Also, it's far away from anything now that will drop litter on it in the future. So I moved the plant afterwards, gave it several good hosings with water to try and remove the stains, and with the combo of that and new growth, it's looking pretty clean again. But, due to it's proximity to a hedge, I was annoyed with litter, namely tiny berries that lodged in between leaves and stained them last fall-winter. Last year, my big one got direct sun from the crack of dawn until early afternoon only. My conclusion is that either I did too much too fast or too soon, or that young plants just do better in their first couple of years with shade cloth protection (I'm leaning towards the latter). With my first plant (now my largest), I bought as a seedling, and tried too soon after a year of growing to give it more direct sun, which resulted in sunburn. They do grow rather fast compared to other Aloe species, and there appears to be a ready market for any extra plants too - more incentive. I'm thinking about ordering another batch of seeds as I feel it's a very rewarding species to keep growing from seed. I just sowed my last saved seeds of that batch from A.B., so it will be personally interesting to see if another year older, the seeds are less viable or not. I keep my medium moist using a tupper-ware type container, on a seedling heat mat, opening the lid daily and shaking off condensation, and misting the top with water spiked with H2O2. Anyway, results not as good % wise, but for the money, I feel I did better in # of plants that became viable seedlings. My next batch of seeds I got from Alan Beverly himself, and apparently he no longer believes that sanding is necessary! Also mentioned is that there appears to be no correlation between freshness of seeds and germination (up to 7 years I think I read). Interesting, My first seed sowing for them was also 5 seeds, similar result. No sign yet of sun bleaching - looks like the plant's relocation is going to work out just fine. I think it comes down to that this plant is now big enough to take it, and I moved it months ago so that it could acclimate as the sunny days increased.Īnd, every morning, a good watering, and how much nicer it is now that there's room in between the outermost lower leaves and the pot's edge! So much easier! The good news is the plant shows no adverse effects - so far so good! In previous years, up near a hedge where after the sun would pass overhead in the afternoon and provide shelter from the hottest part of the day - now no more! We are now having our sunniest days of this year, and a couple of record-breakers heat wise. I had moved my largest one early this year away from any sun shelter, wanting to finally provide full-time full sun conditions as advised, to promote the best and compact leaf form, but also in the back of my mind a little worried whether there would be any sunburn issue. The next big milestone for me would be a flowering event, hopefully within a couple more years. They are tricky in cultivation, but some simple applied knowledge can help a person growing the plants avoid the pitfalls, and enjoy growing them successfully. Although you can see in my photo that I did use a black pot, you can also see my white plastic skirt around the pot to prevent the sun from heating up the black of the pot. Regarding the sun, it's also important not to use black pots, because the sun heats up the black, and cooks the roots. The plants need plenty of sunshine as well, and one benefit is that UV rays kill Fusarium oxysporum, a foliar infection of which can kill A. Thus, in cultivation, he warns to never let them dry, as this continual water flow in habitat is their natural situation, as they evolved. Standing, pooling water is another issue, not good.Īccording to the info Alan Beverly provided when he wrote his thesis on the plant, and studied them in habitat and also growing them, successful populations of this plant result where undamaged grasslands free from over-grazing continue to regulate continual water flow to the Aloes below. I water mine daily, and as long as the water can flow through, it's all good. You're right about the good drainage, but at the same time they can't be allowed to dry.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |