Aloe Vera in need of rescue

Hi! I'm relatively new to houseplants and have a question about my Aloe Vera. She was a healthy mother last year and produced about nine pups. I think I left them too long in with the mother, out of nervousness about dividing them as I didn't know what I was doing. Only two of the pups survived and the mother plant started to do badly - leaves lying flat and newer growth somewhat yellow. Since I replanted it it's doing a lot better, the yellowish central leaves have darkened, new growth is appearing and apart from the outer leaves it's facing vertically again. I hope I rescued it on time, but I was wondering if anyone could tell me if it's going to be ok and maybe provide tips on bringing it back to its former full glory. I've attached two pictures to compare, any input hugely appreciated!

If that is Aloe vera then it will enjoy a significantly larger pot, especially when offsetting. It's not a small plant. You can pop it out and see whether the roots have used up all the space in the pot. Otherwise provide as much light as you can indoors, which means daily sun, provide good drainage, and water when dry. The plant should be pretty tough when these requirements are met.

I don't know how you removed the offsets but if you had to cut into the plant to get them free, and then immediately re-potted, you probably lost them to rot. Next time, leave them out for a couple days until the cuts have dried and then plant. Dusting the cuts with a powdered fungicide will help too.

Also, its not necessary to remove the "pups". The plant will fill the pot and look quite nice in a herd.

Eep. Just popped it out of the pot to have a look. I don't think the problem is a big root system. What do you think? Is it a lost cause? What would you advise me to do?

It looks like you lost the root system (if this is the parent plant) but it is re-growing. I can't tell if the roots look healthy but there is a new shoot. I suspect it wouldn't be adding new growth in the roots were rotten. Carefully re-pot (I think the pot it came out of is perfect) in some potting soil designed for cactus or succulents - fast draining with a lot of grit so moisture is not held against the roots. Water sparingly until it re-establishes. You will have to water it once you pot it as the roots need to be against soil without air pockets. But with the right potting mix, it will be fine.

Aloe Vera are easy to grow but require a certain amount of neglect on your part. I have one that wasn't doing well so I dumped it, dirt and all, off the side of the porch into the garden. It became a giant in just a few months. %^)

Thanks so much for your reply, very helpful! Should I remove any of the roots or stem and leave to dry before I repot or just put it in some new potting soil as is? Thank you!

Don't remove anything. Handle gently so you don't damage that new shoot. Re-pot and ignore.

Ok, great. Thanks so much. I'll do that asap!

Does aloe vera have bugs? Mine has been in the GH all winter. Now it has black spots all over it and I don.t know whether To docter for bugs or if it is in the soil. Please advice me on this. Alday

Alday,

Start a new post with some photos attached.

Daisy

Daisy, I don't know how to post pics. However, These are like little black pinholes in the stems of the aloe and they don't look bright green. Any advice appreciated. Alda

Scroll to the bottom of the screen (below the message box). Click "Choose a File". You have to know where your photo is in your computer. I usually transfer photos I want to post to my desktop for easy retrieval.

Click on your photo and then click on "send". Wait patiently for the photo to load to this site. click on "preview". If you like what you see, click on "send".

Without seeing a photo, we would be taking wild guesses and that's not fair to you.

Hope this helps.

Daisy