I have two Aloe vera plants (well, maybe a bit more that that now), and after I repotted them from a cramped, 3-4 inch pot to an 8-inch clay pot in summer, they took off and doubled in size. Plus, they sprouted up a dozen little babies. I want to remove the babies and put them into their own pots so the larger Aloes will have more room to grow. I have done this with my teacher's plants once, where we took the whole plant out of its pot and removed the babies from the stem/roots of the parents. Then we re-potted the parents, and potted up the babies. I was wondering if this was the only way to seperate the plants, and would this time of year (winter) be a good time to do it?

Many thanks,
-Ben

Hi I did mine possibly 2 months ago now I think, and it seems to be growing ok with no probs I figured its best to do the disturbing when growth is slower so as to place less demands on any damaged roots so when summer comes and growth speeds up its prety much recovered.

Cheers James 8)

Hi Ben... make sure of a bit of root on them and they will be fine.. I imagine there will be some loss but if your Aloe is like mine it becomes a weed!!!
A wonderful plant and exellent healing properties

One thing to note when propagating any succlents by division or cuttings is that it's actually safer to let the cut/broken surfaces dry before potting them up again, to help to prevent rotting of the tissue.

Break the connecting stem to separate the pieces, then just lay them in an airy place for 24-48 hrs - you should see the tissue sry out and begin to form a callous which seals it off from the oputside. It won't hurt the plant to have bare roots for this long - honest.

I think it is better to put some charcoal instead of just leaving to dry.. don't know exactly why but it seems to work better.

Well, I divided the plants, and repotted up the mother plants. I was wondering if these plants flower often when they are older?

-Ben

Charcoal or sulphur just helps to seal the wound. It is often best to allow cactus/succulent cuttings to dry for several weeks or more to ensure wound healing. Large cuttings may be left for up to a year before being potted! Note that cuttings left to dry should be propped upright. If left lying down for any length of time, they will grow roots along the side rather than at the base.

I agree fully with Stephen! You're dealing with a weed here that's almost impossible to kill....... (there's always a first).

I've been growing it for years now and tend to split when the pots are completly packed with growth (half a doz heads up to half size or more). I also split in spring/early summer when if full growth as recovery is very quick and the heat prevents any rot. Normally I just empty on the lawn and spade into indivdual growing points, I do no even worry much about roots. Plant firmly into new pots in a very gritty compost (I'll pin with heavy copper wire if no or little roots to fix the plant). Water well and just sit back.

They flower ever summer - but don't hold any hopes - its not much of a show.

8)