![]() In cultivation in the UK this plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. The species is listed on Appendix I of CITES meaning commercial international trade is prohibited. In South Africa, it is a criminal offence to remove plants or seed of Aloe polyphylla from their natural habitat or to buy plants from roadside vendors. The species is highly sought after as an ornamental but is difficult to cultivate and usually soon dies if removed from its natural habitat. The region also has a very high summer rainfall and this moisture is augmented by the clouds which engulf the Lesotho mountain peaks. The climate is cool in the summer and in the winter the aloes are often covered in deep snow. Here it clings to rocky crevices and well-drained scree slopes. It is a succulent, not a cactus or a slow-growing succulent plant, but so beautiful that any patio or garden will undoubtedly look great with it. The spiral aloe grows in high, mountainous, grassy slopes at altitudes between 2,000 and 2,599 m (6,560 and 8,530 ft), and sometimes higher on east-facing slopes. This aloe flowers at the beginning of summer, producing flowers that range in colour from red to salmon pink and occasionally yellow, at the head of robust, branched inflorescences. The fat, wide, serrated, gray-green leaves have sharp, dark leaf-tips and grow in the five spiral rows. The plants do not seem to sucker or produce offshoots, but from the germination of their seeds they can form small, dense clumps. At about four weeks, the first cotyledon leaf (the first leaves to appear) should be visible, and a careful tug at the baby plant should tell you that new roots have formed as well.Spiral formed by leaves with emerging flower bud.Īloe polyphylla is a stemless aloe and grows its leaves in a very distinctive spiral shape which may be clockwise or anti-clockwise. The radicle should emerge in about two weeks. Maintain even moisture, but take care to avoid overwatering. These seeds need light to germinate if necessary, use a grow light on a 16-hour day schedule. Ensure cool soil temperatures, and don’t use a heat mat, as the seeds won’t germinate if the temperature exceeds 80☏. If the seed is scarified, scatter it over the potting medium and then cover it with a very fine sprinkling of soil. ![]() roughed up a bit to break the outside dry coating, using fine grit sandpaper. All of the Aloes available have been carefully grown from seed and are now growing in a pot measuring 13cm in width. While information on coaxing spiral aloe seeds to germinate is not always consistent, experts agree that the seeds should be pretreated before sowing by either soaking them in water until the radicle emerges (the first sprout from the seed) or scarified, i.e. The ideal mix is similar to a cactus potting mix or a hydroponic grow system. For rock, use 5/16” grade red lava, perlite or pumice. Any high-quality potting soil will work, but avoid peat moss products, because they can hold too much water. Use a mix of rock and potting soil in a ratio of 1:1. Potting MediumĮnsure that your container or pot has drainage holes. In hot climates, these plants typically grow in the shade of larger shrubs and trees, so they may need some protection from direct sunlight during hot afternoons to provide more indirect light. So it’s no wonder this plant requires a well-draining soil medium to avoid root rot and other fungal diseases. The spiral aloe grows in a range of soils although, like most aloes, it is found naturally on rocky slopes and gravelly soils.
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