Hercules aloe help

[Darylrsv4]

J planted this about a month ago . I used palm/ cactus soil and drilled multiple holes in the bottom of the planter. 
The associate at the nursery told me to water every other day , but when checking the soil, it is taking a week or more to dry out, surprising considering the heat we have had for the last month and a half or more here in So Cal. High 90’s to low 100’s.
Should I let the soil dry out or keep the soil moist? Thanks all.

Edited August 15, 2022 by Darylrsv4
Misspelling

[ahosey01]

You could literally not water this for months in socal and it would probably be completely fine.  Me personally though, I'd plant it in the ground.  It will actually break that pot at some point.  Every other day is way too much and you risk root root watering it that much when it is not actively growing - probably a short period in the winter for you guys.  I have one of these in the ground in Arizona that I have never watered even once.

Edited August 15, 2022 by ahosey01

[Darylrsv4]

I plan on putting it in the ground at some point, just don’t have any room in my yard right now. 
 

How much do these typically grow per year?
 

Thanks!

[Silas_Sancona]

41 minutes ago, Darylrsv4 said:

J planted this about a month ago . I used palm/ cactus soil and drilled multiple holes in the bottom of the planter. 
The associate at the nursery told me to water every other day , but when checking the soil, it is taking a week or more to dry out, surprising considering the heat we have had for the last month and a half or more here in So Cal. High 90’s to low 100’s.
Should I let the soil dry out or keep the soil moist? Thanks all.

Darylrsv4, welcome to the forum..

Would look through some of the " Aloe / Aloidendron hurcules " threads here for additional thoughts.. Is possible that, if it has been in a pot that wasn't draining well since being planted,  possible that watering every few days is causing some issues w/ the roots..  ( If you have to, pull it up and check it, uprooting and repotting won't hurt these at all ) Then again, it will depend on how much you're watering ...Soaking it vs. applying just a little water each time... Regardless, w/ regular watering, the leaves shouldn't look " dry "..

With mine, i'll soak them once every two weeks this time of year, maybe once a month in winter..

As for that moisture meter, Ditch it ..they're absolutely worthless. Surface of the soil will tell you nothing about the moisture content of the soil down where the roots are / bottom of the pot. 

Soil mix it is in can also cause trouble if it stays too wet.. Many of the " Bagged " planting mixes out there often contain a lot of Peat Moss / heavy Compost- type organics that will break down fairly quickly and create a thick " muck " that can choke the roots..

All my specimens are in a soil mix that contains no less than 60% inorganic components.  Inorganic stuff = things like 1/4th inch size Granite gravel, Pumice / Lava rock, Grit i collect from local washes, Turface MVP,  and Coconut Peat as the " organic " part of the soil mix.

As far as keeping them in containers.. Have several that i keep potted and they do fine.. True, you'll have to step them up every couple years ( because they grow fast and will become very top heavy as they out grow their pot ), and that a time will come when it should go in the ground ( They do fine there in S. Cal )

That said, have seen chunky/ tall specimens grown in containers for years that were perfectly happy. 

[ahosey01]

46 minutes ago, Darylrsv4 said:

I plan on putting it in the ground at some point, just don’t have any room in my yard right now. 
 

How much do these typically grow per year?
 

Thanks!

They can grow like feet per year in optimal conditions.  There's a reason the hybrid is called 'hercules.'. I have a buddy who has one growing in almost pure gravel and caliche that gets TONS of water in the summer and none at all in the winter.  He planted it about 4ft tall around 6 years ago.  It's now 21-22ft.

Mine has put on about a foot in a growing season.  That's probably more common with this hybrid.

[mydateplams]

Hello - 

On the topic of water. I germinated a little over 100 and have them in 1gal pots with many more to come.  My problem is I can get them to germinate and start to put on new growth. Once they start getting around 4in they start to die and wilt. 

I'm starting to think the soil is to moist.  They get watered once a day. If I do not water them they die in the 1 gal pots because its so hot and they do not keep the moisture.

My thought is to germinate in the 1gal and move to a 3gal?

Thoughts on this or any insight.

 

[Silas_Sancona]

21 minutes ago, mydateplams said:

Hello - 

On the topic of water. I germinated a little over 100 and have them in 1gal pots with many more to come.  My problem is I can get them to germinate and start to put on new growth. Once they start getting around 4in they start to die and wilt. 

I'm starting to think the soil is to moist.  They get watered once a day. If I do not water them they die in the 1 gal pots because its so hot and they do not keep the moisture.

My thought is to germinate in the 1gal and move to a 3gal?

Thoughts on this or any insight.

 

Soil is wayyy too wet / heavy.. They need to go into a well draining soil mix that is at least 50-70% inorganic components( Wash grit, Pumice, Turface MVP, etc ).. and contains less than 30% organics.  Would only use ground " Coconut Peat " rather than Peat Moss / Compost.

Keep them is bright shade.. NO direct sun at that age.  Should stay in 1gals until about a foot tall,  and well established.

