My aloe plant has developed a noticeable lean, and some of the lower leaves have wilted and died. At the same time, new pups are starting to grow. Should I be concerned about the plant’s health? Is there a way to correct the lean, or should I just reposition it and plant it a bit deeper in the pot?
Also, is it getting too much sun causing the leaves to die? It’s in a western facing window so gets hours of bright sun every day
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The plant looks fine as it gets bigger it will lean
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The yellow leaves are much more likely an overwatering/underwatering or poor soil problem than a matter of too much light. For starters, I’d check the roots for signs of distress or rot, especially if it’s been losing leaves. If you’re unsure if the roots look alright, feel free to attach a photo of them and I’ll try to confirm if they’re healthy or not. I can run through a few questions for you to ask yourself to help narrow down what might be troubling your aloe: - how many days do you wait before watering it? Do you let the soil completely dry out between waterings? - what kind of soil is it in, and what brand is it? Has it ever been repotted? If the brand of soil is Miracle Grow or the soil isn’t specifically a cactus and succulent mix, it’s probably that the soil is not well-draining enough for the plant and leading to overwatering or root rot. I’ll walk you through how to treat root rot if the roots look rotted, but in other case of the soil, I’d check the roots for rot, remove the old soil and rinse the roots with water and hydrogen peroxide, and repot it in a fresh cactus and succulent mix (that’s NOT Miracle Grow brand). I swear by Espoma’s Organic Cactus and Succulent Mix for mine, but any other brand of cactus and succulent mix should do. - does the pot have drainage holes? What type of material is the pot? It looks to be a glazed ceramic one, which is meant to hold excess moisture in, which the aloe might not enjoy as they need to completely dry out between waterings. Is the pot more than 1-2 inches wider in diameter than the width of the aloe’s root ball? If so, then it might be sitting in a lot of excess moisture soil after waterings and could be leading to overwatering or root rot. If that’s the case, I’d opt for a terra cotta pot with at least one large drainage hole or a plastic pot with multiple drainage holes, and a pot no more than 1-2 inches wider in diameter than the width of the aloe’s root ball. They like being snug and their pots and getting rootbound between repottings. Hope this helps!
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