What kind of plant is this?

by Debra
(New York, NY)

I have had this plant for 4 years and have had to move it several times because I often switched offices. Unfortunately the light was very different in each office and I think the plant was affected by this. Can someone tell me what plant this is and if there is anything I can do to help it out? It just keeps growing taller and taller and I am needing to put a stake in it now.

(the pic does not show the bottom section of the plant which has very few leaves)


Drought Smart Plants reply:

Hi Debra, boy that thing really went to town. It's hard to say for sure, but I think this is some type of Aloe, which require really bright light to stay compact. If it has little thorns on the edges of the leaves, then this most likely is some type of Aloe.

The best solution to your issue of needing to stake it is to simply untwist the top rosette and replant it as a new plant. It's not difficult - pretend it's a light bulb, and twist in one direction until the top comes off. It will most likely have some little white bumps on the side of the stem where it detaches, and these are known as 'adventitious roots'; they're just waiting for their chance to grow.

For more information, see the page on Succulent Plant Propagation, or buy the Succulent Plant Propagation E-Book.

For more on Aloe for comparison see the Old Curving Aloe Plant, and Identify Me.


Best of luck with your plant,
Jacki