Aloe Christmas Sleigh is yet another stunning succulent. When they mature, they become even more beautiful with their beautiful dark green fleshy leaves.
Their red tips along the leaf’s edges would be an added advantage to make it look more graceful. Not only that but also, it will be more beautiful when they are in their full blossom.
If I am to elaborate more on the origin of the plant, they are in fact one of the most famous hybrid succulent of Kelly Griffins.
How do I identify Aloe Christmas Sleigh?
Aloe Christmas Sleigh plants consist with beautiful dark green colored leaves as aforesaid. They are fleshy to the touch.
They would further consist of red spines. That creates a fantastic color contrast in the plant. This is something unique for these plants.
You may further spot red bumps in the center or each leaf. This characteristic further enhances the beauty of Aloe Christmas Sleigh plants.
The color of those red bumps would get intensified when you properly let them go through stress by exposing them for bright sunlight and by exposing them for colder temperatures. (Not for freezing temperatures though).
In terms of the sizes of the plants, they would be about 5 inches in height and in width as well. They would resemble a starfish in shape. They would be perfect fits for succulent arrangements and for rock gardens as well.
Size
Aloe Christmas Sleigh plants would rise to 5 inches in height and 5 inches in width.
Growth
Christmas Sleigh plants are tiny plants. Further they are slow growers too. Not only that but also, you could easily maintain them too. They tend to grow in clumps as well.
One look care guide
| Botanical Name | Aloe Christmas Sleigh |
| Common Name | Christmas Sleigh |
| Plant Type | Succulent |
| Mature Size | 5 inches in height and 5 inches in width. |
| Sun Exposure | Full sunlight to partial shade |
| Soil Type | Well-draining |
| Soil pH | 7.0-8.5 |
| Bloom Time | late spring to early spring. |
| Flower Color | White yellow, red, yellow, or pink |
| Hardiness Zones | USDA hardiness zones 9b-11b |
| Toxicity | Non Toxic |
| Average price | $ 16 |
How do you take care of Aloe Christmas Sleigh?
Taking care of Aloe Christmas Sleigh plants is very simple. They need very few essentials
Light Requirement
It is important that you supply adequate sunlight levels for these plants to thrive well.
If you wish to grow them as outdoor plants, make sure you are growing them in a place where they can gain at least 6 hours of bright sunlight daily.
On the other hand, if you are growing Christmas Sleigh plants as indoor plants, you need to locate them in a bright sunny spot where they can gain bright sunlight.
Protect them from extreme summer weather conditions. Further if you think your indoor grown Christmas Sleigh plants do not get adequate sunlight, you may consider placing grow lights closer to the plants.
Temperature and humidity
Christmas Sleigh plants are not frost hardy plants. This literally means you need to protect them from freezing temperatures.
They are hardy for minimum temperatures such as 30 degrees Fahrenheit (-1.1 degrees Celsius). Bear that in mind when you are growing Christmas Sleigh plants as outdoor plants.
As such if you are someone who may come across these temperatures, best is to shift them indoors.
To do that you need to grow them in a container which you can easily move in and out from the house.
Is it cold hardy?
Aloe Christmas Sleigh plants are not cold hardy plants and they do not handle cold well. As such you should protect them from freezing temperatures.
Zone
These plants fall under USDA hardiness zones 9b-11b where the minimum temperature would be -3.9°C (25°F)
Watering Requirement
Aloe ‘Christmas Sleigh’ plants water requirement is very similar to other succulents’ water requirement.
Further watering them properly is very crucial when keeping them healthy and vigorous. Do not ever leave your Aloe ‘Christmas Sleigh’ plants in soggy conditions.
Do not ever over water them at any given point of time. In fact, I would recommend using the soak and dry method when watering them.
Soak and dry method is not something new if you are into succulent gardening a lot.
However, if I am to briefly explain it, it literally means, you should first soak the plant with water and then let them dry before you water them again.
Obviously over watering would be the biggest mistake you could make when taking care of them.
If you over water the Aloe Christmas Sleigh plants, it would make them more prone towards root rots. In addition to over watering, poor draining soil mix could also make root rots in the plants.
You need to adjust the watering frequency depending on the season. For example, you may water these plants less often when compared to watering them in hot and dry weather conditions.
You may now water them at all during winter conditions. You could consider watering them only if you spot their leaves are shriveled.
Soil Requirement Type / pH
Aloe Christmas Sleigh plants would prefer to thrive in a well-draining soil mix just like the other succulents.
Ideally the ph. of the right soil mix for these plants to thrive well should be 7.0-8.5 (Neutral). Aloe ‘Christmas Sleigh’ plants are reluctant to live in soggy and damp conditions.
If by any chance you leave them in such conditions, it would make these plants more prone towards root rot.
Root rot could be so dangerous since it could even make the plant die. That is why it is crucial to grow them in a well-draining soil mix so that excess water will not remain in the pot.
If you are excited to prepare a well-draining soil mix on your own, you could try making it by adding potting soil, turface and crushed granite. The purpose of using crushed granite is to let the water flow freely and thoroughly.
