I live in Casper, WY and I Have a Huge Aloe Vera that needs repotted but Im affraid of breaking him. For our climate he is rare, even for a house plant. He is 4' 2" tall, 38" from side to side and has about a 3" (stock?) Im not sure if that is the right word for an Aloe. I know this must sound kind of ridiculous, but I've had Henry forever. Can anyone give me advice, tips of the trade or (an old family secret) :-} for repotting this old beast without breaking him? I would so appreciate any ideas. Thank You

Sorry, I cannot give you any advice. I am just posting for a school
project.

pm4cls

On Feb 15, 3:03*pm, Clara wrote:
I live in Casper, WY and I Have a Huge Aloe Vera that needs repotted but
Im affraid of breaking him. *For our climate he is rare, even for a
house plant. He is 4' 2" tall, 38" from side to side and has about a 3"
(stock?) Im not sure if that is the right word for an Aloe. I know this
must sound kind of ridiculous, but I've had Henry forever. Can anyone
give me advice, tips of the trade or (an old family secret) :-} *for
repotting this old beast without breaking him? *I would so appreciate
any ideas. *Thank You

--
Clara

wrote:
Sorry, I cannot give you any advice. I am just posting for a school
project.

pm4cls


Which school sends you here to waste time and look like a fool? How is this
part of your education?

David

Clara wrote:
I live in Casper, WY and I Have a Huge Aloe Vera that needs repotted
but Im affraid of breaking him. For our climate he is rare, even for
a house plant. He is 4' 2" tall, 38" from side to side and has about
a 3" (stock?) Im not sure if that is the right word for an Aloe. I
know this must sound kind of ridiculous, but I've had Henry forever.
Can anyone give me advice, tips of the trade or (an old family
secret) :-} for repotting this old beast without breaking him? I
would so appreciate any ideas. Thank You

I would have several people on hand to do this. You need lots of pairs of
hands to hold the plant by several places so not too much strain is put on
any part, to hold the pot etc. Have the new pot and its filling ready, lay
the old pot on its side with people holding bits of the plant up and then
tap the old pot off the root ball. Clean it up and then all together lift
the plant the right way up and put in the new pot, stand it up and fill in
as usual.

D

On 2/15/12 12:03 PM, Clara wrote:
I live in Casper, WY and I Have a Huge Aloe Vera that needs repotted but
Im affraid of breaking him. For our climate he is rare, even for a
house plant. He is 4' 2" tall, 38" from side to side and has about a 3"
(stock?) Im not sure if that is the right word for an Aloe. I know this
must sound kind of ridiculous, but I've had Henry forever. Can anyone
give me advice, tips of the trade or (an old family secret) :-} for
repotting this old beast without breaking him? I would so appreciate
any ideas. Thank You

Are you sure this is an Aloe vera and not an Aloe arborescens (tree
aloe) or some other Aloe species? It seems quite large for Aloe vera.

Rather than preserving an old Aloe vera, I took leaf cuttings to start
new plants. When they were well rooted, I trashed the parent and used
its pot for the cuttings. I have to do this about every 4-5 years as
the plants eventually become overgrown.

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

Clara writes:

I live in Casper, WY and I Have a Huge Aloe Vera that needs repotted but
Im affraid of breaking him. For our climate he is rare, even for a
house plant. He is 4' 2" tall, 38" from side to side and has about a 3"
(stock?) Im not sure if that is the right word for an Aloe. I know this
must sound kind of ridiculous, but I've had Henry forever. Can anyone
give me advice, tips of the trade or (an old family secret) :-} for
repotting this old beast without breaking him? I would so appreciate
any ideas. Thank You

Pretty large for an Aloe Vera.

We have one that keeps forming leaves up the stalk then eventually
breaks off and falls on the floor. New plants start from the bottom.

Not sure it would be a good thing to take it out and re-pot
with the stem buried deeper. Anyway our technique is benign neglect and
we've had the plant for ages but it doesn't seem so old that we've named
it.

--
Dan Espen

Clara said:



I live in Casper, WY and I Have a Huge Aloe Vera that needs
repotted but
Im affraid of breaking him. For our climate he is rare, even for a
house plant. He is 4' 2" tall, 38" from side to side and has about a 3"
(stock?) Im not sure if that is the right word for an Aloe. I know this
must sound kind of ridiculous, but I've had Henry forever. Can
anyone
give me advice, tips of the trade or (an old family secret) :-} for
repotting this old beast without breaking him? I would so appreciate
any ideas. Thank You

Multiple people, and careful but snug wrapping of the plant before
attempting to remove the pot.

It might even be best (for the plant) to carefully break the old pot to
remove it rather than risk tugging on it.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

"Yes, swooping is bad."

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