Aloe ferox flowering season question

[Tracy]

So I have a group of Aloe ferox that I planted from 5 gallon size about 6 years ago that all flower about the same time (maybe at most a week or two out of sync).  They are all full sun, planted against a south facing block wall so they get plenty of reflected heat too.  I have another which is in the front, shaded to the east and southeast by a Dypsis pembana clump and my ever growing bigger Aloidendron "Hercules" hybrid.  This one doesn't get nearly as much sun and is always out of sync with the others.  In fact the shaded plant is just now opening flowers in mid August on it's inflorescence.  So for others growing this species, do yours typically flower at the same time, and the same time of year and if so when.  My others seem to flower in winter. 

Here is the one flowering in August.

[Tracy]

Most of mine bloom in late Autumn and early winter like this one that is in bloom right now in November.  This one was planted a little too close to the wall and the leaves were pushing it into a leaning position away from the wall.  It finally ended up leaning over so the inflorescence are coming out and having to arch to rise up vertical like they normally do with this species of Aloe.  I should chop off the head, dig out the roots and replant the head a little further back from the wall so it can grow normally.

Back to my original post question, during which months do your Aloe ferox normally bloom?

[Marius]

Hi Tracy. Here in South Africa they flower in autumn to early winter. All flower at the same time. 

[Marius]

Correction:  autumn to mid winter. Just checked my phone pics and saw I took these in July. 

[Josue Diaz]

Hey there Tracy & Marius, mine in Chowchilla CA blooms every January + February. I have two in Fresno but they are not blooming size yet. I expect they would bloom around the same time as the one in Chowchilla. 

[Marius]

Hi Josue. Would that be late winter then in California?  That’s interesting that it flowers so late then. Maybe it has to do with your winter rainfall climate. 

[Peter]

Hi Tracy, my ferox bloom from now until January or February, depending upon the plant and it can also vary from year to year.

[Josue Diaz]

12 hours ago, Marius said:

Hi Josue. Would that be late winter then in California?  That’s interesting that it flowers so late then. Maybe it has to do with your winter rainfall climate. 

We're in the interior of the state, so while the coast is usually sunny and clear in winter, the interior gets more rainfall, overcast days, and fog in winter, so perhaps it slows the development of the flower buds. February is late winter for us

[Tracy]

18 hours ago, Marius said:

Would that be late winter then in California?  

 

On 11/30/2021 at 9:58 AM, Josue Diaz said:

mine in Chowchilla CA blooms every January + February.

 

7 hours ago, Peter said:

my ferox bloom from now until January or February,

So it sounds like they are blooming from late Autumn (now) into mid-winter (January/February).  Winter solstice in northern hemisphere marking the transition to winter occurring on December 21st this year, just as Marius will be transitioning into Summer on that date in the southern hemisphere.  So this is an example of a species that has responded to the sunlight patterns in the northern hemisphere and adapted to bloom in our winter just as it does in it's Southern Hemisphere home 6 months counter to our winter.  Thanks all.  

Now I'm wondering if my specimen that blooms in August is possibly a hybrid?  It sure looks like A ferox to me as does it's inflorescence & flowers.  Am I missing something? 

[Marius]

On 8/21/2019 at 12:53 AM, Tracy said:

So I have a group of Aloe ferox that I planted from 5 gallon size about 6 years ago that all flower about the same time (maybe at most a week or two out of sync).  They are all full sun, planted against a south facing block wall so they get plenty of reflected heat too.  I have another which is in the front, shaded to the east and southeast by a Dypsis pembana clump and my ever growing bigger Aloidendron "Hercules" hybrid.  This one doesn't get nearly as much sun and is always out of sync with the others.  In fact the shaded plant is just now opening flowers in mid August on it's inflorescence.  So for others growing this species, do yours typically flower at the same time, and the same time of year and if so when.  My others seem to flower in winter. 

Here is the one flowering in August.

Hi Tracy. This one doesn’t like like ferox. The shape of the inflorescence as well as the multiple colours doesn’t look right. I’ll look in my aloe book if there is one that is similar. 

