My cactus has been living in a greenhouse just fine, but now looks like this. I'm guessing it's dehydrated but I don't know. How can I save it?
Also does anyone know what it's called? It didn't come with a name tag.
0
Posts
wild edgesThe north west of south east WalesPosts: 7,497
It's an aloe of some kind, a bit hard to tell in the state it's in sorry. Step one is get it out of the clear pot and into a terracotta pot with a suitable compost mix. Either buy cactus compost of mix John Innes No2 with about a third sharp grit for drainage. They can tollerate a drought so lack of water probably wasn't the issue. The growth in the middle looks healthy though so you should be able to save it with proper care.
A great library has something in it to offend everybody.
Your Aloe is probably A.ferox or more likely A.marlothii ; both very similar .
Older leaves on these plants tend to curl up and die like yours is showing signs of .
The central section appears fine . If you wish to tidy it up , get a good pair of strong gloves and a long breadknife or something similar . Cut of the old brown leaves as near to the main stem as possible ; they are very fleshy and cut easily . Leave to callous and don't worry about it . Refrain from watering , probably until next Spring ; they can withstand quite severe frost if in a g/house , and dryness throughout the Winter . Mine tolerate 6-months of complete dryness !!
It will look a bit odd with just a solitary trunk temporarily , but next summer will soon 'grow out of it' and appear as normal .
Plenty of rainwater and low-nitrogen plant food will help next year .
Apart from my advice here , wild edges comment is good to follow !
Posts