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Aloe 'Hercules'


MattyB

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For Florida Aloe thraskii would be a good one, it takes hot+wet+frost. Aloe rupestris might also make it, doesn't seem to mind humidity but appears to be slightly touchier to cold. And make sure you get a Hercules grown from tissue culture, cutting-grown ones will slowly rot away in a humid climate. 

Speaking of Hercules, does anyone know what the similar aloe is that Ball Ornamentals used to call "Aloe 116"? It was supposedly a near-identical hybrid out of South Africa, I think it was touted as having better resistance to aloe mite. This is from an old powerpoint they used to distribute, don't have any more info on it.

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

 I have one aloe Hercules.  It grows very fast for me passed up all my other aloes in size and height.  I think I planted in the ground in 2011 or 2012  from a 1 gallon pot.

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  • 2 months later...

Yunder, I think I bought my Aloe Hercules from Excelsa Gardens nursery in Loxahatchee, FL. Just drop by there the next time you're down in the W. Palm Beach area, but check to be sure that they still sell them.

Mine has survived just fine in Gainesville, FL (northern Florida) without any damage to it.  The only damage was from  armadillos eating the soil around the roofs. It eventually toppled over with its roots fully detached (underground). I didn't think it would survive, but I replanted it with zero roots anyway and it appears to be growing again. It has not been such a fast grower for me because I have it planted in deep shade, but it is doing fine otherwise.  I have it planted on a fast-draining mound with rocks underneath, but Yunder, your soil is such pure sand that you can probably just plunk it right in the ground without amendments.

MattyB, your is incredibly blue. Mine is green!

 

 

 

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  • 1 year later...
On 11/21/2011, 8:29:16, MattyB said:

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So Matty, what does yours look like today?  Mine has flowered before, but they were tucked up and into areas where it wasn't visible, and I missed the color.  This year I actually noticed a bloom and grabbed a photo.  Anyone ever get viable seeds off them? 

I love the texture on the trunk too!

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33.0782 North -117.305 West  at 72 feet elevation

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I can't wait to see MattyB's updates photos.

In the meantime, I have a cold-hardiness update for those of you who are zone-pushers. My Aloe Hercules was killed by our nasty freeze of January 2018.  It was our worst freeze in eight years.  I believe Aloe Hercules experienced either 24.4 or 23.4 Fahrenheit in my yard on the coldest night of that freeze event.  That was enough to kill it and mine was not small. It might have been about waist-height.

Oddly, though, I recall reading a gardener's blog from Arizona in which the owner of an Aloe Hercules wrote that his sailed through 18 degrees Fahrenheit one night without any problem.  I can't remember where, but it was somewhere in the desert in Arizona.  This suggests that 18 F in a dry desert climate is better for Aloe Hercules than 24 F in a humid climate like mine. 

I can't remember exactly, but I may have had mine for five or six years.  It had not been cold-damaged prior to that big January 2018 freeze.

Now back to you, MattyB (or anyone else who wishes to post their Aloe Hercules photos). 

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Mine had leaf tips burn last winter (as did one of my Aloe barberae). It has recovered fast this summer. It appears to be a fast grower. It’s been in the ground for s year now from about a third of its current size. 

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Both the parent species are somewhat frost tender and occur naturally in frost free areas of South Africa 

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I have one about 3 years from a one gallon size. It is now about 1.3 meter tall. Is there a short version? Mine doesn't look like the ones from So Cal. It seems to be in no hurry to get tall. It gets some water once a week. I am not aware of any others in this area to compare.20190109_120004.thumb.jpg.79e5b299c853b3

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2 hours ago, tacobender said:

one about 3 years from a one gallon size. It is now about 1.3 meter tall. Is there a short version? Mine doesn't look like the ones from So Cal.

Yours looks about right for that age.  Regarding height, just be a little more patient as it will just keep ramping up.  Mine was close to doubling mass every year for the first several years.

