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soft sad aloe vera
glitterysequin
Posts: 1
hi there! 
(i only made this account five minutes ago so if there's anything else that i should include or have missed, please let me know!)
so i've heard that this is The Place To Go™ for plant advice! on that topic, i have a little aloe vera plant that isn't doing very well. he's been kept in slightly-damp soil for a while which i think is part of the problem, but all of a sudden he's started growing these strange clear and brown dots on his leaves! the dots appear transparent and then turn brown as they grow. when i scrape them off, they leave a little raw patch on the leaf and then just grow back.
the roots and section of each leaf closest to the centre is also very squishy so i'm a little worried it's a rot problem? also, the leaves are rolling up, which i thought was characteristic of dehydration, but i'm probably wrong. i've just re-potted him into drier soil and a pot that drains better.
would anyone happen to know what's causing the issue? i'd like to save him if i can!
i think that i've included an image of the dots and of the squish, if that helps. googling 'aloe vera brown spots' doesn't seem to turn up results for dots that resemble these fluid-y ones that look like they have legs.
so that's the problem; thank you for your advice in advance! any general tips are also very appreciated- i'm pretty new to looking after indoor plants. i'm taking biology a-level so can tell you all about chemiosmosis, and photosynthesis, and water potential, but these doesn't seem to help so much with this sort of thing!
cheers- issy
(here's the pictures of the ailing little guy. does it look like the spots are contributing to the squish to anyone else?)
(i only made this account five minutes ago so if there's anything else that i should include or have missed, please let me know!)
so i've heard that this is The Place To Go™ for plant advice! on that topic, i have a little aloe vera plant that isn't doing very well. he's been kept in slightly-damp soil for a while which i think is part of the problem, but all of a sudden he's started growing these strange clear and brown dots on his leaves! the dots appear transparent and then turn brown as they grow. when i scrape them off, they leave a little raw patch on the leaf and then just grow back.
the roots and section of each leaf closest to the centre is also very squishy so i'm a little worried it's a rot problem? also, the leaves are rolling up, which i thought was characteristic of dehydration, but i'm probably wrong. i've just re-potted him into drier soil and a pot that drains better.
would anyone happen to know what's causing the issue? i'd like to save him if i can!
i think that i've included an image of the dots and of the squish, if that helps. googling 'aloe vera brown spots' doesn't seem to turn up results for dots that resemble these fluid-y ones that look like they have legs.
so that's the problem; thank you for your advice in advance! any general tips are also very appreciated- i'm pretty new to looking after indoor plants. i'm taking biology a-level so can tell you all about chemiosmosis, and photosynthesis, and water potential, but these doesn't seem to help so much with this sort of thing!
cheers- issy
(here's the pictures of the ailing little guy. does it look like the spots are contributing to the squish to anyone else?)
0
Posts
I think the brown things are a type of leaf scale insect ... info here
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=224
They suck the sap and weaken the plant so they're not doing your aloe vera any good but the RHS link above has advice on dealing with them.
Also drought and over-watering can both lead to the same symptoms ... so .... I'd probably just wait for a bit and see what happens ... it may be that things have gone too far ... it doesn't look too good ... but I'd put it on a fairly bright but not sunny windowsill and cross my fingers. If the soil is dry give it a little water but don't soak it.
I'll cross my fingers for you too.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Repot in cacti compost,with added grit,stand the pot on some gravel,and let the plant take what moisture it needs from below.I very rarely water mine,it's in the bathroom and the steam seems to be all it needs. Good luck.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”