Question
Darlene, I am also from Fort Wayne and attended a beginner's bonsai class that you were part of at the conservatory about 10 years ago. That ficus is still alive and I now have 5 bonsai trees now however this question is not about bonsai trees. I have a large aloe vera plant and am not familiar with the care of it. It appears to be a succulent. Do I water as a succulent, meaning about once a month or once a week? Presently, i am watering it once a week or so and it is doing fine.

Answer
Steve,

My email address is [email protected]  I would love for you to send me your email address so I can send you our Fort Wayne Bonsai Club Newsletter so you can see what we are doing. We will be offering another bonsai class at our show at the Conservatory in May.

Yes, your aloe is considered a succulent and as such needs lots of light. I water my aloe in the winter about every 10 days to 2 weeks. In the summer I water it weekly. Mine grows a lot of babies around the base of the mother plant. About once a year I attempt to remove most of the babies by gently wiggling them out of the sandy soil. That way I get most of the roots and can repot them in separate pots and give them away. If you have more questions you
are welcome to email me or write here again. You are also welcome to attend any of our bonsai meetings, we are very educational.  Good luck!

Darlene