Thanks for the pictures of these mama aloes. I love all you passed along they are doing great. What soil mix do you plant them in and do you ever fertilize?

I am still figuring out the growing of the aloes. I still have not gotten any flowers out of any of my "special " aloes. I know that A. capitata is large enough to bloom. It might be because I do not fertilize them like many suggest NOT TO. I now do a 1/2 strength fertilizer in Spring like some . I will see if that will make a difference. I use fish fertilizer or seaweed, but most use other chemical stuff. I am not to good on the different types of fertilizer and why they use one set of numbers and not another. Then the guys give conflicting advise and that puts my poor head in a twirl.

I have been told to use a 30 humus/70 percent inorganic mix of your pleasure. I have used decomposed granite, Lava sand, expanded shale large perlite (to lighten and help with compression). For the organic I use barkfines, chunky coconut coire (helps with drainage) and a bit of native soil that takes a bit out of both catagories.Some take orchid dirt and add grit to it. Some do 30/30/30 native /soil humus/Grit. Most of these are not the truely xeric aloes and can deal with a bit of humus and more some moisture than others, but they still like it to drain quickly. Some people go through the trouble of washing the decomposed granite and lava sand through a mesh and use only the large stuff. Me, I am a lazy person. I mix up till it FEELS right with whatever I have around. They get a little on the friendly rich side of cactus dirt.. Have I confused you enough now?