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33.0782 North -117.305 West  at 72 feet elevation

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  • 10 months later...
On 10/28/2016 at 3:04 PM, Tracy said:

They are very fast growers.  I planted mine in late 2010.  Two photos, first is from September 2012 and same plant today in October 2016.  I took one out in my backyard that was about 6' high because I planted it too close to my driveway and a wall for how fast it was growing.  I gave it to a friend, and it took 3 of us to get it into the back of his truck because it was so heavy.

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I thought I would post an updated photo of this now Aloidendron "Hercules" which is still only 9 years from planting.

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Wow, Tracy. What incredible growth and what an amazing tree yours has become. Fantastic! 

 

I had mine for a few years and it performed well enough in our climate not far south of the Georgia-Florida border.  However, a big freeze came along in January 2018 and killed it.  As long as your temperatures don't go below 26 Fahrenheit ever, you can grow this tree.  If temps drop down to 23 or 24 degrees Fahrenheit, Aloe Hercules will die.   I have read that it will tolerate colder temperatures in dry/desert climates.  Unfortunately, my climate is often wet and humid. 

 

Over the years, mine had minor leaf tip burn a couple of times after cold nights, but it quickly outgrew those small blemishes.   

Also, mine did fine in shade, but it won't grow nearly as quickly as when grown in full sun. 

Happy growing! 

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MartyB, show us your 2011 Aloe Hercules the way it looks today! 

 

By the way, here is one at a succulent garden in Santa Barbara, California:

 

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  • 2 months later...
On 11/21/2011 at 8:29 AM, MattyB said:

On Saturday, Paul, Bob and myself all piled in the new PRA Action Van and made a trip up to George Sparkman's place in Fallbrook. Paul took some pics of the PRA which I'm sure he'll share in a different thread, but here's some pics of the Aloe Hercules I got. I've read conflicting info regarding the parentage of this Aloe. It's a cross between A. bainesii and A. dicotima, but which one is the parent? I was going to put this up by the house in my new dry garden, but after George's advice, and doing some more research on the internet, I decided to put this monster a little farther down the hill. This tree aloe exhibits hybrid vigor and is expected to easily reach heights in excess of 30 feet tall.

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Matty, it is time to visit us here and update your post.... some of us aren't on SD Gardener :D

I'm thinking mine might be a male plant... if not, then I don't know what it is happening.

 

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  • 4 months later...
On 2/29/2020 at 3:56 PM, Tracy said:

 

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Editing... I decided that the low hanging branch was not well supported and might drop eventually.  It would smash the Encephalartos blow it.  The only solution was to remove it in small pieces so it wouldn't break anything below as the chunks fell.  I was successful, and used some tree tar afterwards as a precautionary method to seal it.  It looks a little more balanced now and less growing toward the southerly sun.

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3 hours ago, Gonzer said:

Coupla 4-5  at work.

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Looks good.  You do see them planted more frequently these days.  Unfortunately some people don't realize how big they will get and plant them very close to homes or overhangs.  My wife has a friend who used a landscaper  to redo their front lawn with drought tolerant plants who did this. She had to deal with an HOA as well as having to deal with the landscaper who insisted he knew best on the placement.  My wife reminded her how large ours is and to plan accordingly, but the landscape consultant and HOA won the day.  I wonder if they will come back and help remove them someday?

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Another concern with Hercules' placement in the yard is the all too real chance of getting crushed by falling limbs. The weight of their branches is much more when compared with similar sized limbs from "normal" trees. Before working in the vicinity of them it's always best to visually inspect the canopy underneath.

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Here's my two Hercules seedlings, the bigger one on the left is growing about twice as fast.  They are in full sun and took no damage in 2 nights at ~33F last winter.  Any idea why the one on the right is always unhappy-looking and 1/2 the size?  They were purchased at the same time from an Etsy seller SteadFastGardens in May 2019.  Should I repot the sickly one and check for root rot?

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5 hours ago, Merlyn2220 said:

Should I repot the sickly one and check for root rot?

I recall seeing the difference between the two in a prior post.  My first instinct in seeing the pale yellow color would be a root issue, but that is just my superficial impression, not based on any real experience with rot on Aloidendron species.  Probably wouldn't hurt to replant it or just determine where in the garden you want to grow it and go straight into the ground with both of them.

