We Get Questions
It’s Aloe dichotoma time in Massachusetts:<br /><br />Q: Hi, my name is Marc and I live in Massachusetts. I have a Aloe dichotoma as a house plant and it looks good. I have to battle mealy bug once in a while but other than that it is a really easy plant. I do notice that the very tips of some of the leaves seems to dry out, turn brown all awhile the rest of the leave looks healthy. Do I have to be concerned? I am not sure if this is a disease. I water the plant about 2 x a week. It is in very well drained soil (sand and light compost mix)and I suspect the plant is somewhat or at the beginning stages of being root bound. So I do not think I am rotting t roots with too much water. How much light should this plant receive? Lastly, I know that when it is winter here it is summer in their native country (S. Africa). Do I need to do any additional care or timing of the care to coincide with the seasons of the southern hemisphere? Look forward to your response!<br />
Do you ship plants to the East Coast?<br />
Regards,<br />
Marc<br /><br />A: Marc,<br />
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We water Aloe dichotama every two to three weeks in the summer and very little in the winter. They are heat loving dry desert plants. But if yours is growing and doing well I wouldn’t really suggest changing your routine. Ours are mostly outside year round so they take different care than indoor plants. While leaf tip browning is pretty common in Aloes, it is a sign of stress, but if it isn’t too bad don’t worry about it too much.<br />
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If you are having mealy-bug problems make sure you monitor the roots as they will get in the soil where you can’t see them and suck all the life out of your plants. And leaf tip die off is a sign of stress. Aloe dichotoma is more or less dormant in winter, keep it nearly totally dry particularly if it is somewhere cool (at or around 40°F) while it is dormant. Since the nursery is in a winter rainfall area we grow our Aloe dichotoma in gravely soil and in rose pots (extra tall Terra Cotta) Tall pots drain fast because of the column weight of the water and with the taller sided have more air exposure for the clay to dry out.<br />
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And yes we ship plants to the East Coast.<br />
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Good luck,<br />
Hap<br /><br />
