Aloe Vera Root

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Ok so I have been growing an Aloe Vera plant for almost a year now.... probably maybe 7 months or so....

it had been growing fine until two months ago; here is a pciture of it when it was smaller

2014-06-25181953_zps53d2d64e.jpg


The bigger of the two is the one I am talking about, the smaller one did not survive. In any case, I decided to transplant it today and when I did, I found this

2OPHqxal.jpg


now... I did transplant it, but I want to know... are Aloe roots supposed to be so long and huge? I wrapped little by little in the new pot and put soil over each wrap, but I would like to know, why did it stunt its leaf growth to enlarge its root growth, and how do I promote leaf growth? Thanks for reading!!
 
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That is a very interesting image. Everywhere I looked for information on this it said they only have shallow roots and the roots NEVER grow long and deep. Seems like you have found a different truth.
 
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haha yeah I don't know what happened. I didn't think the roots should be so long especially for a plant that is so small. It's no bigger than my thumb or index finger!!
 
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My mom was a world class aloe grower and from what I remember what you have is normal. She transplanted them all the time and the roots were always 4 or 5 times the length of the plant. She also never watered aloes from the bottom up and in fact didn't water them much at all, but that was 50 years ago so my razor sharp brain may have dulled a bit over time
 
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Wow, this looks so weird!
I heard that some plants develop really long roots if they grow in pots too big for them. But I'm not an expert, so I don't know if it's true.
 
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you're right you shouldn't water Aloe plants much at all, being arid plants, and suseptable to root rot, but I didn't know the roots would grow so long

perhaps that was it claudine, i used the pot provided for me, for 4 plants, and it grew but I did not transplant till now. I probably should have transplanted sooner and to a smaller pot? This one is much smaller that I have it in now, but it's still big compared to the plant it self, but I didn't want to cut the roots or anything.
 
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Aloes are slow growers when they are young and do expend a lot of energy on their root systems. My seem to be that way anyway. Once they get going and are a bit more mature then they tend to follow a more consistent pattern of growth.
 
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The roots of aloes typically extend horizontally, which is how new plants pop up in different places in the soil. Yes, they are very slow growers, but constant and gentle care results in healthy and useful plants.
 
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I had this exact thing happen a few years ago! Our roots were identical to your picture! I transplanted them and they began thriving. I think like a couple people said they are just really slow growers and take a while to start up ! :) all is good now!
 

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