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12 minutes ago, Tracy said:

I recall seeing the difference between the two in a prior post.  My first instinct in seeing the pale yellow color would be a root issue, but that is just my superficial impression, not based on any real experience with rot on Aloidendron species.  Probably wouldn't hurt to replant it or just determine where in the garden you want to grow it and go straight into the ground with both of them.

Yeah I think I posted a similar picture earlier.  I repotted the smaller one and the roots seemed mostly healthy.  The stem was stout but was buried in dirt about an inch over the root initiation zone.  And the soil was soaked.  Apparently the mix I used was 50/50 topsoil and small gravel.  My normal "aloe and agave mix" is equal parts coarse sand/perlite/topsoil.  It was also sitting in a low spot on the table, so the bottom was sitting in a mini pond of mucky water.  I didn't notice any soft roots or rotten smell, so maybe it just didn't like the overly wet and organic mix?

I haven't figured out where I want to plant them yet, partially because I keep rearranging the yard.  Are these particularly sensitive to being dug up and moved at this size?

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1 hour ago, Merlyn2220 said:

Are these particularly sensitive to being dug up and moved at this size?

Wish I could answer that question but I have no experience.  Mine went straight from the pots they were in when purchased to the ground.  I typically use a lot of pumice in my mixes, but I know that it's tough to find in some parts of the country.  It really helps with draining the soil.

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11 minutes ago, Tracy said:

Wish I could answer that question but I have no experience.  Mine went straight from the pots they were in when purchased to the ground.  I typically use a lot of pumice in my mixes, but I know that it's tough to find in some parts of the country.  It really helps with draining the soil.

Pumice, Turface, and/or small ( pulverized ) lava { Doesn't matter which color } or Firelite ( Earth tone colored lava Rock available in FL, usually bagged ) are great for adding to the soil mix for these..  Can't really add much regarding moving them around, except when stepping up in pots or setting cuttings. That said, never had any issues.  Would wash off all the soil that one was in ( don't re-use ) and do a detailed inspection of all the roots..  Repot it into a 3gal and let it do it's thing.. W/ the heat/humidity there, it should catch up to the bigger one in no time. 

Finally decided i will be beheading the other big Hurcules i have thats been growing in the same pot as a Peltophorum in a couple weeks. 

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I've finally figured out a spot for one of them.  My Encephalartos Gratus x Whitelockii decided that it wanted to look more like a sprawling Gratus than a vertical Whitelockii.  So it's not going to work over here next to my pathway...at only 5' fronds it is already blocking half of the path!  I tied them up so I could walk past.  I think I'll plant one of the Hercules near here.  Most photos show them not branching out until they get nearly overhead, so I'm thinking that I should be able to plant 2-3 feet from the path without too much worry of getting poked.  Some of my other palms (Dypsis Lutescens, Dypsis Pembana and Caryota Mitis) somewhat hang over the path, but they are soft-leaved so it's no big deal brushing up against them.

Any rough idea of the diameter when they get up to 3-8 feet tall overall?  Thoughts on the below placement idea?  I'd just move the Agave Desmettiana out of the way, but I was thinking about putting one of the pots of Cereus Repandus/Peruvianus in the spot of the Gratus x Whitelockii and the Hercules around the area of the circle.

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I didn't follow @Silas_Sancona's recommendation the first time, I had just repotted as it was.  Since I didn't completely wash off the soil from the repotting, so I took it out of the pot...again!  It turns out that the clump in the earlier photo was a "plug" from the original seedling pot of probably a 3 inch diameter and 2 inches tall.  It was packed solid with a dense mat of peat moss and almost no roots inside the clump.  But it was kinda mucky there so it's probably good to not have the base of the plant in muck.  I repotted again in a tall quart for now, and will step it up again when it shows signs of recovery.  You can see I bruised the tips on the older leaves, so except for the new small roots and greener center, it looks worse now than when I started messing with it.  :D Hopefully in a couple of weeks it'll start looking nicer again!

