Aloe Arborescens - can't bring it indoors...

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Tara_100

Aloe Arborescens - can't bring it indoors...

Post by Tara_100 »

Hello

Would my large aloe arborescens survive the winter in a pop-up cold greenhouse please?
I can't get it indoors; it's too heavy for me to manage.
I'm in the south west, and apart from last year, winters are pretty mild.

Thanks!

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Chez2
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Aloe Arborescens - can't bring it indoors...

Post by Chez2 »

If you have space but just can't lift or carry, get a heavy duty sack barrow. They make light work of moving heavy tubs. I would suggest a double walled polycarb cold frame or small greenhouse would give it a better chance.
Tara_100

Aloe Arborescens - can't bring it indoors...

Post by Tara_100 »

Thanks for the reply.
Unfortunately I can't do any of those things :D
I have a back injury, have no help, and can't lift the pot to place it in the barrow. I've no spare cash to buy anything else either.

What if I fleeced it inside the pop up greenhouse?

Thanks again
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tatter
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Aloe Arborescens - can't bring it indoors...

Post by tatter »

What I would suggest in your case is remove one or two of the offsets complete with roots and pot up and take indoors
By all means use a pop up and fleece as required you may be fortunate where you are. But if the worse happens you still have the offsets to grow on
Jim
I'm older than yesterday but younger than tomorrow
Tara_100

Aloe Arborescens - can't bring it indoors...

Post by Tara_100 »

Thanks Jim. I'm in Torbay so hopefully it'll be ok as it's a bit warmer here. Let's hope we don't have horrors like last winter though. I've never seen snow down here in 20 years prior.

How's Smethwick nowadays? My first job was in Tesco's by the outdoor market, though I'm sure the area has vastly changed since 1984 :-)
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tatter
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Aloe Arborescens - can't bring it indoors...

Post by tatter »

Tara_100 wrote: Fri Oct 05, 2018 1:42 pm How's Smethwick nowadays? My first job was in Tesco's by the outdoor market, though I'm sure the area has vastly changed since 1984
yep changed a fair bit Tesco`s no longer there along with lots of others of course difficult sometimes to remember all the changes though. Although you would recognize the vast part of it still
Jim
I'm older than yesterday but younger than tomorrow
Chez2
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Aloe Arborescens - can't bring it indoors...

Post by Chez2 »

Tara_100 wrote: Fri Oct 05, 2018 10:15 am Thanks for the reply.
Unfortunately I can't do any of those things
I have a back injury, have no help, and can't lift the pot to place it in the barrow. I've no spare cash to buy anything else either.

What if I fleeced it inside the pop up greenhouse?
....Thats the whole point, you don't lift it, you use the barrow. Your tip the pot (don't lift), push barrow under it then tilt the barrow. If it was a massive pot you would need strength to push then help it as you tilt the barrow back. It would need to be a much bigger pot, say around 40L for any effort or more for somebody without an injury.

It depends where you are, pop up or temporary no good where we are, its far too windy. They might keep a plant dry but not do much insulation wise. Again, depends where you are and what your local conditions are.

Edit - you don't plac eit in a barrow, a sack barrow isn't a wheel barrow. Its the long handles that give leverage which means it lightens the load / effort. This is a(lightweight) sack barrow. https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-foldi ... lsrc=aw.ds
GREVILLEAJ
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Aloe Arborescens - can't bring it indoors...

Post by GREVILLEAJ »

If you had a bad winter last time round how did your Aloe survive?
Tara_100

Aloe Arborescens - can't bring it indoors...

Post by Tara_100 »

Grevilleaj

You must have missed my post (3rd down) where it says I have a back injury.
Tara_100

Aloe Arborescens - can't bring it indoors...

Post by Tara_100 »

Chez2

The pot weighs about 15-20kg approx at a guess, and it's sat on top of a chimney pot. To get it off there is impossible for me. I tried to 'walk' the whole lot earlier, and I think if I take it slowly, I may be able to get the chimney pot into the green house.
Oh and I live in Torbay, first snow in 20 yrs last year. Where I live, my garden doesn't even get light frost (apart from last year) as the house is in a protective dip with the sea 2 mins away.
Chez2
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Aloe Arborescens - can't bring it indoors...

Post by Chez2 »

ah, it didn't look that big from the photo. I was comparing it to the plastic or wood in the background and the fatsia leaf. It only looked about ten to twelve inch pot which wouldn't have weighed that much. We use perlite quite a bit instead of sand for planting up tubs. Consider that in future if weight is a problem for you. I often, but not always, put plastic pots inside terracotta pots so they are much lighter to lift in the inner pot. If you put plenty of drainage in its not a problem to put things in plastic pots. Buy a bell cloche to keep it dry if the cold isn't an issue to you.
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Chad
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Aloe Arborescens - can't bring it indoors...

Post by Chad »

I agree with Jim completely, take cuttings and protect them, but..

Are you sure that is A.arborescens? I don't remember it having spikes except at the leaf margins.

Chad.
otorongo
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Aloe Arborescens - can't bring it indoors...

Post by otorongo »

If you fleece it inside the blowaway greenhouse, that will be double the protection and may well be sufficient (as long as it doesn't, ahem, get blown away).

From a UK plant vendor's website:
Tolerant of a few degrees of frost but not fully hardy in most UK locations. Best in southern coastal regions or urban microclimates free from serious frost. Sensibly in a container brought in during the winter months. Fleecing, even in a cool greenhouse
You're in one of the mildest UK locations.
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