that are in bad shape, while you've got access. don't water it for at least two weeks after re-doing the soil. it should recover quite nicely.

    if you can find a spot that is full south or southwestern, your aloe will be thankful!!
     
  10. constantgardener

    constantgardener Active Member 10 Years

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    There are a couple of easy ways to tell if your plant needs water. You can go low tech and use a plastic plant label or piece of bamboo; use it kind of like checking if a cake is done. Put the label/bamboo along the inside of the pot into the soil; it it comes up with soil (think: cake batter) the pot doesn't need water. Another low tech way is to use a small decorative pebble on top of the soil; if you pick it up & there's moisture on the bottom (where it contacts the soil) you don't need to water. Once you get used to the weight of your plant, you'll get a good idea just by the heft when the pot is wet vs dry. Overwatering isn't just a problem for succulents, it's probably the #1 killer of all houseplants. So...take a deep breath...and put the pot down. Step away from the pot...! It probably doesn't need water yet.
     
  11. gardengirl

    gardengirl Member

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    Ha ha thats the hard part for me stepping away from the pot! Iam too much of caring houseplant mama Iam killing them with kindness (watering). Thanks guys for the advice I ran off yesturday to repot them in a nice catus soil (iam ashamed to admit i had them in regular potting soil ...sigh) I will definately try the ideas with the watering they sound so easy yet effective. Thanks every so much.
     

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