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I moved my Encephalartos Gratus x Whitelockii yesterday and planted a Cereus Repandus/Peruvianus in it's spot.  @Tracy or @Silas_Sancona in this general area there's about a 6 foot width before branches would start interfering with walking down the path.  Photos of young Hercules look like they are mostly unbranched until they get near head height.  I'm thinking this would probably be okay, in the worst case I'd have to trim off an errant branch if it started growing too far over the path.  Thoughts?

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20 minutes ago, Merlyn2220 said:

I didn't follow @Silas_Sancona's recommendation the first time, I had just repotted as it was.  Since I didn't completely wash off the soil from the repotting, so I took it out of the pot...again!  It turns out that the clump in the earlier photo was a "plug" from the original seedling pot of probably a 3 inch diameter and 2 inches tall.  It was packed solid with a dense mat of peat moss and almost no roots inside the clump.  But it was kinda mucky there so it's probably good to not have the base of the plant in muck.  I repotted again in a tall quart for now, and will step it up again when it shows signs of recovery.  You can see I bruised the tips on the older leaves, so except for the new small roots and greener center, it looks worse now than when I started messing with it.  :D Hopefully in a couple of weeks it'll start looking nicer again!

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I moved my Encephalartos Gratus x Whitelockii yesterday and planted a Cereus Repandus/Peruvianus in it's spot.  @Tracy or @Silas_Sancona in this general area there's about a 6 foot width before branches would start interfering with walking down the path.  Photos of young Hercules look like they are mostly unbranched until they get near head height.  I'm thinking this would probably be okay, in the worst case I'd have to trim off an errant branch if it started growing too far over the path.  Thoughts?

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Yes, Hurcules won't branch until -at least- head height as you mention.. just get nice 'n fat ( ..and start looking intimidating, lol )  while shorter.. Think the spot you picked will be fine, don't see anything nearby it could cause issues with as it gets big..  

Not sure what to think about the small one.. I can see that a few of the roots look a touch "iffy" but thinking keeping it drier might help you save it. No more disturbing it, lol:P  That said, i've lost a couple of these,  a  Dichotoma,  and an X Medusa  at about this size,  so it happens..  Glad you were able to track down a couple more replacements, -just in case.

What really sucks is when you lose a nice, multi-branched specimen that, i my case, had started branching close to the base when i acquired it.. Think it was cut that low on purpose.. anyway, the second-oldest specimen i cut/re-rooted last year is what was left of that one, after all but one branch rotted off, and what was left of the plant decided to rot after being sunburnt  ..after i'd planted out front here.. My front yard has a history of killing stuff i plant out there, esp. this time of year lol.. Lost all 3 Agave i'd planted back in 2018, inc. a really nice A. parryi truncata. Like i said,  S---- happens.

Started the process ( mainly trimming leaves, to determine where i'll make the cut ) on the Hurc specimen with the kink in the trunk near it's base. Very curious if the base itself might try and produce new growth after being cut..

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1 hour ago, Merlyn2220 said:

Photos of young Hercules look like they are mostly unbranched until they get near head height.  I'm thinking this would probably be okay, in the worst case I'd have to trim off an errant branch if it started growing too far over the path.  Thoughts?

I concur with Nathan, that your spot should be fine for the Aloidendron 'hercules'.  Mine has actually branched lower than many that I have seen, which can go up 10'-12' before branching.  I have no idea if there are environmental factors that determine the height of branching or if it is completely random.  The other one I had that I removed and gave away to a friend several years ago, branched at a similar height if not a little shorter to the one in the front. Repeating myself for emphasis, in my experience that too was lower than most I see for branching height.

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Gotcha, thanks for the feedback @Tracy and @Silas_Sancona!  I've only seen one Hercules in real life, and that was years ago at a place out in San Diego.  The Hercules that looks nice is visually getting stouter by the day.  I'll take special care to not mess with the roots when I plant it. 

