Lace Aloe (Aristaloe Aristata) is a wonderful little succulent. Its lovely dark green fleshy leaves are in patterns of rosettes. These hard leaves with white spots are broader at the bottom with a sharpish point at the top.
A native of Lesotho and South Africa, this Lace Aloe is attractive. It grows up to 8 inches in height and diameter. Its dark, pointed, green leaves with the soft white spine of the Lace Aloe produce terminal panicles up to 20 inches tall, bearing orange-red tubular flowers growing up to 1.6 inches long. It looks lovely and is low maintenance!
How To Grow Lace Aloe (Aristaloe Aristata)
Growing Lace Aloes (Aristaloe Aristata) can be quite tricky. Hence, set out below to assist you are the necessary steps to take and the things to look for on how to grow Lace Aloe (Aristaloe Aristata):
1. Equipment
The essential items you need from the Potting Shed for planting Lace Aloe (Aristaloe Aristata) are gloves, pots, potting soil, and a trowel. You may need more equipment other than the ones mentioned above, depending on your planting method.
Gloves are for protection to prevent yourself from getting infected with bacteria from the soil. Never work in your garden or with your potted plants without gloves.
Pots act as the container of the succulent, where potting soil and the plant itself are placed.
Lastly, the trowel is used to transfer the potting soil inside the individual pots.
2. Soil and Transplanting
The ideal soil for growing Lace Aloe (Aristaloe Aristata) is commercial cactus soil with excellent drainage.
The drainage system is vital for Lace Aloe (Aristaloe Aristata). To make your well-drained soil mixture, you can combine coarse sand, perlite, and pumice.
If you want to transplant your succulents, prepare the pot with the well-drained soil inside and gently transplant the succulent to its new home.
The benefit of repotting succulents is it promotes healthy growth. You can do this every year at the start of the spring season.
3. Propagation
If your succulent has already matured and started to grow offsets or “aloe pups”, that is an indication to propagate them.
Aloe pups or offsets are tiny plants that can be seen around the base of a matured succulent.
Remove the offsets that have already started to form rosettes of leaves. Do this when transplanting the mother plant because it is so much easier and efficient.
Afterward, gently plant the offsets in individual pots using the same soil as for the mother plant. Plant the offsets about ¾ inch deep and cover them with sand or perlite to avoid rot.
Place the newly planted offsets away from direct sunlight and make sure they are rinsed. You will then start to notice new growth within a few weeks.
4. Watering and Feeding
The watering cycle of Lace Aloe (Aristaloe Aristata) is simple. This plant does not need regular watering because it’s a succulent that’s known to be tolerant of dry conditions.
However, it can’t withstand prolonged drought situations. Hence it needs to be watered appropriately.
When the soil is arid, you need to water it deeply to help the plant recover.
However, it should be the right amount to avoid waterlogging. Don’t let the water stay among the rosettes, or it will get infected.
During winter, you can stop the watering cycle and water only if necessary.
When feeding Lace Aloe (Aristaloe Aristata), you should use a fertilizer for succulents. They don’t often need fertilizers, but extra nutrients are sometimes helpful.
They only need you to feed them fertilizer during spring and summer. Just follow the directions on the pack.
5. Light Requirements
Lace Aloe (Aristaloe Aristata) needs a perfect amount of lighting to thrive.
When growing indoors, place it near a window where it can have plenty of indirect sunlight. Rotate the plant every week so that all sides receive an equal amount of light.
Furthermore, if you grow your succulent outdoors, you must place it in an area with partial shade – especially during the hottest part of the day.
In summer, it is best to keep it indoors.
Temperature
Lace Aloe (Aristaloe Aristata) can withstand temperatures as low as 10°F to 40°F. However, when the temperature shifts below 50°F, it is time to bring it inside, or the succulent will die.
How To Maintain Lace Aloe (Aristaloe Aristata)
The best thing about Lace Aloe (Aristaloe Aristata) is it doesn’t require intensive maintenance or grooming, other than removing dead flowers and leaves.
The rest is to make sure that the succulent is healthy and getting all the nutrients it needs.
Alas, the Lace Aloe (Aristaloe Aristata) also faces the problems of diseases and pest infestations.
The typical problems include rot, mealybugs, and scale insects.
The rot is usually a result of overwatering the succulent, and to counter this, decrease the amount of water you’re giving it. You can also use a fungicide to remedy the problem.
If you spot small white or brown patches on the leaves, it could signify mealybugs and scale insects. You can eliminate them by putting alcohol on a cotton swab and gently wiping the pests off the leaves.
Benefits of Lace Aloe (Aristaloe Aristata)
• They are good for your design purposes.
Since Lace Aloe (Aristaloe Aristata) doesn’t grow big, they can be placed in different areas of your house.
• Unlike other aloes, Lace Aloe (Aristaloe Aristata) is a fast-growing plant with pink flowers that highly attract bees and hummingbirds.
• The juices of Lace Aloe (Aristaloe Aristata) have refreshing effects on our bodies
The Pondo people extract the juice of the succulent and mix it with water to wash their bodies. It adds a tonic and refreshing effect to the water that feels great when washing or taking a bath.
Lace Aloe (Aristaloe Aristata) ’s Origin and Names
This excellent plant is native to Lesotho and South Africa. They are formerly known as Aloe Aristata, but they can be called in different names nowadays.
The term Lace Aloe (Aristaloe Aristata) is now the preserved scientific name of the plant.
Besides its botanical name, this plant has other interesting names like Aloe Ellenbergeri, Aloe Longiaristata, and Tulista Aristata.
The term “Aristata” is inspired by a Latin adjective “aristatus” which means “having awn,” which refers to the lacy edges of the succulent.
Today, the Lace Aloe (Aristaloe Aristata) is the sole species of the genus Aristaloe, but this succulent was included in the genus Aloe before.
The Lace Aloe (Aristaloe Aristata) belongs to the family of Asphodelaceae.
The common names of this plant are Guinea-fowl Aloe, Lace Aloe, and Torch Plant. Don’t be confused with these terms as they all pertain to the same plant.
This unique Lace Aloe succulent is lovely. It can grow for up to 8 inches in height and diameter.
The dark pointed green leaves with the soft white spine of the Lace Aloe can produce terminal panicles up to 20 inches tall that bear orange-red tubular flowers growing up to 1.6 inches long.
Final Thoughts
Not enough attention is given to these beautiful little plants. There is a tendency amongst some people to ignore the succulent family entirely, together with aloes and cacti.
It’s such a shame because there are over a hundred species, and they are all quite beautiful and attractive in their own way. We’re happy to say more people find these plants striking and gorgeous.
They use them to enhance the looks of their gardens and rockeries and improve and brighten their homes.
So keep a lookout for the Lace Aloe – it has a striking resemblance to the Haworthia – a miniature succulent, also native to South Africa, and one of the easiest houseplants ever to care for.
Jenny Marie
Tribal Writer
Edited By
Patricia Godwin
