dyzzypyxxy said:The tops still look OK, Tori, as long as they're not mushy.These are plants that store water and nutrients in the leaves so you can probably just set them on new potting soil, maybe prop them up a bit and mist, or water sparingly for a few weeks to get them rooted again.
A really well draining cactus mix would be good.
needrain said:I think it wouldn't hurt to just leave them laying out for a few days and then pot them back up. I have two big pots full of overrun. I didn't put them in soil, just stuck the extra in big plastic pots. They are still there more than two years later. At times I've pulled some out to plant in various places and they kick off and start growing. I should post photos of them. They actually look pretty good for something not really planted in a growing medium.
Swayback said:You likely had soil that retained too much moisture, it's not at all uncommon to see succulents that appear healthy above ground, yet a sharp tug will reveal no roots at all, just like yours!
As long as the basal plate is intact they will grow fresh roots!
Letting them sit around, dry, for a few days or weeks would be good.
They need to scan over before they get into the dirt.
Setting them on top of the medium will work fine, or you can poke them in a little.
The main thing is to NOT water them for a while! Probably a month... Just keep plucking them out and checking for fresh roots, you can start watering again then.
tarev said:Keep it dry, allow to callus, then repot to more well draining media, add more pumice to your soil. It has good recovery potential as long as it is kept dry and warm for now.
needrain said:Here's a photo of the extra Aloe vera that is living in pots without any soil. They've been here for more than two years, though every year I dump the pots over and extract a few to plant. I have a big pot planted with them containing soil. It's very crowded now. The only way I've seen this plant killed is by letting hard freezes kill it (I usually have some of those every year) or by over watering it. The last is by far the most common, but I've never done it myself. I hardly every give them water. They pretty much only get what drips on them from other containers or by rainfall. In winter, I just set these inside the garage.
needrain said:My garage doesn't get freezing temps. I have some electric heaters just to avoid any spell that gets too cold. I think in your area a potted aloe would need protection from below freezing temps. They just don't need a lot of water.
dyzzypyxxy said:But don't worry too much about rain, either. As long as they're in a fast-draining medium or no medium at all like Donald's, they will do fine. Mine are out in the garden just randomly scattered on top of the soil, and through the summer rainy season, they get a daily deluge, and very high humidity but they never rot. Pretty much take care of themselves.
I think in cold weather it's more important to keep them dry.