This is Tom, I was gifted him when he was no bigger than a penne and he has grown big and strong. Well, he was strong, now he is weak like baby. His outside bits have gone all shrivelled and limp.
I thought maybe I overwatered him because of the squishy squishy, but maybe he needs more water since the tips are crunchy??
Help me save Tom, please!
He's in a south facing window, he gets maybe a solid 8 hours of light (if it's sunny, we do live in the UK after all)
by SaxAndViolince
19 Comments
It’s hard to comment on watering when you don’t tell us about watering.
Tom looks over watered. Let him really dry out.
Looks wet
I think its the additional sun, but following so I can get more insight too.
I wish Tom a dry recovery <3
I agree he looks overwatered. However I’m really commenting just to say I absolutely love your way with words!
“His luscious bits have gone like witch fingers”
He actually looks very healthy to me. At some point aloe plants will loos their lower leaves and reabsorb the nutrients. As long as there are no mushy bits, I wouldn’t worry.
But more time between watering is unlikely to hurt so you can try and see.
Waaaay overwatered. My trick is to look at the base of each leaf (are they considered leaves? I don’t think I’ve learned this yet) and the inner side will curve or swell and tell you if it needs water. If it’s swollen up like this it’s too much water.
Tom is sunburnt. Perhaps move Tom away a bit further from the window, where he will not receive direct sunlight, or receive less of it.
Edit: Now I look closer, maybe not. He does indeed look overwatered. Tom’s kind store a lot of water, does not need a lot of it. Check the roots, consider moving to a dry soil. Tom would hate staying in mush, do not water until the soil is absolutely dry. Watering routines can be deadly, always check soil before watering.
Its tinted red from the sun. I took an inside aloe and put it on my front porch one year thinking “it’s a succulent, it could do with a bit more light right?” After about a week, it looked much like yours so moved it to a shadier spot and it turned green again. Also don’t water until the top soil is dry. Edited to add I’m not sure if an aloe vera would suffer long term if left in full sun or if it would adjust to the amount of light it receives.
Mine is outside in Florida on a patio and I water once a month. When I was watering more frequently it looked like 💩 Lay off the watering and maybe just do it on the first or last day of the month.
I am worried about the black spots, my aloe had that and was infested with thrips.
Also to add to what other people are saying, aloes really appreciate a wide but shallow pot. Their roots are not very deep so if you have a deep pot, the water will stay down there and rot the roots. Their roots only really go down maybe 4 inches max, even on some of the bigger plants. If you do not have a shallow pot, you can always “make” a shallow pot by filling a taller pot halfway up with rocks.
I’d say less water, and les sun. Mine really green up in very indirect light or shade
Overwatered, I’ve had mine for 4 years now and it thrives on neglect😅
It’s always better to underwater aloe than overwater, it’s a plant that thrives in semi arid climates. Also, if you can, mix a bit of sand or any mix that have a good drainage
Mine get like that with too much sun
With my aloe I check the base of the leaves to see if they need watered after the soil has gone dry.
You can see yours look like a dome ID and you want them to look more like a gentle |( but still be firm to the touch. If they’re swollen out the way, they have too much water. If they’re thin, loose, and wrinkled, they need more water.
Mine have thrived for years in a full sun window, but I am in Scotland.
Tom might have a little sun burn