And of course, not mess with the sorta-sickly one again for a while!  @Silas_Sancona you mentioned that a few roots look a bit iffy, how do you determine that?  I know on palm roots if they are brown and squishy they are dead & rotted, and new/healthy roots are typically white or ivory and firm.  Is that similar on aloes?  I'm a newbie to aloes, so I am only guessing.

I have a few others in pots too, like Africana, Broomii, Cameronii, Ferox, Marlothii, Mutabilis, Spectabilis, Thraskii, Vaombe and Vanbalenii.  Some of these (like Ferox and Thraskii) seem to do okay at Fairchild Botanical Garden planted in a raised sand/gravel bed, so I hope to plant a few more in the ground in the future.  Tongaensis/Medusa is on my list too, I just haven't found one yet. :D

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2 minutes ago, Merlyn2220 said:

 

And of course, not mess with the sorta-sickly one again for a while!  @Silas_Sancona you mentioned that a few roots look a bit iffy, how do you determine that?  I know on palm roots if they are brown and squishy they are dead & rotted, and new/healthy roots are typically white or ivory and firm.  Is that similar on aloes?  I'm a newbie to aloes, so I am only guessing.

I have a few others in pots too, like Africana, Broomii, Cameronii, Ferox, Marlothii, Mutabilis, Spectabilis, Thraskii, Vaombe and Vanbalenii.  Some of these (like Ferox and Thraskii) seem to do okay at Fairchild Botanical Garden planted in a raised sand/gravel bed, so I hope to plant a few more in the ground in the future.  Tongaensis/Medusa is on my list too, I just haven't found one yet. :D

Nice collection!!..

Yes, Healthy roots on the this ..and your other Aloes will be lighter in color ( though brown ) and firm.. Going w/ how they look in the picture, most look fine, with obvious newer root growth present.. the "iffy" ones were those that appeared darker brown, particularly the two short ones facing down in the pic ..One looked like just the outermost tip might be questionable..  At this point, no reason to worry about it, let nature take care of it..

If you ever get down to the Sarasota area, there is ( or was ) -either a pure A. bainsii or Hurcules growing in a yard located at the intersection of Fruitville Rd. and Coconut Ave, just east of where Fruitville intersects the Tamiami trail ( 41 )

Looking at the spot again, they might have removed it, but there are some other Aloes ( and a sizable Ponytail ) still in the yard.. Anyway, Stumbled upon the place while headed home along one of my "scenic" routes between where i worked in Sarasota, and the house in Bradenton. Had like 12 different routes to escape afternoon traffic, ..or just sniff around various neighborhoods in between, lol...

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21 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

If you ever get down to the Sarasota area, there is ( or was ) -either a pure A. bainsii or Hurcules growing in a yard located at the intersection of Fruitville Rd. and Coconut Ave, just east of where Fruitville intersects the Tamiami trail ( 41 )Looking at the spot again, they might have removed it, but there are some other Aloes ( and a sizable Ponytail ) still in the yard..

Got it!  I see it on the July 2011 streetview, but it looks like they removed it between then and 2014.  There's something else growing in the spot to the left of the big bottle now.  It's big and twisty, but I can't tell what it is from streetview.

Thanks for the info on roots.  I'll probably have to repot some of my other aloes with looser draining mix.  A couple of them are growing but also showing some small black hard bumps on the surfaces, which I understand is a sign of too much water and a fungal infection.

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On 1/9/2019 at 12:16 PM, tacobender said:

I have one about 3 years from a one gallon size. It is now about 1.3 meter tall. Is there a short version? Mine doesn't look like the ones from So Cal. It seems to be in no hurry to get tall. It gets some water once a week. I am not aware of any others in this area to compare.20190109_120004.thumb.jpg.79e5b299c853b3

A year and a half later. 2 meters tall and triple branching. You were right, patience. Should be a beast someday.

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5 hours ago, tacobender said:

Should be a beast someday.

It will be a beast in short order.  You will be amazed what happens over the next year and a half.

33.0782 North -117.305 West  at 72 feet elevation

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  • 1 month later...

