Ok so here's the rotted pup.......please excuse the trash can lid I know it's tacky but well unfortunatley the pups going in the garbage :(
I REALLY don't understand this though, because the heat is on, everything here has been drying out quicker, so I don't understand why or how this happened. So if you experienced aloe growers could help a girl out it would be MUCH APPRECIATED! :)
Also I got a aloe blue elf recently as a gift, any special care for that one in winter so I DONT kill it as well? Thanks again!

Hmm.....looking at the pup one leave is WAY MORE ROTTED than the rest, could I have maybe gotten water on the pups leaf and it sat there? Probably so huh? :(
Still, I would appreciate ANY tips on care (besides watering carefully lol)

It needs to be in the proper soil. Until you do that, you'll be very liable to lose them.

You're sure that's an Aloe - my immediate thought was Hechtia / Dyckia, and as such you're likely cooking it (too much heat and not enough water)?

/pours another glass to see more clearly

my hechtia has smooth leaf margins, but could be dyckia.

Hmmmm.......well it wouldn't be the first time a nursery labeled a plant wrong. I thought I watered more carefully, but perhaps I poured some on the leaf and it ran down and collected at the base of the pup. I felt the soil and it's dry already. It's not in a completely horrid soil. It looks to be half cactus-succulent soil and half perlite. So any care advice? I'll look it up to see if it looks like a Dyckia. Thanks for all the help! :)

Well now I'm even MORE confused! Lol I googled pictures of Hechtia/Dyckia and yes there are a couple that resemble it but my leaves seam fleshier. Also I googled pictures of "aloe retro" and two pictures (out of the few that came up DID look like mine too) one thing the nursery did say is that in the beginning of fall the plant had turned red and they thought it was getting TOO much sun. (I happened to see it in the bathroom there and asked if it was for sale and had asked them why they would bring it inside next to a window INSTEAD of outside with the rest of the plants.) do dyckia a turn red in cooler temps like aloes? Do I have to wait for flowers to know for sure?

If the leaves are actually succulent it is probably an Aloe, though there are indeed some succulent Dyckias (and a few Hecthias)⦠looks like an Aloe to me, but not recognize that one⦠has HUGE teeth for an aloeâ¦. probably some hybrid.

Maybe it is Aloe dorotheae? Here is mine while stressed, so it is red. It returns to green, just like yours. The leaves on mine might be a little broader, and that may be the full sun and being PIG.

Thanks everyone! And yes Crenda I believe it looks like yours too! Thank you SOOO MUCH EVERYONE!! So ANY care tips UNTIL I can get it into a better mix come spring? Thanks again!

Looks like your Aloe is A. dorothaea, part of the Retro Succulents offerings from Monrovia growers. This species is a bit more sensitive to rotting out even when grown outdoors here in northern California. In full sun, they are supposed to turn bright red, that isn't a problem. I suspect yours was too wet at some pot, got infected by a fungal rot, and it has spread. I'd suggest giving it as warm and dry as you can arrange, and withhold watering for several weeks. This Aloe can easily go a month or more without water in winter. Maybe dust the base of the plant with a fungicide as well. A heated greenhouse with very bright light and good air circulation would probably be better than indoors, as at your latitude, the lower light levels in winter aren't helping either. This isn't one of the easiest Aloe species to keep happy as an indoor plant, nor even outdoors here in northern California where winter rains and chill can rot it out.

Here is a link that might be useful: Monrovia Retro Aloe series

Thanks again for the ID and words of wisdom! :)

Oooops!!! Sorry! Duplicate post!

This post was edited by LilBit7765 on Tue, Jan 13, 15 at 20:37

FWIW - I really don't like the goofy names this Retro Series sales gimmick is giving the plants. It is difficult enough to ID some of them. They should stick to the Latin botanical names.

I'll take your word for it that these are more prone to rot, especially during the winter. My winters are quite mild, so I can't compare the experience. But as for water during the summer, mine did fine outside in the ground through our very soggy summer rains. I have dry, sunny winters.

I keep all my plants in a gritty mix. I even fill the holes with gritty mix when I plant them outside. I figure it gives them a leg up for drainage during those wet months, even though the area is elevated. I probably don't water more than once a month in the winter. If it has been really hot (like this year in the 80s) and dry, I will water more often.

I would take the plant out of the pot and look at the roots. They should be firm and whitish. Remove any that look slimy or dead. And while doing that, go ahead a repot in a good, well draining mix. Be sure to remove all of the old soil from the roots. It can cause problems later. Don't water for at least a week after repot.

If you wait until spring, it may be too late.

I just wanted to give you an idea on the size of this plant, too. This is a picture when I bought it last March.

I find that it pups pretty heavily and grows pretty fast. This picture is from this morning. It is has put up an inflo, so I'll be excited to see that bloom! That is a one-foot ruler at the bottom.

Good luck!

Thanks Crenda! Yours is a BEAUTY!! I hope I can grow mine half as good! Thanks for the advice. I will do as you say and pull it out and take a look at whats going on beneath. Then I'll do the repot into the gritty. (I have plenty on hand lol) I was just a little Leary being winter and all but I suppose if I keep it dry for a week or two it should be ok! Thanks again! :)

Oh by the way, I TOTALLY agree with you on the retro series names! It does seem to make an already difficult task EVEN MORE TEDIOUS! Lol
Have a great day everyone!

Here is mine a couple of years back. The winter sun can turn it really red . but it is bit cold sensitive so I do move it in and out.
{{gwi:2124230}}

GORGEOUS! Thanks for sharing your pic wantonamara!