Mountain Aloe (Aloe marlothii)

Do you like aloes? If you are also one of those who enjoy watching those that reach one meter in height, or even exceed it, the species that I am going to talk about next is likely to interest you, and maybe a lot since it is able to resist some frost.

His scientific name is Aloe marlothii, and it is a very pretty plant. Its growth is slow, although not as much as that of others that have a similar appearance. But that is not really a problem, since it beautifies the place since it is young.

Origin and characteristics of Aloe marlothii

El Aloe marlothii, popularly known as mountain aloe, is an endemic species to South Africa. It grows developing a stem up to 8 meters high by 30-40 centimeters thick. Its leaves are more or less triangular, fleshy, green to greyish-green in color, and have very short red or reddish-brown spines all over their surface. These form a rosette that, in adult specimens, can measure up to 50 or 60 centimeters in diameter.

The flowers are grouped in horizontal racemes emerging from the center of the rosette. They are tubular in shape, and are yellow in color. The fruits are dry and inside they contain small, almost flat, dark-colored seeds.

What are their cares?

Mountain aloe is a type of aloe that is nice to see. It is true that it has spines, but these are so short that it would almost be said that they fulfill more of the decorative function (although this is not the case, since without these spines the herbivorous animals of South Africa would not last a second to eat their leaves). In cultivation it is, from its own experience, a quite grateful plant, which resists drought and heat, and even weak frosts.

However, as always happens when we grow arboreal or shrub-like aloes, It is essential to choose the land in which it will grow well, and water only when strictly necessary. Therefore, I recommend taking the following into account:

Location

It is a plant that has to receive sun since it is young. The Aloe marlothii It is the typical species that has to be put in an area where it receives direct sunlight throughout the day (or a good part of it). For this reason, you will not live well indoors, unless you have a sunny interior patio.

Its roots are not invasive, and its stem is relatively thin, so you can plant it wherever you want.

Earth

• Garden: the land must be sandy (but not beach) and light. If not, make a hole half a meter wide by half a meter deep, and fill it in with pumice, quartz sand, or the like.
• Flower pot: fill with mineral substrates, such as pumice, quartz sand, kiryuzuna. It will also work universal substrate mixed with perlite in equal parts.

Irrigation

When it comes to watering the Aloe marlothii keep in mind that he lives in the semi-arid regions of South Africa. Therefore, irrigation must be punctual, whether it is in the garden or in a pot.

So that it does not rot, I advise watering when the soil has completely dried. When you water, pour water until it runs out of the drainage holes in the pot, or until the soil is well moistened if you have it in the ground.

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Besides water, plants also need fertilizer, especially if they are grown in pots. So that, during spring and summer it must be paid with fertilizers for cacti and other succulents following the directions on the package.

Planting or transplanting time

It is a strong species, but it is advisable to transplant it in spring. Anyway, if you buy it for example in summer and you see that it needs a bigger pot or you want to plant it in the garden, you can do it as long as you try not to manipulate the roots too much.

Anyway, I do not recommend removing it from the pot unless it has rooted well. To check this, you simply have to take it from the stem (if it already has it) or from under the lower leaves, and pull up carefully. If you find it difficult to remove it and / or if you see that the earth bread comes out whole, it is because it has rooted well.

Multiplication

El Aloe marlothii multiplies by seeds in spring-summer. These are planted in pots that are wider than they are tall, with a substrate such as vermiculite, or peat mixed with 50% perlite.

Rather than watering, spray / mist the seedbed with water until you see that the substrate is moistened. In this way, the seeds will not be lost.

Rusticity

Withstands cold and weak and occasional frosts of up to -2ºC, although it will live better in those areas where temperatures remain above zero degrees.

What do you think?