Toppled Aloe ferox

[Tracy]

Earlier this week, an Aloe ferox with heavy blossoms just collapsed.  I have 3 planted along the wall along one side of my corner lot, but only this one fell.  It appears to have collapsed under it's own weight.  I'm trying to decide whether to remove it, or just wait a little while and see if something strange happens and it survives with a kinked trunk.  Has anyone else had this happen?  The Aloes and adjacent Cycas thouarsii were planted to discourage taggers, and seem to thrive on the reflected heat from this south facing wall.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Eeeek!  Looks like a broken trunk, not kinked.  Won't that top re-root if you plant it?

[Tracy]

10 hours ago, Jerry@TreeZoo said:

 Won't that top re-root if you plant it?

I don't know...  it sounds like it's worth a try.  Thanks!

[Ben1]

You should let the wound dry well before plant it. Otherwise there is a risk, that the wound starts to rot. 

Maybe the remaining trunk resprouts as well if you leave it in the ground?

[John Case]

Let the top harden off, remove the flowers and replant in a pumice or other material....wait until such time as it shows some revival/growth before it gets watered.....Good luck.

[Tracy]

20 hours ago, John Case said:

Let the top harden off, remove the flowers and replant in a pumice or other material....wait until such time as it shows some revival/growth before it gets watered.....Good luck.

Thanks John,  I trimmed the inflorescence off, and made a clean cut on the trunk.  The pumice is a good idea, but between being heavy and nasty to handle, I'll have to wait for one of my sons to help me move it.  For now, I'm just letting it harden off where it is.

[John Case]

1 hour ago, Tracy said:

Thanks John,  I trimmed the inflorescence off, and made a clean cut on the trunk.  The pumice is a good idea, but between being heavy and nasty to handle, I'll have to wait for one of my sons to help me move it.  For now, I'm just letting it harden off where it is.

You have weeks or potentially months to do this. They have lots of water to maintain themselves until such time as you want to plat it. I would just be sure to try to keep it out of direct sun, at least in the afternoon until it is growing again. Good luck.

[Palm Tree Jim]

I would guess trying to move it with those spines could prove to be a challenge!

[The Silent Seed]

It may even start to root itself where it is - if the trunk is still against the ground. And the old "trunk" (in the ground) should re-sprout, as long as the break was not caused by rot - If the base is still firm, it should put out a few pups. 

Man, that thing is gorgeous with the flowers. 

[Mark lasvegas]

Don't forget to use rooting hormones.

[Tracy]

On 1/30/2016, 8:27:54, Jerry@TreeZoo said:

Eeeek!  Looks like a broken trunk, not kinked.  Won't that top re-root if you plant it?

Jerry you win the prize.  Yes, the top did reroot successfully.  I left the trunk in place, hoping it would come back to life, but its still just a stump.  The stump is just to the left of the telephone pole.  I'm inclined to put a small aloe in the place of the stump, allowing easier access to the pole should the utility company ever want to climb it (this one only carries either cable or telephone, but not power).  At this point, I have zero expectation that the stump has any life in it.

[Kevin S]

 I had other aloes they got damage just give it a clean-cut and let it dry out then restart the top.  Glad to hear yours restarted for you.

[LJG]

Toss the trunk Tracy, these single truck species won't all of a sudden grow a new shoot. You lost the growing point.

[tinman10101]

len is correct. if it was aloe barbarae that would be a different story. 

 

[Jdiaz31089]

Glad to hear you didn't lose it! I had the same thing happen to a trunking marlothii and now the salvaged top is starting to form its own trunk just a few years later.

[Tracy]

On 2/20/2017, 8:27:54, LJG said:

Toss the trunk Tracy, these single truck species won't all of a sudden grow a new shoot. You lost the growing point.

Yup, that is what I learned from this.  I just haven't decided which small aloe to put in its place.  I'm thinking something "disposable".  I would rather have a lineman step on a small aloe, rather than take a chain saw to my Cycas thouarsii on the other side of that telephone pole sitting which straddles the stump and the Cycas.

[Tracy]

On 2/20/2017, 9:07:37, tinman10101 said:

 

len is correct. if it was aloe barbarae that would be a different story. 

 

Actually if it were an Aloe barberae or like the Aloe Hercules (A barberae x dichotoma hybrid), I would definitely pull it out.  Before I built the wall on the backside where the stump is located, I had an Aloe Hercules planted close to where the wall went in.  I ended up pulling it out, because I was afraid, it would eventually damage the wall as it got large.  They get BIG... or as some would say HUGE.  The one in my front was a 1 gallon in autumn 2010, and you can see what it looked like in December 2016.  Unfortunately, I don't have enough space on the outside of my wall to put a tree aloe.

[Tracy]

On 2/21/2017, 9:29:23, Jdiaz31089 said:

I had the same thing happen to a trunking marlothii and now the salvaged top is starting to form its own trunk just a few years later.

So it's been almost a year since I posted that the top made it on my Aloe ferox that "tumbled over" leaving the trunk in the ground and a separated head.  The interesting thing to note, is that my other Aloe ferox with similar light all flowered back in late November and early December.  This one again is just now flowering, several weeks later.  Before it fell over, it was always in sync with the other ones, but something has changed its interior clock.  At least for now.