A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The House Plant Forum Monster Aloe Vera Plant

I purchased an aloe vera plant as a personal gift to myself when we moved off our sailboat (after 10 years and no plants) about 5 years ago. I have moved it into a bigger pot at the appropriate time in its growing life and it continued to grow. It is now 2 feet in diameter and stands 27 inches high from the pot. It has Bloomed 3 times (bright yellow flowers in a drooping trumpet shape, the first one went clear to the ceiling) and has produced enough offspring for me to start my own Aloe vera only garden centre.

My question to you all is....is there some way of getting the blooms without getting the offspring? Also is there some way to get it to bloom in May instead of March? I would like to put it outside for the humming birds but ours don't arrive until about June unlike the rest of the world who are seeing them now. We are just getting rid of 6 inches of new fallen snow. I live about 15 miles from the Rockie Mountains.

Thanks,
alberta bound

You can pluck out the offspring and give them away or throw them away.
There is a natural time for them to bloom and I have never heard of anyone forcing them to bloom at a different time. Ir would have to do with the light it was getting and for about how long each day. But without enough light, your plant will begin to get mushy leaves and die.
Mine also bloom in March but they are outdoors all year here and so are the hummers.

thank you Tina. Guess it is what it is then. I'll cut off this bloom as it has all but died down now and maybe I'll get lucky and get another bloom for summer.

alberta bound