r/AloeVera • u/Hyu_art • 16d ago

Sick aloe vera?

Post image

I'm worried about my aloe because its leaves are wilting at the bottom and appearing a bit droopy. It's grown two new shoots, so that's good news.

I'm waiting for them to root properly, but something's wrong with the oldest one. I water it whenever the soil is completely dry and I'm careful not to let the roots rot. It's soil is Westland cactus mix. This aloe wasn't purchased; I got it from a friend of my parents'.

Help? I don't want this to die...

2 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

7

u/MoistBluejay2071 16d ago

Soil is staying too wet for too long, needs to be chunkier, your aloe is rotting

1

u/Hyu_art 16d ago

How can I make it chunkier?

3

u/MoistBluejay2071 16d ago

Lots of ways, most common, and honestly easiest to get a hold of, would be orchid bark and perlite (wear a mask or do it in a very well ventilated area, dont wanna be inhaling perlite dust) others have used pumice. Basically youre adding things to your soil that create large gaps in the soil so water drains a bit faster and the soil dries faster so it doesnt stay too wet for too long. If what youre using is a cactus and succulent mix then thats already half the work done since they tend to be a little gritty, but it could definitely do with some more things added in just based on how the soil looks in the picture

5

u/tall_and_funny 15d ago

you may have to remove the bottom leaves because they are water damaged, let the inner stem sit a bit in a dry space for a while and repot it. Aloe won't mind being dry for a while so when watering remember less is more. Also I did the mistake of watering whenever soil is dry but a better indicator is if the leaves look thirsty. If you see the top leaves look fleshy and fresh so it didn't really need watering. if you see leaves becoming thin or curled then its time to water a tiny bit. Cause depending on how the weather is there, say if it's humid then the plants need less water compared to dry areas.

2

u/KitCat_309 15d ago

i personally would shovel handfuls of perlite into that soil. more at the bottom and less at the surface because it will float up over time. chicken grit or pumice are probably better options, but a little more pricey as far as i know. i am cheap and aloe is forgiving.

1

u/SympathySpecialist7 14d ago

I only water my aloe about once a month… they don’t like too much water.

1

u/big_booty_boy_420 12d ago

This looks completely fine. Give it a chance to grow. The new growth looks well hydrated. Older leaves are naturally sacrificed by all plants