Question
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Followup To -
One more quick question if you don't mind.  My students all wanted to know if they could have a cutting of the plant.  (We talked about that in class and they knew that by having a cutting they could start their own plants at home.)  I know I need to wait until I have more plants, in order to give one to every student.  But, when I do, where should I take the cuttings from if I don't want to ruin my own plant?
Thanks so much,
Miss Reed

Question -
Hello, I really need your help.  I recently received an Aloe plant from my boyfriend's mother.  She has a ton of them growing in her home.  She uses them all the time for medicinal purposes, and she loves the look of the plant.  One time when I burnt my finger she quickly cut a piece off and treated my finger with it. I am an elementary teacher, therefore, when we were discussing plants during one of our lessons, I told them the story of how a plant helped me.  They were so interested in it.  I then told my boyfriend's mother how interested the students were.  She then gave me a plant to keep in the room.  Now, my problem is, I have no idea how to take care of this plant.  I didn't want to ask her for help, because I didn't want her to think I didn't want the plant or no how to take care of it.  Anyway, I would like some help on what to do to have the plant grow to its fullest and be the healthiest as possible.  Right now, I have the plant in the same small pot that she gave it to me.  It is sitting by the window near the heater.  Is that a good place for it or not?  Also, I wanted to repot it, but I was unsure as to what type of soil to use.  I read that they have short roots that need to spread out.  So, I assume a wide pot instead of a deep pot would be better.  Anyway, the plant has one part that is about ten inches tall.  It then has multiple stems around it that go up and away from the center part.  Those are all about six inches long.  If you need any more information to help me please let me know.  Otherwise, how do I keep this plant alive in a school classroom?

Thank you so much,

Miss Reed

~Also, could I take a cutting and repot that to start a new Aloe plant?
Answer -
Hi Angela,

Keep your Aloe in the same pot. It has roots that need to dry out regularly and do best when kept quite potbound.

It does best on your sunniest windowsill. The heat will not bother it, although it may cause the soil to dry out more frequently when the heat is on.

Water your Aloe whenever the soil feels very dry. Add room temperature water slowly until a small amount trickles through the drainage holes. It is better to err on the side of dryness with this plant because it is quite drought resistant.

The smaller plants around the outside of the main plant are called offsets. They can be removed along with a small amount of root attached to each and planted in their own small pots, if you want to have more plants. That is probably what your boyfriend's mother does.

In general, this is a plant that does best with a little neglect rather than a lot of fussing.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

You can E-mail me directly at: [email protected]

If this information has been helpful, please remember to give me an AllExperts rating and nomination.  

Answer
I want to clarify the terminology here, A "cutting" refers to a portion of a stem that is cut off and then rooted in moist soil or water.

With an Aloe, you don't actually cut the stems. Rather, you remove the baby plantlets, called offsets, to propagate them. You remove them at the base of the mother plant where they are attached.