Five Days After Transplant

The newly transplanted Aloe pups are doing well five days later, showing only mild shock compared to their first transplant of being separated from the mother plant. The smallest of the pups have showed symptoms of stunted growth, their small root systems still need to develop greatly. Overall color remains green with no yellowing; older leaves have softened slightly. The larger pups remain healthy, staying light green in the center with new growth. Vigor has slowed little with mild discoloration and soft spots in the center of older leaves spreading outward. Below is one of the larger pups that is undergoing a great amount of stress; showing the most discoloration on older  leaves- turning soft and dark green. It will most likely be another one to two weeks before normal health and vigor resume.

Second Transplant of Class One Aloe Clusters

Before Transplant

After Transplant

Figure 1.

These class one clusters of nine premature Aloe were transplanted into individual containers today. I used a mixture of perlite and sandy soil favorable to cacti and succulents (perlite improves drainage as well as sand). It is always best to give each plant its own container when transplanting to avoid root damage and to promote optimum health. Due to my limited resources at the time I had to group several Aloe pups together into one container until I was able to find more nursery pots. First I separated each cluster by pressing my thumb and forefinger gently in between each plant. As I loosened up the soil in this manner I was careful not to smash the roots; instead untangling them by hand. Shaking the roots loose was avoided to prevent tearing and breaking of root fibers. Figure 1 depicts the cluster that was most difficult to separate. Their roots had become densely intertwined; minimal damage was done to the root mass of the plants. The clusters should have been transplanted much earlier to avoid this problem. I then dug a hole wide enough for the root ball and deep enough so that longer roots had more room to grow and were not packed near the surface. While holding the plant in place I gently covered the roots, being sure not to pull and tear the longer roots at the bottom. I cover most of the white, fleshy bottom of the plant base with soil, making sure the plant was fully covered yet not set too deep  After re-potting each pup I packed in the soil, especially around the base to stabilize the plant (some were more prone to being top-heavy than others due to restricted room for root development). Since the perlite soil mixture was moist they will not be watered for another day or two.

Seperated Aloe clusters; minimal root damage

                                                                                          ~Gabby

                                                                             The Green Project 2013

Aloe Vera Greenhouse: The Beginning

 

Mother Plant

    

Dried Aloe Vera Stalk off of Mother Plant

  This mother plant is the source of it all. When I bought her at a local tree nursery she had already gone through her annual reproductive cycle. In late winter to mid-summer (depending on climate) a mature Aloe will send up a tall, slender flower spike from the center of its rosette of leaves topped with a cluster of small, yellow tubular flowers. This stalk was already old and dry without any seed pods when the plant was purchased; however, Aloe also reproduces asexually. During asexual reproduction of Aloe, vegetative plant "pups" will grow alongside the mother plant at her base. At the time of purchase this mother plant came with 16 "pups" growing at her base. Transplantation of these pups was required immediately, as the small nursery pot that contained the mother was severely overcrowded.
Below: image of all transplanted "pups" with mother plant; with the exception of two small pups still attached to the mother plant

The nursery can be divided into three main classes based on size and maturity:

Class 1

Class one is made up of 9 of the smallest pups. It is always best to give each plant its own nursery container for easier transplantation and an overall healthier plant. Given my limited supplies I had to group several together. The first few days after being separated from the mother plant these pups went through transplant shock(not uncommon when transplanting any plant regardless of maturity). Discoloration along with overall lack of vigor and growth occurred for a few days until the pups found their rooting and began to resume normal health and growth. This class ended up being the most prone to this shock, probably due to the pups immaturity; nevertheless, all of the pups are still alive. As you can see from the picture some are much larger than others; they will have to be separated and transplanted soon. 

