Expert: Greg Simpson - 8/31/2007

Question
I was given a fairly large aloe vera plant about a year ago, I've also got a little money plant now living on the same window sill. The aloe has started going brown, particularly the lower spikes, some of which are dying back. The money plant looks a bit sad too. The window sill doesn't get the sun until late in the afternoon - about 5pm. Is the position wrong? Also should I be using rain water for them (we have quite hard water)?
Thanks,
Zoie

Answer
Zoie,

It is normal for Aloe's leaves to die off from the bottom, so I would not be too concerned about that. Morning sun would be better than afternoon sun (from an intensity & heat standpoint), but as long as you plants exposure to direct sun isn't more than an hour or so it should be OK. Rain water would be terrific, but also adding a weak fertilizer would be good too. Hard water tends to build up a high salt content on the top of the soil after a while. If you see that happening, remove the top layer of soil and replace with fresh soil. Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Greg