Viewing post #2557971 by Baja_Costero

You are viewing a single post made by Baja_Costero in the thread called Aloe problems - perhaps I'm overwatering?.
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Jul 21, 2021 5:23 PM CST
Name: Baja
Baja California (Zone 11b)
Cactus and Succulents Seed Starter Xeriscape Container Gardener Hummingbirder Native Plants and Wildflowers
Garden Photography Region: Mexico Plant Identifier Forum moderator Plant Database Moderator Garden Ideas: Level 2
Back at you....

(a) It depends on the aloe. Some, especially the hybrids, flower on and off year round. Others have a specific time of year they like to flower (often in the late fall or early winter). Yet others may bloom only once or twice a year but at different times in different years.

(b) It looks like you might have 3 different aloes, if I had to guess. At least 2 anyway, and at least 1 is likely to be a repeat bloomer.

(c) Thijs will probably be able to give you a more specific answer, and one that you can use for your plants.

Most aloes can take some winter cold in your location (zone 9b/10a) provided they aren't too wet when they hit the cold. I keep all my aloes outside year round, but we have mild winters (zone 11, annual low 46F) and extremely mild summers (annual high about 90F). Where you are, the problems will mostly start to creep in when it gets really hot (especially when it doesn't cool down at night), or when a plant is put into lots of sun suddenly, without a gradual stepwise adjustment over the course of weeks.

If and when you move your aloes from inside back to the outside, you need to start them out in bright shade or filtered light and slowly, step by step, provide increasing exposure to the sun, so they can build up resistance. Indoor sun is fundamentally different from outdoor sun (though it looks roughly the same to our eyes) because regular window glass cuts much of the harmful UV rays from the spectrum. It takes some time (weeks) for plants to become tolerant to full strength UV when they aren't used to it. Patience and observation are your best tools here. (Side note: aloes as house plants are very demanding about light and like to be right up close to your sunniest window, provided there's decent air flow and mild temps in the area.)

Those considerations about light (specifically direct sun) are in addition to the considerations about heat, though there is a pretty strong relationship between the two, in the sense that plants are most sensitive to sun when it's really hot. I'm just trying to break them down separately so you know what to do when you take the next step. It's probably best to move an indoor plant outside and get it used to some direct sun before it has to also deal with heat, if that makes sense.

Heat tolerance in containers is almost always limited by the temperature of the roots, so you will get the best results if the sun does not hit the sides of the container for much of the day when temps are marginal. You can fiddle with different things to get borderline plants to do well, but one of the first ones to try is to hide pots behind low walls, or group them so they shade each other to some degree, at the level of the roots.
Last edited by Baja_Costero Jul 21, 2021 5:26 PM Icon for preview

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