Hi there,
I'm curious as to what I need to be doing with my aloe over the winter or whether anything will be necessary as well as what they will be doing.

What is it that makes the plants go dormant, is it less light or the temperature? Down here in Florida will the plants go dormant at all or will they continue to produce pups and grow all winter long or until the cold season in late January? If they do not go dormant do I need to find a refrigeration facility to store them until spring so they will be healthy come spring? How do I tell if they are dormant and to switch to a once a month watering? Will the soil just stay moist longer so I won't water it anyway since I check to make sure its dry first? What do I do to protect them when they're outside for the couple of frosts we get? What do I do if we actually get a freeze?

How do you prevent overwatering when they're outside in a wet place like coastal Florida? Does the sandy soil just take care of it?

If I plant them in the ground in December will the daylight from then onwards harden off the plants on their own by the time June rolls around or do I need to do it manually? They burn within 24 hours in August if left in direct sun, but I know people do grow them in fields outside here and is a possibility to keep them outside all year round.

Is there anything I can do to encourage them to produce pups? Can I pot the pups in straight compost/vermiculite?

I've not had plants very long so this will be my first winter, any other tips?