It looks like you may be asking about a cactus or succulent. In addition to any advice you receive here, please consider visiting r/cactus r/succulents for more specialized care advice.
A common problem with cacti and succulents is etiolation. This is when a succulent stretches or becomes leggy. Reply with “!etiolation” for advice.
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lilnugg_97
Put it back in a pot for starters
genescheesezthatpls
I don’t like messing with root balls personally. Just plop it in the dirt as is, she’ll stretch herself out.
It depends on how much time you have. If you are bored, you can split them apart by running it under water and coaxing them apart gently. It’ll be a long nerve-wracking process, but it’s an option. Buuuuuut you can put it in a bigger pot with soil and just keep them together. They’ll just require a bigger pot.
Responsible-Factor53
Find a bigger pot and put it in, cover with dirt and water when dry. Healthy plant. Don’t mess with it too much.
Trala_la34
If you put it in a bigger pot it will stretch out on its own no need to stress about that it’s normal if they’ve been in a small pot for awhile just did this with 3 of mine and they’re fine
divinehunni
r/rootporn
Independent-Sky-994
So there is no root rot problem I need to be worried about here ??
humdrumdummydum
Personally I’ve had the best results only slightly loosening the roots. I gently roll the ball between my palms until they have a little bit of “squish” to them (if you hear/feel snapping, stop!). Then I use a chopstick to free the outer like 10%-15% of the roots. Just enough so there’s a handful of dangly guys loose enough to poke into the new soil.
I’ve definitely repotted plants where I didn’t do this and the large roots didn’t protrude into the new soil at all, and only sent out a small amount of tiny thready roots.
DiscombobulatedAge30
I like to tease out the roots a bit. Not sure if it helps, but when they become root bound like this I think it’s a positive for the plant
Independent-Sky-994
Do I need to purchase a fancy dancy soil mix or will some basic soil and perlite do?
yurok02
Aloes are VERY temperamental when repotting. You must leave it out to dry for at least 24 hours before repotting it or it will 100% get root rot and die. Dust off as much dirt as you can then leave it in a nice dry spot for 24 hours. Repot with succulent soil and water.
dannuck
I’m not sure what you’re trying to fix. The plant and the roots look healthy. I would get some soil that allows good drainage (or mix in perlite to create that good drainage) and plant this dude in a pot that’s an inch or 2 bigger than the one you pulled it out of.
Kilbane
Does not need to be “fixed” just put in a little bigger pot with a good succulent potting/ soil mix and in a lot of sun and it will be fine.
sarcasticminorgod
r/whereisthefuckingsoil
heckpants
Looks great, just put it in a bigger pot and water occasionally 🙂
PriscillaEna
You have two to three plants there. Gently pull them apart gently massage the roots to go with the different plants. Get some cactus succulent potting soil and a container with drainage holes in the bottom make a well in the soil and drop the plant in the hole top off with more soil and very lightly tamp down. Use a water spray bottle and dampen the soil with a light mist. You don’t have to water again until the aloe leaves look slightly shriveled. Do not over water. That can cause the plant to rot and die I usually water my plants in the sink and allow the excess water to drain out the bottom and put it on a saucer in case more water comes out if you have some plants that were potted some time ago the water may look like it’s pouring down the sides of the pot. Look at the roots to see if the plant is pot bound and you may have to repot it if it’s not root bound take an old chopstick and poke in an out of the soil to break it up a little. I recommend the you tube channel b plants with Krystal she explains all of this much better than I do.
19 Comments
Thank you for posting to r/plantclinic!
It looks like you may be asking about a cactus or succulent. In addition to any advice you receive here, please consider visiting r/cactus r/succulents for more specialized care advice.
A common problem with cacti and succulents is etiolation. This is when a succulent stretches or becomes leggy. Reply with “!etiolation” for advice.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/plantclinic) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Put it back in a pot for starters
I don’t like messing with root balls personally. Just plop it in the dirt as is, she’ll stretch herself out.
https://preview.redd.it/lfca7p0e4axf1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=48f86740c32bb9659f2f99061ae00f463433b7b8
It depends on how much time you have. If you are bored, you can split them apart by running it under water and coaxing them apart gently. It’ll be a long nerve-wracking process, but it’s an option. Buuuuuut you can put it in a bigger pot with soil and just keep them together. They’ll just require a bigger pot.
Find a bigger pot and put it in, cover with dirt and water when dry. Healthy plant. Don’t mess with it too much.
If you put it in a bigger pot it will stretch out on its own no need to stress about that it’s normal if they’ve been in a small pot for awhile just did this with 3 of mine and they’re fine
r/rootporn
So there is no root rot problem I need to be worried about here ??
Personally I’ve had the best results only slightly loosening the roots. I gently roll the ball between my palms until they have a little bit of “squish” to them (if you hear/feel snapping, stop!). Then I use a chopstick to free the outer like 10%-15% of the roots. Just enough so there’s a handful of dangly guys loose enough to poke into the new soil.
I’ve definitely repotted plants where I didn’t do this and the large roots didn’t protrude into the new soil at all, and only sent out a small amount of tiny thready roots.
I like to tease out the roots a bit. Not sure if it helps, but when they become root bound like this I think it’s a positive for the plant
Do I need to purchase a fancy dancy soil mix or will some basic soil and perlite do?
Aloes are VERY temperamental when repotting. You must leave it out to dry for at least 24 hours before repotting it or it will 100% get root rot and die. Dust off as much dirt as you can then leave it in a nice dry spot for 24 hours. Repot with succulent soil and water.
I’m not sure what you’re trying to fix. The plant and the roots look healthy. I would get some soil that allows good drainage (or mix in perlite to create that good drainage) and plant this dude in a pot that’s an inch or 2 bigger than the one you pulled it out of.
Does not need to be “fixed” just put in a little bigger pot with a good succulent potting/ soil mix and in a lot of sun and it will be fine.
r/whereisthefuckingsoil
Looks great, just put it in a bigger pot and water occasionally 🙂
You have two to three plants there. Gently pull them apart gently massage the roots to go with the different plants. Get some cactus succulent potting soil and a container with drainage holes in the bottom make a well in the soil and drop the plant in the hole top off with more soil and very lightly tamp down. Use a water spray bottle and dampen the soil with a light mist. You don’t have to water again until the aloe leaves look slightly shriveled. Do not over water. That can cause the plant to rot and die I usually water my plants in the sink and allow the excess water to drain out the bottom and put it on a saucer in case more water comes out if you have some plants that were potted some time ago the water may look like it’s pouring down the sides of the pot. Look at the roots to see if the plant is pot bound and you may have to repot it if it’s not root bound take an old chopstick and poke in an out of the soil to break it up a little. I recommend the you tube channel b plants with Krystal she explains all of this much better than I do.
Just put in a bigger pot. Thats a perfect plant