Help! My aloes are dying!

Wondering how to save a dying aloe? Or are you worried that your aloe may be dying due to too much or too little watering? Find out how to know for sure in this post!

I get quite a few emails from concerned aloe lovers, asking why their beloved plants are dying. Sometimes they are not doing anything wrong with their plants but other times, the problem is that the plant has been watered more or less.

It can be difficult to know what the reason is, but I’m going to give you some useful tips in this post so that you can diagnose what is going wrong.

Dry and dying leaves of Aloe Vera

First of all, it’s important to note that dying leaves are a natural part of any plant life – and aloes are no exception. This doesn’t always mean that your plant is dying, or that you are doing something wrong.

As your plant grows, it creates new leaves, while the older ones die . Therefore, if you see dry and brittle leaves in the lower part of the plant, and only there, you do not have to worry. It is normal!

If the dry leaves start to get unsightly, simply pull them gently from the base of the plant. When you remove the leaves, hold your plant in with the other hand not to disturb the roots.

Only tear off leaves that are easily detached or completely dead.

Excessive watering

While the dead leaves at the bottom of your aloe are perfectly healthy, the dead leaves at the top of the plant are a sign of a problem – usually over or under watering . The substrate can also cause problems for aloes.

If your plant’s leaves are starting to look yellow and transparent , and feel soggy or mushy to the touch , they’ve probably been watered too much.

An early sign of overwatering is that the leaves will start to fall off with a slight bump. If you start to notice blackheads on the leaves or stem of your plant, overwatering is becoming severe, and it can be difficult to save your aloe plant.

Some aloes are more sensitive to excess water than others . The arborescens aloe and the perfoliata appear to be one of the most sensitive. After just two to three days with too much water, these beautiful leaves will quickly rot.

How to Save an Overwatered Aloe Plant

The best way to avoid overwatering is to make sure the soil is completely dry before watering it again. As I’ve said in many of my other articles, most aloe plants can easily go weeks without water, so when in doubt, wait before watering.

As soon as you notice the symptoms of overwatering on one of your plants, start by reducing its watering schedule . Also check to see if a change to a better soil mix is necessary.

But if you are seeing black spots on the stem, you will need to act fast to save your plant. This will be a lot easier than it sounds! Simply cut off the leaves that show rot, removing any black spots, scoop it out of the ground and leave it out for a couple of days, then plant it in new soil.

Lack of water

While the most common problem is excess water in aloe plants, many plants are also sensitive to a lack of water. I have found that some aloes like to be watered more frequently than others.

If the top leaves of your plant start to wrinkle, dry out, and become brittle, then it’s probably time to give your aloes more water.

How to save an aloe with little water

For the most part, it is much easier to revive an aloe with little water than one with a lot of water. If your aloes are just beginning to wrinkle, they may recover quickly after one or two watering cycles . However, if they have almost completely wrinkled, I’m sorry to tell you that they have probably gone too far to recover.

To help them better recover from watering, be sure to thoroughly soak the soil when you water.

If you’re feeling adventurous, and maybe a little desperate, you can also try water therapy. This is ONLY for aloes that have been without water for a long period of time.

I hope that by understanding these signs and symptoms of watering problems, you can now save your aloe plant before it’s too late.