Aloe and other succulents, winter care

Post by **Moon_Stone** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 5:46 pm

Ok yes, so this is an odd one. But I figured many of you probably have aloe plants or some other type of water-heavy succulent plants outside that you care for... I'm needing some "insider info".

I have a very happy, very large aloe plant (in fact so large, she can't fit through the back door anymore)... and its been getting down into freezing temperatures around my area lately. What I have always done was bring her in during the winter months so she didn't freeze-- and the months where I didn't bring her in, she froze and lost a lot of her stems. It generally took her about 5 months of warmer weather just to recuperate the growth she lost and then she'd be flourishing again by December... but then it gets down into freezing temps again, of course, and then she's freezing again.

On the other hand, even when I could fit her in the door to bring her inside, she hates being indoors and her dirt would mold terribly (even when I put her in direct sunlight and watered very infrequently... I even tried bringing her back outside during the day and then moving her inside at night-- still molding).

...So this year, I'm at a loss. The best idea I have is to put a trash bag over her at night (my mom used to do that with the orange trees)... but it doesn't really seem to be helping much- I still see signs of damage to her stems from the cold (I have been taking the bag off during the day to discourage the usual mold).

Any suggestions?

Thanks guys. :28:

~~("Lilly", my aloe -last year)

Post by **[Silver Dove]** » Sat Jan 03, 2009 6:56 pm

I am not sure if this will work, but here where I live in Canada, in winter people cover their plants with burlap sac and cover the roots with wood chips during winter....
I suppose worth a try if you'd like.

blssdpoet · Post by **blssdpoet** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 7:59 am

I really don't have much to offer in the way of advice, but a friend of mine showed me this video on gardening. Maybe there is a tidbit of info in it you can use?

http://quicksilverscreen.com/watch?video=51107

and the second part:

http://quicksilverscreen.com/watch?video=51108

I hope it will help you out somehow!!

Post by **Moon_Stone** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 9:08 pm

Thanks for the info guys- I haven't had a chance to view those videos yet but I will- I'm actually planning to add a pomegranate tree to my collection of greenery outside this spring, so perhaps there will be some help in there too that can help keep me from mercilessly murdering it too.

I'm sorry to say that it's too late for Lilly (my aloe) this year- she had a horrible reaction to the trash bag... so, with her half dead and dangling there, I squashed her into the door and she's now sitting on my kitchen table. The burlap sack is next year's plan... I think that will do just the trick. The bag apparently did keep the frost off of her but it also kept all the moisture in, and she essentially suffocated/drown where the bag was covering her the most. (poor baby). Ah well, she's resilient- I do something awful to her every winter but she bounces back, bigger than ever! (which is unfortunate because she can't fit in the door when she's healthy.) Ah, the catch twenty-two.

Thanks though! I really appreciate the advice!! :28:

~BB~

[RedWolf] · Post by **[RedWolf]** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 9:13 pm

Is there a way to divide her up and re-pot into many smaller pots? I don't know about aloe's but you can do this with other plants...

???

RW