My Aloe juvenna is in need of help and I'm getting desperate for advice.

[snowordice]

Hi all,

My Aloe juvenna (let’s call him Spike from here on out) has taken a bit of a sinister turn this past month. My friend gave him to me at the beginning of August, and (to the best of my knowledge) they had kept him inside near a south facing window for the year or so that they had owned him. He was green and looked healthy, but was long and strange looking (see photo 1). It took us until mid-August to figure out that Spike was an Aloe juvenna. (Later research told me that his stringiness was to to etiolation, a problem I am now trying to fix with more sunlight).

A few days after I got him, I left Spike out on my porch in a partially shaded area on the west side of my house for a week while I was on vacation. It was hot that week and the sun was strong, but I thought he would be fine behind the partial shade of the fringe of a burning bush. When I came back, to my shock he had turned sort of a reddish-brown color in some areas. This really freaked me out; I thought he was sunburned (see photo 2). In reaction, I moved him to an east-facing window inside my house. In retrospect, I think this spot did not have enough sun for him. In fact, I moved him back to that spot on the porch about the 16th of September after I had found out that apparently Aloe juvenna turn reddish-brown naturally when they are outside.

Admittedly, I probably under-watered him the first month or so I had him because I was scared to death of root rot. On September 5th I took him to a nearby garden center and with some help repotted him to an 8” terra cotta pot with a drainage hole (his previous 6” pot had no drainage hole), so now I am less worried about overwatering him. Since, I have given him one good soak on September 16th, and in a storm on the 25th he got hit with a little sideways rain spray (not too much though, there wasn’t even any drainage in the plate under the pot).

Long story short, I am worried about how Spike looks. He is a darkish brown color (see photos 3, 4, & 5) in most areas (although some areas are green, even one connected to the roots by an extremely etiolated section of “stem”...seriously, its holding on by a thread; see photos 6 & 7). I am picking off dying leaves every so often so his nutrition isn’t robbed, but I can’t tell what Spike’s actual condition is like.

There are areas of green near the root system which make me elated to see since that means there is at least something going on growth wise. There also seem to be some buds on other areas of established stalks.

My questions are:

Am I watering him enough (I’m probably shooting for once every two weeks now, but had been MUCH less giving before September 16th...like I’d splash a little water in there every so often but was too afraid of root rot to soak)?

Is he getting too much sun? Too little?

Should I trim some of those longer stalks?

Should I pull him out of his pot and propagate any pups I find to spread my luck around?

ANY advice is greatly appreciated. I will do anything humanly possible to not just keep this guy alive but to help him thrive. Seriously. If you have any recommendations on how I should be taking care of Spike, PLEASE let me know. I’m getting desperate.

Thanks.

Spike good before.jpg (97.41 KiB) Viewed 3342 times

Spike after Wyoming.jpg (84.49 KiB) Viewed 3342 times

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Spike root base bad good.jpg (131.91 KiB) Viewed 3342 times

Spike etiolation alive.jpg (101.68 KiB) Viewed 3342 times

[esp_imaging]

Spike is looking as though he has survived a hot, dry spell just fine and is now looking to put a bit of growth on now it's cooled down a bit. He (she?) looks like he could do with a good drink.

It's hard to comment on watering frequency (we don't know where you are, or you typical temperatures etc, plus watering depends on how vigorous the plant is and how moisture-retentive the soil is) , but a general rule in the growing season is to water thoroughly and then don't water again until the pot has (more-or-less) dried out.

Taking a few cuttings as insurance is always a good idea. Many succulents tend to grow a bit "leggy" over time, so if you cut off a few long straggly stems and use them for cuttings, it would probably improve the appearance of the plant. Spring is the best time for cuttings, but if you have a long, mild autumn, now could be OK too.

[nachtkrabb]

Hi,
my Aloe juvenna look similar to your Spike on the first pictures after the winter, which they spend indoors.
When they are outside for the summer and get too much sun and not enough water, they look similar to the last pictures. When they regrow during summer, the leaves in the beginning are light green and seem to stand out against the dark red-brown of the rest.
I will place mine into half-shade next summer and have promised them a lot more water. Of course, they have a well draining soil plus (suring summer) no saucer, so the "superfluent" water can flow out unhindered.
N.

[AnalogDog]

I would like to suggest that the plant known as spike is not an Aloe juvenna, but Aloe ciliaris, the Climbing Aloe. Otherwise, enjoy Spike, he's a fine Aloe.