[tinman10101]

12 hours ago, Marius said:

Hi Tracy. This one doesn’t like like ferox. The shape of the inflorescence as well as the multiple colours doesn’t look right. I’ll look in my aloe book if there is one that is similar. 

I agree .. the droopiness' of the buds tells me its some sort of hybrid.  i was thinking africana but the buds would droop and then curve upwards at the tip.  in any case, still a cool deflection from the usual ferox characteristic.  

[Tracy]

3 hours ago, tinman10101 said:

I agree .. the droopiness' of the buds tells me its some sort of hybrid.  i was thinking africana but the buds would droop and then curve upwards at the tip.  in any case, still a cool deflection from the usual ferox characteristic.  

Yes, leaf form is a little different with Aloe africana.  Mine got too top heavy so I had to start over again this last winter with just a cutting.  Here it was right before I cut it down and one of the limbs that fell off it and I planted in a pot.  This is a species that isn't meant to branch with it's skinny trunk.  It just doesn't have the base to support branches.  Bottom line, the original plant isn't A africana, but it could be a hybrid of ferox and africana or something else.  Even as I write this, I realized that the A africana was also a late winter to early spring bloomer (Feb to April), so wouldn't be likely to contribute to a spring blooming species.

[tinman10101]

1 hour ago, Tracy said:

Yes, leaf form is a little different with Aloe africana.  Mine got too top heavy so I had to start over again this last winter with just a cutting.  Here it was right before I cut it down and one of the limbs that fell off it and I planted in a pot.  This is a species that isn't meant to branch with it's skinny trunk.  It just doesn't have the base to support branches.  Bottom line, the original plant isn't A africana, but it could be a hybrid of ferox and africana or something else.  Even as I write this, I realized that the A africana was also a late winter to early spring bloomer (Feb to April), so wouldn't be likely to contribute to a spring blooming species.

 

 

 

actually now i see the bloomed buds it is most likely africana tracy (at least what racho soledad sells as africana).  i forgot that the curved ends only happens when the bud actually open.  if not then it has a high parentage of africana.  the top heaviness is due to abundance of water.  this is a very common issue with aloe trees grown in gardens that i see and always suggest holding off the watering.  if you see them in their natural habitat, the truck formation width do not exceed significantly or lets say comparatively with increased water consumption.   so increasing the water will increase the water retention in the leaves and hence why they are so top heavy.  especially when they start to branch out.  when i move aloe feroxes and other aloe trees in my garden, i always back off the water for months in advance so they start to dehydrate and it lends it easier to dig and move.  then when i replant it i gradually increase.  it must be gradual in my experience since in the past, any rapid influx of water will cause the leaflets to retain too much water too quickly and then the cellular structure of the leaves become mush when mixed with extreme sunlight and will eventually turn to mush.  i had that with an aloe viridiflora which was probably one of the most painful loss and biggest rookie mistake i ever made in my amateurish years.  still an amateur lol.  

well just lending some advice so take it with a grain of salt if you want. 

[Tracy]

2 hours ago, tinman10101 said:

actually now i see the bloomed buds it is most likely africana tracy (at least what racho soledad sells as africana).

I may be confusing the issue by posting the known Aloe africana in that post, which has the pendant flowers that flair out just as the buds open.  The original plant in the top post that blooms in August does not exhibit that attribute.  The photo above that you included in your post, I think we agree is Aloe africana.  Here is a close up of the flowers as they bloom on the original plant in question that I have called A ferox probably mistakenly.  Flower photos are from summer of 2019 and the plant not in flower is what it looks like today.  As you can see flowers are almost straight down when open on this August bloomer.

I just wanted to make sure we are talking about the same plant.  Relative to your suggestions on the watering, you are probably right that it was getting too much.  It was planted in a low spot, with mound plantings of adjacent cycads.  So during winter rain, it got water and runoff from the adjacent high spots.  I actually did not give this or any of the other large Aloes including my Hercules any emitters on my drip system to try to keep them from going crazy.  Bottom line, I probably should have followed your advice to be even skimpier with the water by not planting it in a low spot.  Your advice will be heeded on my potted cutting off the Aloe africana, as I don't want a repeat of it getting big and top heavy.