Edited August 15, 2022 by Silas_Sancona
edit

[Tracy]

3 hours ago, Darylrsv4 said:

I plan on putting it in the ground at some point, just don’t have any room in my yard right now. 
 

How much do these typically grow per year?

Welcome to the forum Daryl.  Others have responded on the watering to let you know that the schedule you were given is too frequent, but i can provide some visuals on growth for Aloidendron "Hercules" (formerly Aloe "Hercules").  I planted mine in late 2010 from a 1 gallon container.  The first photo below is two years growth (9/01/2012), similar in size to your plant.  Second photo is about 14 months later (10/26/2013).  Third photo is another year and a half growth (4/08/2015).  Last photo is 2022.

I have drip irrigation, and no emitters for the Aloidendron, only the nearby palm and cycads have emitters.  It sounds like you live in a warmer climate zone than I do, which might actually accelerate growth compared to my coastal location.  If you elaborate on where in Southern California you are located, chances are someone on the forum will have additional information on growing this species in your climate zone.

If over watered, such as planting near a lawn, these have been known to fall over.  That fact makes it worthwhile considering planting away from valued structures and not over watering.  I have removed one branch that was growing out to the side too much, raising the concern that it might get too heavy in one direction.  These tend to do dichotomous splits (not surprising given that one of the parents of this hybrid is Aloidendron dichotomum.

[mydateplams]

 

I've been using for everything about 90% compost and 10% sand. 

Palm Springs CA grown under shade house with 40% shade cloth.

[Silas_Sancona]

6 minutes ago, mydateplams said:

 

I've been using for everything about 90% compost and 10% sand. 

Palm Springs CA grown under shade house with 40% shade cloth.

Ditch the sand,  and flip the " compost " ratio to 10 -20%.  Sand / compost soil mix is wayy to dense / heavy for these, esp. seedlings.  Remember, sand holds a lot of water ...Combined w/ the compost ( that is likely breaking down at a faster rate this time of year ) means they are likely drowning ( ..and cooking in their pots ).  I might go higher on the shade %' age also ..like 60+% this time of year.  Have seedling stuff that i keep in 80% shade and the darn things still manage to cook, lol ( ..from the heat,  rather than exposure to direct sun + heat. )


 

[Merlyn]

@Darylrsv4 I have had a couple of potted Hercules a little smaller than that.  I put them in a mix of about equal parts perlite, Turface MVP, generic big box store "topsoil" (mostly shredded tree scraps), and Sakrete Paver Base (crushed limestone gravel).  So it is about 75% inorganic but the perlite and Turface retain water to help it stay moist but not sludgy wet.  It worked ok in Floriduh with no watering and just our regular rainfall, about 50 inches per year with high summer humidity and daily afternoon thunderstorms.  I would guess your soil is too dense and the roots are rotted, that happened to me with my first try using about 50% topsoil, 25% perlite and 25% coarse sand.  It was too dense and held too much water and it only had one or two short white roots.

[Darylrsv4]

Appreciate all the feedback in here. I’m 10 miles north of Temecula.

[Tracy]

5 hours ago, Darylrsv4 said:

Appreciate all the feedback in here. I’m 10 miles north of Temecula.

Sounds like maybe Perris area or near Lake Elsinore depending on up which of the freeways.  There are several people on the forum in that general vicinity and in similar climate zones.  Just a couple of thoughts on when you plant it in the ground eventually.  There is a good deal of discussion about potting soil, but the same is true of the ground at your home and whether it drains well.  A couple of tricks are worthwhile.  Dig a hole and fill it with water and watch to see how long it drains... is it minutes hours or maybe even a day and evaporation does the job instead of drainage.  That will tell you a lot.  Just a suggestion if you have slow draining soil, don't plant this in a low spot where water will pool.  Find a high spot, or if your lot is flat, create a mound with soil you bring in.  Specifically for this plant, I would recommend decomposed granite (DG) to build a mound.  It is heavy and will help anchor the roots if it gets top heavy at some point.  If these grow too fast, they are prone to toppling, which can have catastrophic results.  DG is lacking much in the way of organics so won't be prone to breaking down into a sludgy material.  I used DG to build mounds in my yard for both this species and many of my cycads with good results.  A now deceased member of this forum that grew and sold Aloes, Aloidendrons and Cycads used the native DG on his property for potting soil as well as field grown on his solid granite hillside.  That is why I was inspired to use DG as a soil amendment for plants requiring good drainage.

You may also just be able to look at your soil and tell if it is heavy in clay or maybe you already have a rocky DG type soil.  These do grow fast when given the right opportunity.  Last night I got out a 9' long tie down strap to measure the circumference of mine.  The 9' tie down strap was 6" too short to complete the circumference at the base of the Aloidendron "Hercules" now and still growing fatter as it grows up.  I'm glad it is in some heavy soil to hold it in place ..... for now. 

[Darylrsv4]

I'm in Menifee to be exact. Your feedback is much appreciated. Your Hercules is beautiful.