Saturday, January 31, 2009

What in the world is happening to my Aloe?

The buds that were forming in my Aloe never did open. It got down to freezing a couple nights, and although I didn't expect that to make a difference, it seemed to kill the buds as you can see in this picture below.

However the really weird thing, is what is going on under the bottom leaves of the plant. There is a huge mass of something just exploding out the bottom, right under a leaf that got clipped off. There is also a thin strip of the same stuff on top of one leaf- which is visible in the top picture.
This Aloe was never planted properly, it got left in this spot, and just started growing into the ground. When I realized it had taken root, I added dirt, and left it where it was, but maybe that had something to do with this weird growth? Has anyone ever seen anything like this before?

5 comments:

Claude said...

Hey... thanks for stopping by my blog! I thought I would return the favor... What I think is happening to your aloe is a clump of christate growing. I've never seen it on an aloe, but it does occasionally happen on other cactus and succulents, and sometimes christate forms of plants are highly sought after cultivars. There are many causes that bring it about, hard to tell what started this.

I looked over the last few posts... you have a great garden!

Diane AZ said...

Some of my aloe are doing that too! It's so strange, kind of looks like cauliflower, instead of the normal blossoms that the hummingbirds like to drink from.

storyteller said...

I have no clue but find it intriguing and I'm glad Claude and Diane each had some feedback for you. Perhaps Google could shed some additional light? Thanks for visiting Happily Retired Gal last week ... I've not been online much since then so I'm just catching up now. You do have an interesting blog, so I'll return when time permits.
Hugs and blessings,

Aiyana said...

Yikes! If one of my Aloes got a cauliflower growth like that, I'd probably throw it out! I have no idea what it is or what would cause it. Most Aloe is hardy only to 50 degrees, so maybe it got a bit too cold for the tender flower stalk.
Aiyana

Unknown said...

I have this problem with the aloes in one area of my yard... it started with one or two affected plants a few years ago, now almost all of the aloes have it. Many have died. So, now I am digging them up and getting rid of them. I wonder if I will need to treat the soil before replanting aloe there??