" Fat Boy " after the summer.. Getting more beastly..  Know a cutting has rooted in well when roots have hit bottom..  **Yes, i forgot the drain hole screens, lol:mrlooney:
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Almost time for the next cut, on " Fat Boy #2 " 
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Weird how the odd " Inclusion?" ..if you want to call it that.. on the trunk has a  Tiki-ish facial expression. Guess it knows what's coming, lol.
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Even in shifting, pretty much all day shade, some bleaching on a few leaves from this summers 53 days above 110F.
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..As i said in another thread, nothing was spared -from the heat- this year.. This Orbea variegata sits hanging from the Mesquite, completely out of any direct sun.. Extreme heat + watering.. even just to keep it going through the heat,  -at the wrong time- = A half sun killed specimen.. Glad these are easy to re-start.. Was looking really nice before being slayed.
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Pachycormus discolor awakening after it's summer nap..
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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Silas_Sancona.     I have a large 7 ft tall tree aloe in full sun in Phoenix AZ.    I am just noticing a soft spot in the trunk.   It looks like it may collapse like the one in your picture.   

Does anyone know if I can cut it off below the soft spot?   Will it grow another top(s)?  Can I cut the top off, let it callus and replant?

This aloe has been getting about 2 gph for two hours almost daily this horribly hot summer.   I was trying to save roses and jasmines, etc. that a designer thoughtlessly put all on the same watering line.  I have reset watering to twice a week for three hours.   I can easily change the emitter.   This yard has 6" emitter tubing around the base of two ocotillos and they look good!

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Molly

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  • 2 weeks later...

I finally got around to digging out the hole for my Hercules seedling.  Of course there was part of an old oak stump there, so it wasn't fun.  3 hours later I had a 5 foot diameter hole that I backfilled with a mix of equal parts native soil, perlite and Sakrete Paver Base (crushed limestone gravel). 

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And here's my baby Hercules in place!

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It is around 15 inches in diameter and height right now.  The two tiny Gentryi agaves and the Titanota cluster may have to move at some point, but they'll be fine for a year or so.  The Hercules was desperately trying to escape the 1 gallon pot, but the roots around the bottom and perimeter were still nice and white.  So no significant visible or smellable root rot.  My other small Hercules seedling killed off all the existing bad looking orange-pink leaves, but is growing a single nice green leaf in the middle.  So it may recover!

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7 hours ago, Merlyn2220 said:

I finally got around to digging out the hole for my Hercules seedling.  Of course there was part of an old oak stump there, so it wasn't fun.  3 hours later I had a 5 foot diameter hole that I backfilled with a mix of equal parts native soil, perlite and Sakrete Paver Base (crushed limestone gravel). 

586939702_AloeHerculesdigging.thumb.JPG.8f393915cd36c0b83e317288bb4c831f.JPG

And here's my baby Hercules in place!

2145100354_P1060543AloeHercules.thumb.JPG.42aae811bbd64d24d4ea8090ed5b6e14.JPG

It is around 15 inches in diameter and height right now.  The two tiny Gentryi agaves and the Titanota cluster may have to move at some point, but they'll be fine for a year or so.  The Hercules was desperately trying to escape the 1 gallon pot, but the roots around the bottom and perimeter were still nice and white.  So no significant visible or smellable root rot.  My other small Hercules seedling killed off all the existing bad looking orange-pink leaves, but is growing a single nice green leaf in the middle.  So it may recover!

Looks good. Might pull the Mulch back/ replace w stones around the base though.

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13 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Looks good. Might pull the Mulch back/ replace w stones around the base though.

I have some left over "river rock" from doing the path, do you think that would be suitable?  It's around 0.75" to 1.5" diameter.  Small pea rock/gravel tends to just sink into the sand and disappear.  :D

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2 minutes ago, Merlyn2220 said:

I have some left over "river rock" from doing the path, do you think that would be suitable?  It's around 0.75" to 1.5" diameter.  Small pea rock/gravel tends to just sink into the sand and disappear.  :D

That should be fine, bigger, say what you have to around 4" would work too.. Know exactly what you mean about smaller gravel "disappearing" esp. after a good downpour there.

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