Aloe winter watering Topic is solved

[ketsui73]

hi ralph
thanks.. I will drop you a note in the spring
Steve

[BrianMc]

I don't grow the plants you list, but have a varied collection. As you are growing plants in clay pots in the house my suggestion would be to play it by ear. If we have prolonged sunny periods you might want to give them a drop or two of water to keep the roots happy. I have converted most of my aloe and gasteria growing from plastic to clay pots over the last couple of years. In winter I tend to dribble the water around the edge of the pot and avoid the stem of the plant. The porous nature of the clay pots means that the soil doesn't stay wet for long, but the humidity it creates can keep the roots plump and happy. A few years back, during the big winter freeze, the winter started around October and ended March in my part of the world. I left my plants dry and lost an awful lot. They appeared to rot in dry soil. Once the roots go, if the stem is short, the rosettes can often follow quickly.

[ketsui73]

hi Brian
thanks for the feedback. Your experience fits in exactly with my dilemma. Poor light throughout the winter but not necessarily low temps indoors. I have got a high low temp monitor which shows the last 24 hrs. My plants have not dropped below 16 degrees and the highs are frequently in the low 20's. I did give them a little water in mid October. I may do the same again if we have a bright few days. I think these aloes (which are hard to totally kill) are still quite sensitive to over and under watering, the over watering side is always more risky, but as your own experience shows, no water for months on end may be no good either.
thanks again
Steve

[ketsui73]

Sorry i should have said all my plants are in clay pots.(see pic)