Question
Hi there.
I have an indoor aloe vera plant that i've had for about 3 years.  It slowly started to drop too many leaves, and didn't produce anymore, hence slowly dying I think.  So I went to check it's roots, and found no root system at all.  There is no root ball, just ~one 4-inch root string dangling off it's base.  I would like to save this plant and wonder how to go about doing that.  Also, I've been reading about propagating aloes, and when someone says to leave the baby aloe(without roots) out to dry the base a bit, then put it on soil, and lightly dress it, what are they meaning by lightly dressing it, and do i water it to encourage root production, or leave it dry?  Please some info on this would be so appreciated.

Answer
Dear Roxanne,

Aloes are some of my favorite plants.

Here's a link to an FAQ that will answer most of your questions:

http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/cacti/2000073249017614.html

I would not detach aloe pups until they're failrly large, but I think what they mean by lightlydressing it is that it should be potted in a minimum of soil - not potted up, as it were, until there are roots.

If you have more questions, you can right me directly at:

[email protected]

Kind regards,

Jeff