
Aloe Castanea
Aloe 'Cat's Tail'
Original:Aloe castanea is a larger ‘shrub' aloe which in its native environment can grow into a small tree. Leaves can grow up to 150cm long with firm, small, brown teeth along the leaf margins. Commonly known as the Cat's Tail Aloe, due to fuzzy orange racemes which are held upright and curve like a cat's tail from the rosette in mid-winter. Plant this aloe in full sun, even in desert heat, in a well-draining soil. It is drought tolerant but seems to bloom better if planted in rich soil and given some summer water. Hardy to minus 5°C (22°F) but is normally grown as a potted plant, indoors or on the summer patio. It is drought tolerant but it blooms better if given some water in the summer, but it does need good drainage. This Aloe prefers rich soil, so add a layer of compost every year. New:Aloe is a Tropical plant, and in colder climates is treated as a Houseplant. They come in many varieties, some of which flower,- there are hundreds of them! They cannot survive in temperatures below 10c/55f. The leaves are spiky and fleshy.
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Full sun
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Occasional watering
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Not Frost hardy
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Free draining
Common name
Aloe 'Cat's Tail'
Latin name
Aloe Castanea
type
Succulent
family
Asphodelaceae
ph
7.0 - 8.5 Acid - Neutral
Plant & bloom calendar
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Best time to plant
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When the plant will bloom
full grown dimensions
Aloe Castanea
Original:Aloe castanea is a larger ‘shrub' aloe which in its native environment can grow into a small tree. Leaves can grow up to 150cm long with firm, small, brown teeth along the leaf margins. Commonly known as the Cat's Tail Aloe, due to fuzzy orange racemes which are held upright and curve like a cat's tail from the rosette in mid-winter. Plant this aloe in full sun, even in desert heat, in a well-draining soil. It is drought tolerant but seems to bloom better if planted in rich soil and given some summer water. Hardy to minus 5°C (22°F) but is normally grown as a potted plant, indoors or on the summer patio. It is drought tolerant but it blooms better if given some water in the summer, but it does need good drainage. This Aloe prefers rich soil, so add a layer of compost every year. New:Aloe is a Tropical plant, and in colder climates is treated as a Houseplant. They come in many varieties, some of which flower,- there are hundreds of them! They cannot survive in temperatures below 10c/55f. The leaves are spiky and fleshy.
Planting
From Early Spring TO Late Winter
Plant in good cactus compost, or a loamy compost with added sand, for drainage.
Propagating
From Early Spring TO Late Winter
Carefully remove side-shoots when they are large enough to handle, cutting them away from the parent plant. Make sure they have some root, and re-pot.
Flowering
From Late Spring TO Early Spring
Downward hanging flowers grow on spikes, and can be white, yellow, orange or red. They usually appear in Summer, but can be seen irregularly through the year.