Cold Temperatures & Aloe

Lately the weather in Texas has been pretty cold, with temperatures dropping below freezing some nights. Even though the Aloe Vera nursery is located inside, the room is not very well insulated. The premature Aloe shown in the picture were effected the most. Their lack of a well developed root system makes them suceptible to the cold, causing their leaves to turn a dull and yellowish hue. The pup on the outer right side appeared to be least effected. It retained the healthiest center out of the three plants with light green fleshy leaves and minimally reduced vigor. The larger plants were slightly effected, class one overall showed the most suceptibility, compared to class two and the mother plant. Slight darkening of the outer ridges of the leaves indicated damage along with slowed growth and vigor. By keeping the potted Aloe closer to the lamps I am hoping the slight temperature increase will be enough to help the plants get back on track

6 Weeks After Transplant

It has been roughly six weeks as of 12/21/13 since the class one aloe clusters were first transplanted. Normal vigor and color has returned. Some discolored purple/red patches are still visible on older leaves, but bright green centers indicate healthy new growth. Growth has resumed normal pace even in the weakest of the pups. When I first separated all the existing pups from the mother plant I made the mistake of cutting a few too soon-I should have left them attached to the adult for several weeks longer. New growth is now growing from the centers of these struggling "runts". The recovery process did not require much, I let the plants and time do most of the work. The six larger plants were watered once a week; the smaller three were watered twice a week. The water I used consisted of purified tap water; un-purified tap water contains chlorine, among other harsh elements, that can raise pH to an acidic level and burn plants. The difference in size between the plant in the bottom left corner and the rest of the group is actually an un-categorized plant used in comparison to the Class 1 plants to demonstrate rate of growth. This plant was in between classes 1 and 2 so I left it un-categorized for now until it reaches a more consistent size with one of the groups (for dosage amounts when fertilizing begins). The ninth plant from class one is still alive, it is just not shown in the 6 week picture. Four pups still remain attached to the mother plant. Two are still very premature, the other two are larger but should remain attached for several more weeks (one is more mature than the other). 

6 weeks later w/uncategorized plant

 day of transplant

                                                                                 ~Gabby
                                                                   The Green Project 2013

New Aloe pups

Two new Aloe Vera pups discovered this morning

Why Use Compost Tea as a Foliar Spray

What You Didn't Know
Vegetation evolved in the oceans- like their marine ancestors, land plants can take in nourishment through the stomata on their leaf surfaces; similar to the way seaweed takes in food directly from seawater. Stomata intake CO2 and excretes water and oxygen, they also transport nutrients to the plant up to ten times faster than than that of root systems. In addition,when plants first evolved on land they formed an alliance with the existing microbial life in the air and soil. Certain species of fungi and bacteria became the chefs that prepared the plant's food and the medics that helped the plant fight off disease. Plants prefer to dine on biologically pre-digested nutrients because it is more easily assimilated. Healthy plants possess a strong immune system that includes a "bio-film" of microbial life on roots, stems and leaves. 
So how does one make the best use out of all these biological principles? 
By taking compost tea and using it as a foliar spray. When the tea is sprayed on the foliage the plant becomes enveloped in living organisms-thus enhancing the web of microbial life which the plant is a part of. 
What Is Compost Tea?
Compost tea is a nutrient rich solution containing vast colonies of beneficial fungi and bacteria. These microbes digest nutrients into organic compounds that can be easily absorbed by the plant. The same microbes also colonize the surface of the leaves, creating a barrier for disease. Compost tea, unlike chemical foliar fertilization and mineral sprays, can not be over applied and does not burn leaves. Excess water running off leaves in microbe-rich droplets fortifies the soil and improves growing conditions. They also clean up toxic chemicals and turn them into nutrients. The results of this organic fertilizing method can be astounding: mineral rich vegetation, clear and glossy leaves, decreased vulnerability to disease, and even lessened insect attacks. The main drawback is that brewed compost tea is not always readily available-as it is a "live soup" and has a limited shelf life.

After about 3 months the potted soil in which the Aloe are growing will begin to deplete in nutrients. With further research I plan on partially recreating an experiment conducted on Aloe Vera plants using pigeon manure. Pigeon manure proved to show best overall results in Aloe Vera growth and development. I plan to test these results myself and will post my findings as the experiment advances. Further information on how to make compost tea, application amount, and storage will be included as part of the recorded experiment. There is currently no set date for the experiment to begin.

                                                                                  ~Gabby
                                                                          The Green Project 2013
                                                                           

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