Flowering and Fragrance
Aloe Christmas Sleigh plants would produce flowers during late spring to early spring. The colors of the blooms would be white, yellow, orange, red or pink.
Pot size Potting and Repotting
I would suggest you grow them in porous material such as in terracotta pots.Ensure that your pot has sufficient draining holes so that excess water could drain away.
In terms of repotting these plants, you do not have to do it on a frequent basis. Having said that, you need to repot these plants when you freshly bought them from the stores.
To do that, you simply have to remove the plant gently from the pot without injuring it. Next get rid of the older soil they have.
After that see whether there are any damaged or rotten parts in the plant. If you spot any, you may snip them off.
After that you could grow them in a fresh pot which you have filled with a well-draining soil mix.
Where to Plant
Aloe Christmas Sleigh plants prefer to grow in bright sunlight for a few hours.
As such if you grow them outdoors, you should grow them in a spot where they can gain proper sunlight.
Ideally, they would prefer to have full sunlight for 6 hours and they could thrive in shade for the rest of the day.
You could grow them in containers and place them indoors as long as they can gain proper sunlight.
Aloe Christmas Sleigh plants are hardy in USDA hardiness zones 9b-11b where the minimum temperature would be -3.9 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Fahrenheit.
As such it will be hassle free if you grow them indoors along with sufficient sunlight.
Fertilizer and time of year
You do not need to feed these plants constantly. They could survive with the nutrients available in the soil mix and thrive well.
However, if you apply some fertilizers particularly during their growth season, it will provide extra nutrients and their growth would be benefitted.
However, do not feed them when they are in their dormancy.
Dormancy
These plants are winter dormant plants. When they are in dormancy that literally means they are in relaxing mode.
Other plants Pairs Well With
Christmas Sleigh plants would grow well with strawberry plants, sow thistle etc.
Can it be toxic to pets
Christmas Sleigh plants are non poisonous for pets and for humans as well. As such, you could grow them indoors along with your furry pets.
Common bugs and illnesses
There could be bacterial and fungal diseases among these plants.
However, over watering and not growing them in the right soil mix could be two big mistakes you could make when growing them.
If you end up over watering these plants, it could create root rot in the plants.
In addition to that, Christmas Sleigh plants would form leaf spots also due to over watering.
In addition to this, there could be bugs such as mealybugs, aphids and scales insects who are attractive for these plants.
They would attack these plants and could create trouble for them. For example, they could cause leaf spots, root rot etc.
Further if you expose them for intense sunlight that would create sunburns in the plants.
Special Care tips
Aloe Christmas Sleigh plants are easy to care for. However, it is important that you provide the right growing conditions for them to thrive well.
To elaborate further on this, you need to practice the following care tips when taking care of the Christmas Sleigh plants,
- Avoid over watering at any given time and instead water them thoroughly and let them become dry when watering again.
- Grow them in a soil medium which has a good drainage
- Plant them in pots which have sufficient draining holes for the excess water to move through
- Expose them for proper sunlight as aforesaid
In addition to this, I would recommend you spare some time and inspect your plants and see whether they are thriving well.
When you constantly keep observing them you could spot if there are any early signs of any disease or any issue. Finally keep the plants surrounding always neat and tidy.
How to propagate Aloe Christmas Sleigh
You may use leaves, cutting offsets and Christmas Sleigh plants seed to propagate them.
Aloe Christmas Sleigh plants propagation by leaves
First you should obtain a healthy leaf from the Christmas Sleigh plants. When you take off leaves ensure they are healthy.
Avoid using damaged or injured leaves as then you cannot rely on the success of the propagation.
Further, make sure you are taking off the entire leaf from the plant without leaving any part of it remaining on the stem.
You could simply twist the leaves when you remove them from the mother plant.
So, once you take off the leaves, place them in a dry place where they can wither for a few days. After that you could place them in a fresh potting medium.
When you spot the soil is dry, you could lightly water them.
Aloe Christmas Sleigh plants propagation by Cuttings
If you wish to propagate the Christmas Sleigh plants by using cuttings, you simply have to snip a leaf from a mother plant.
You may use clean, sharp sterilized tools such as a knife or a pair of scissors to make the cutting. Once you cut them, allow them to be callous for a few days.
Just like in the lea propagation method, you could place them in a well-draining soil mix and water them when their soil is dry.
Aloe Christmas Sleigh plants propagation by Offsets
You should stay patient until these plants produce offsets first..Once they do, you could use scissors or a knife and remove the offset from the mother plant.
Once you take it off, clean the older soil around the roots and leave them in a dry place where they can become callous for a few days. After that you could plant them in a fresh soil medium.
Aloe Christmas Sleigh plants propagation by using seeds
Christmas Sleigh plants are slow growing plants, and I would not encourage you to use this method to propagate even though it is possible to do so.
Aloe Christmas Sleigh plant benefits
They would be useful as nice houseplants. Further they will look good in succulent arrangements, warm climate landscapes and in container gardens as well.
Conclusion
Before winding this up, trust this article has covered all the basic information on the care treatment you need to practice when growing them and their propagation methods as well.
So why wait, hurry up and grab your beautiful Christmas Sleigh plants and start growing them.
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