Aloes are succulents, which means they do not need to be watered often to survive. They have adapted to scarce rainfall in their natural habitat and are able to survive drought by storing water in their bodies. This attribute makes overwatering your aloe plant an easy mistake to make, especially as a newbie plant owner.
Signs such as root rot, and leaves becoming mushy, soft, yellow and droopy, are indicative of overwatering in aloe plants.
In this article, we will discuss the signs to look out for, as well as how to salvage an overwatered aloe.
Signs of an overwatered aloe plant
The signs of an overwatered aloe are leaves turning yellow or brown, and the stem and leaves becoming soft and mushy to the touch. If you see mold growing on the top layer of the soil, that can also mean the plant is overwatered. Brown blisters on the surface of the leaves is a sign that the plant has edema and that the cells in the leaf tissue are too full of water.
Why is my aloe overwatered?
There are different factors that can possibly contribute to your aloe becoming overwatered. As mentioned above, it is easy for new plant owners to be a bit overzealous or think that their aloe needs water every day. This is not true, because aloes are succulents and their natural habitats are some of the most arid and driest places on earth. The last thing they need is to be standing in constantly wet soil.
Poor drainage
One of the most common causes of overwatering is if your aloe’s pot has no drainage holes at the bottom to allow excess water to escape. If the water does not escape, it will keep the soil in the pot damp for longer than is ideal.
When the soil is always wet, the roots of your aloe will drown. The roots need to be able to dry out between watering to get access to oxygen, which they need to survive. If the roots drown, they will die and start to rot, and when a plant gets root rot, it is susceptible to even more opportunistic pathogens that will infect the rest of the plant and possibly kill it.
Your soil is not well-draining
Even if you use a pot that has drainage holes at the bottom, if the soil is too compact and retains water too well, this will still result in the plant getting root rot.
Succulents like soil that is well-draining, so that excess water can drain to the bottom of the pot with no problem. You can buy succulent soil mix, or you can make your own by mixing equal parts gardening soil, sand, and perlite. The sand and perlite make the soil porous and well-draining, and allows more air to move through the soil so that the roots get sufficient oxygen.
Weather
If the humidity around your plant is low, the plant will lose more water and dry out faster, but if the humidity is high, the plant will be much slower to dry out. If you water your plant with the same frequency whether the humidity is low or high, it should come as no surprise if the plant ends up overwatered.
How do you salvage an overwatered aloe plant?
It is possible to salvage an overwatered aloe vera plant, but it will depend on how much damage has already been done to the plant. If the damage gets beyond a certain level of severity, the plant may not be revived, despite all the measures you take to save it.
Here are some steps you can try to save your overwatered aloe.
First, take the plant out of its pot and shake off as much soil as you can. If there is still soil that cannot be removed by shaking, use a toothpick to dislodge it gently.
Next, dry out the plant by covering the roots with paper. Keep the plant in a garage or in the basement as it dries out. Do not place it under direct light, because the exposed roots may not be able to tolerate the full sun. Make sure that the room where you keep the plant has no heating and the temperature goes no lower than 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
After a few days, the roots should be dry. Inspect all the aloe’s roots and use a sterile pair of scissors to cut off any roots that have turned brown or black. These are the parts that have root rot and need to be removed. Keep cutting until you reach healthy, white roots that are firm and not mushy.
Leaves that have turned yellow or brown are also better cut off than kept on the plant.
Spray fungicide on the healthy roots to give them protection against possible pathogens.
Repot the plant in a pot that is around the same size as its last one, but make sure it has drainage holes at the bottom. If you are reusing the same pot, make sure you wash and sterilize it first so that all the fungi and bacteria are killed. Use well-draining succulent soil that will help facilitate drainage.
Place the repotted plant in a location where it gets bright, indirect light. Do not water it after repotting. Wait at least a week before watering, in order to give the roots enough time to establish themselves and to recover from the trauma of being uprooted and replanted.
Eventually, the aloe will recover fully and grow new foliage from its center.
Conclusion
It is easy to overwater an aloe, because it is a succulent. Succulents do not need very much water, as they are accustomed to living on limited water for long periods of time.
An overwatered aloe will have root rot, leaves that turn yellow or brown, and droopy, mushy foliage because of all the excess water in the plant tissue.
Avoid overwatering your aloe by planting it in a pot with drainage holes, using well-draining soil that allows excess water to flow easily out of the bottom of the pot.
Water the aloe only when the top two inches of soil are dry to the touch. If the soil is still damp, wait one or two days and check the soil again.
Image: istockphoto.com / Sundaemorning