On 5/19/2014 12:11 PM, Higgs Boson wrote:
Somebody gave me a whole ****load of BIG Aloe cuttings.

Should I put in water for a few days before planting

Or?

(So. Calif coastal)

TIA

HB


When my Aloe vera becomes too overgrown, I take leaf cuttings; but stem
cuttings are likely better. Upon cutting, I immediately dip the cut
surface into rooting hormone powder, to coat not only the cut but to at
least 1 inch above the cut. I then let the cutting dry for about 2 days
before potting up.

For these cuttings, I use a potting mix that is about 2/3 coarse sand
(washed plaster sand is available at most building supply yards) and 1/3
peat moss. Even though this mix drains well, I keep the mix moist but
never wet. I use a small plastic pot (about 1 qt). It takes about 6-10
weeks for the cuttings to root.

After roots have formed and are well visible when the pot is removed, I
move the plant to a larger clay flower pot. I use the same 2/3-1/3 mix
plus some bone meal and a slight amount of blood meal. A. vera does not
require abundant nutrients. I add a half-handful of my own compost to
the mix to "inoculate" it with organisms that will make nutrients in the
bone and blood meals available to the plant.

All this also works with orchid cactus (Ephiphyllum).

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary