The woody stem is the flowers stalk, it in itself isnt rootable but the seeds behind the flower/pod are.

Your much better to take the "pups" off and root them, once you've removed them simply place them in another container and "DONT water them", If you in an auto water system take the cuttings to another place and allow the cutting wound to caclus or heal, then place in soil

Dear Hay,

There's an Aloe FAQ at the C&S Forum that give the information you need.

I would detach the pups only when they're of a large enough size to be rooted on their own. Like watering succulents, if in doubt, don't -they'll be fine. Personally, I'd wait until warmer weather.

Here's the link to the Aloe FAQ - let me know if you have any further questions.

Aloe Nut Jeff

Here is a link that might be useful: Aloe FAQ

Are the woody stems you are describing at the base of the aloe or at the top? The flower stalks on the aloes I have seen come out of the top or from the center of the aloe. On leaf cuttings, let the leaf dry a bit & then plant in a shady area. There is a higher die off rate with leaf cuttings, but that is how I root them.

Dear Baci,

Aloes do not root from leaf cuttings - their cousins the Gasterias and Haworthias are known to do so, but unless you're tissue-culturing Aloes, the leaves are not viable sources of new plants.

Jeffrey, I have successfuly rooted 3 different kinds of aloes from leaf cuttings.

Dear Baci,

Leaf cuttings (IMHO) are just that - only leaves, not leaves and stems.

Could you post pics of these plants derived from leaf cuttings?

When you say leaf cuttings, do you mean that part of the stem is attached? Then I certainly agree with you. Otherwise, with all due respect, it simpleis not possible with Aloes to cut only a leaf and root it up.

Believe me, were Aloes-from-leaf-cuttings possible, you'd have rare aloes like Aloe pillansii and A. suzannae much more available - you wouldn't need to raise them from seed (that in itself is rare) or tissue-culture them.

I will post a picture when I have a good one. The west coast has drenched by rains this season, which has not been good for my rooting aloes. I had one that appeared to be starting, but it appears that the rain has drenched it. I will try pulling off a series of leaves & will post pictures if successful.
I am not saying this is an ideal method  I am just saying I have seen it work. As I said in the post above, there was a higher die off rate. I have over 400 cacti & succulents so I am not a novice. I also have many many chaparral & desert species - I am always experimenting with propagation methods. By not following convention I have been able to successfully propagate a few plants in pots that the main botanic gardens have not successfully done.
I plant aloe leaves that have been knocked off or those that I have cleaned just to see what has happened. I do not say to myself I can not try this because the books say it can not work. Rather, I think  I only have a leaf to lose  I would throw it away anyway.
I understand your need for proof of this. I will post pics on this thread if & when I am successful. If the thread falls off the forum I will start a new thread. I will have nothing more to add to the post until I have the pictures.
I know the difference between an Aloe leaf & stem  they are the leaves.

Baci, is it possible that the Aloes you root from leaves are intergeneric hybrids with Gasteria or Haworthia? Which Aloes have you successfully rooted this way? In any case, to someone just starting out, I would advise first to propagate by using offsets (aka pups), as this is the easiest method.

Dear RJ,

If I understand Baci, she won't be responding to your email.

I'm hopeful I did not imply that she is a novice - it's just that I know folks who grow many more (and difficult) aloes than I do, and they all say that leaf propagation is not possible, regardless of whether it's in a book or not.

I fully agree with what you wrote.

rjm710, they were common aloes. One was aloe vera & the others I have not identified yet.

Baci, if you rooted those Aloes from leaves, I'd say there's nothing common about them! ;) I tried Aloe leaves years ago, but didn't have success. I did have luck with a Gasteria leaf last year, but it took a looong time. I was also successful with a root cutting from Haworthia limifolia, but with that species, the offsets seem to come from the roots, anyway. I'm sticking with pups as my primary choice for any Aloe family propagation, for now. Post the pics when you get them so we can see your method!

The followings are pictures of a rooted leaf. No shoot was included. As the leaf bottom dries, it curls around, & new aloes are formed. The large leaf was one I tore off as I was cleaning an aloe.

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Dear Baci,

I guess it's a matter of semantics.

Thanks to another GWer, I saw your pics. Yep, those are pups, but you've also got a bit of stem on the end of the leaf. This allowed the pups to grow.

My idea of a leaf cutting is just that - a leaf with no stem tissue on it. As you probably know, you can grow plants from the Aloe's relatives, Haworthias and Gasterias, from true leaf cuttings - even an 1" cutting from the end of a leaf is enough.

I've not grown Aloes as you have, but that's an interesting way to do it. I'd just have to be careful to ensure there is stem tissue there so the pups will propagate.

As I said above, there was no stem/shoot tissue whatsoever when I took the cutting. It was a leaf only with no stem tissue. The end dried, folded around, & grew pups. Sorry, but it worked.

Baci, if you can do this on a consistent basis, I'd say you've really got something there! I congratulate you on your success. It might be good to experiment by trying again with 1/2 of a leaf vs. a whole leaf vs. a pup or offset from the same plant. My guess would be that the offset would be the easiest and fastest to root, but if you can get the others to root again, take notes and pics so that the rest of us can learn how to do it as well!
Ray

Hi, I have two questions on aloe plants for you experts out there.
I have an aloe house-plant that have grown too big and tall, and would like to cut the top half of the plant off.

1) Can I save the top part that I cut off and put it in water so it can grow new roots or should I just put it in the compost?

2) As for the bottom half, will it survive and continue to grow new stems?

Thanks

Fantastic!