Expert: Greg Simpson - 4/15/2006

Question
Dear Greg--

I have an aloe plant that is about 4 years old. It's 17" high (from the soil) yet the individual leaves are only about 3-4 inches long, and quite thin (less than an inch in width).  I would like to encourage the leaves to grow longer and thicker/wider in lieu of the plant getting taller.  It's ridiculously top heavy, and will be difficult to keep potted soon.

The plant is in a cactus mix soil, I saturate it with water, then let it completely dry between waterings.  It is in front of a large picture window that gets E/SE sun exposure.

In case this matters, when the aloe was new and small, I kept it under a grow light.  Did that encourage the height?  Also, only one pup has ever sprouted from the plant.  It's also in the same situation (tall and narrow).

Thank you in advance,
~janeen

Answer
Dear Janeen,

There are all types of Aloes, from ones that look like blades of grass to huge trees. If your Aloe is standing up on its own, then you may have a "tree type". It is very hard to tell whether your Aloe is supposed to grow that way unless I can identify it.

Actually, a low light situation can cause a plant to stretch towards the light. However, since you had yours under a grow light, that doesn't seem to be the case. If you can supply a picture, I should be able to identify your plant and give you a better idea of what to expect. Off the top of my head it sounds like an Aloe Plicatilis, see this webpage: http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Asphodelaceae/Aloe_plicatilis.html

If not, please send an picture to gregandkat@msn.com so I can identify the plant. Thanks.

Sincerely,

Greg