Class 2

Class two is made up of 4 of the largest pups. They were probably some of the first pups to sprout out from the mother plant considering their advanced maturity. Due to limited supplies these pups were originally growing together in a single nursery pot after I removed them from the mother plant. About a week ago I transplanted them for the second time into the pots they reside in now. When i began the second transplantation process the roots of the five plants were in a tangled mass and required great care in separation so minimal damage would occur. They showed very little traces of transplant shock with the exception of a minimal decrease in growth; normal growth rates should resume in another week or two.

Class three is reserved for sexually mature plants. Currently the only adult plant in the nursery is the mother.

The plant circled in red is un-categorized, it is too large to be placed in class one and too small to be placed in class too. Its rate of growth and development will determine which class it is later placed in. This categorization based on size will later prove helpful when it comes time to begin fertilization.

                                                                                        ~Gabby
                                                                            The Green Project 2013

What You Didn't Know About Aloe Vera

The use of Aloe Vera can be traced back as far as 6,000 years ago. The plant has been found depicted on stone carvings originating from early Egypt where it was known as "the plant of immorality". Some of the many uses of Aloe Vera include:

• topically for various skin conditions and to heal wounds
• orally as a laxative
• treatment of diabetes
• asthma
• epilepsy
• osteoarthritis
• burns
• sunburns
• psoriasis
• moisturizer

Vitamins that can be found in the plant include:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin B12 (important vitamin for vegetarians/vegans)

Enzymes (helps digestion by breaking down fats and sugars)

•  bradykinase-reduces excessive inflamation, thus reducing pain when applied to the    skin topically
• lipases and proteases-assists in digestive breakdown of foods
• some other enzymes can help digest dead tissues in wounds

Essential Minerals

• Calcium
• Sodium Potassium
• Manganese
• Magnesium
• Copper
• Zinc
• Chromium
• The Antioxidant Selenium

        Although the body only needs these minerals in very small quantities, they are essential for the proper functioning of various enzyme systems in different metabolic pathways.

Sugars

    Aloe contains sugars known as mucopolysaccharides. These sugars are derived from the Mucilage layer of the leaf that surrounds the inner gel.

               They enhance the immune system and help detoxify, thus bringing great benefits to one's health.

Saponins

    Saponins are soapy substances, forming about 3% of the Aloe Vera gel. They posses cleaning and antiseptic properties containing antimicrobials that prove powerful against bacteria, viruses, fungi, and yeasts.

Fatty Acids

• Cholesterol
• Campesterol
• Sisosterol
• Lupeol

Salicylic Acid

      aspirin like compound that has anti inflammatory and anti bacterial properties (salicylic acid can be found in most over the counter acne treatments and washes)

Amino Acids

    Aloe Vera gel contains 20 of the 22 amino acids our body needs.

    In addition, out of the 8 amino acids our body cannot synthesize, Aloe Vera provides 7.

Disclaimer: Each individual considering Alternative medicine should research further information and exercise caution. As always-moderation is key with everything.

                                                                     ~Gabby

                                                                           The Green Project 2013

                                                                      

The Green Project 2013

The Green Project is the beginning of an experimental entrepreneurship that will follow me throughout college as I apply what I already know to what I will learn as a student of Texas Tech University. In Spring of 2014 I will officially begin my freshman year of college as a distance student. I chose to complete my Bachelor of Science in Horticulture online as a distance student for one specific reason: the ability to earn college credit while experiencing first hand the different flora nonnative to the United States mainland. I will be documenting these rare opportunities as well as the progression of my Aloe Vera Nursery. As a student of TTU I will always have to return to Texas periodically throughout the year to take exams, complete labs, and participate in hands on work in the garden (such as pruning technique); but I will still have enough freedom to travel over long periods of time. Through this project I hope to increase my chances for scholarships and gain hands on experience relative to an internship; with some luck and TLC I may even profit from my nursery by learning how to make homemade organic products, a great resource to fuel my college fund and further help me reach my goal of obtaining my Master's Degree.

                                                                                               ~Gabby

                                                                                    The Green Project 2013