Aloe Crosbys prolific is an evergreen, compact, yet attractive plant. They could perfectly fit in for indoor decoration as well as for outdoor gardening. Aloe Crosbys prolific is a hybrid of Aloe nobilis and Aloe humilis var. echinatum. It is in fact a perennial, evergreen succulent. Many people use them as ornamental plants simply due to their attractiveness. Continue reading this article if you think this is a plant you would really like to grow.
One look care guide
Botanical Name | Aloe Crosby’s prolific |
Common Name | Aloe ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ |
Plant Type | Succulent |
Mature Size | 6-12 in. tall (15-30 cm) 9-15 in. wide (22-37 cm) |
Sun Exposure | Full Sunlight to Partial shade |
Soil Type | Well-draining with ample airflow |
Soil pH | 7.0 – 8.5 |
Bloom Time | Spring |
Flower Color | Orange |
Hardiness Zones | Zone 9b-11b (Minimum 25°F – 50°F | -3.9°C – 10 °C) |
Toxicity | Toxic |
Average price | 22 USD |
How do I identify Aloe Crosbys prolific?
Their leaves are fleshy in texture and green, along with red color hues. Further, they have spiny, serrated edges. Their leaves form in rosette types. They do not carry any stem, and their rosettes would tend to take a lance shape. If you expose Aloe Crosby’s prolific plants to bright sunlight, they will form hues of red. In addition to aforesaid, you could identify these plants from their blooming as well. Generally, you could expect them to flower in bright orange colors in spring. Those flowers would be tubular shaped.
Size of the plant
Aloe ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ plants would be about 6-12 inches (15-30cm) in height. On the other hand, Aloe Crosby’s prolific width would be about 9-15 inches (22-37 cm).
Growth rate
Aloe ‘Crosbys Prolific’ plants are renowned as slow growing plants.
How do you take care of Aloe Crosby’s prolific? 14 Care tips
Light Requirement
Aloe Crosbys Prolific’ plants prefer to have plenty of sunlight so that they could grow well and healthy too. Not only that, but it would also help them to bloom pretty well. They could survive in direct sunlight in colder climates. On the other hand, you could grow them in partial sunlight during intense sunlight during summer. If you expose them to intense sunlight during the summer, it will cause sunburns in the plants.
Temperature and humidity
Aloe ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ plants could withstand hot weather conditions as well as minor cold weather. These plants would thrive in daytime temperatures that are slightly above 40 degrees Celsius. Further, if you expose them to temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius, that would be harmful for them. If you do so, it will make the plants more susceptible to fungal infections. If you live in colder weather conditions, best is to grow them in pots so that you could easily relocate them to warmer places such as a greenhouse or home interior etc.
Is it cold hardy?
Aloe ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ plants are not frost hardy plants. They can not withstand temperatures lower than 10 degrees Celsius. As such you need to safeguard these plants from colder weather conditions.
USDA Hardiness Zone
Aloe ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ plants are cold hardy in USDA hardiness Zone 9b-11b (Minimum 25° F – 50 ° F | -3.9° C – 10 ° C).
Watering Requirement
Aloe ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ plants are used to grow in hot and dry weather conditions. In fact, they could survive in drought conditions for prolonged periods. This literally means they can survive with little water for a longer period of time. As such, when you grow them in your garden, it is important that you water them properly so that they can thrive. It is quite important that you water them appropriately without providing them with excess water.
If you leave your Aloe ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ plants in soggy weather conditions, that will make the plant more vulnerable for root rot. Hence best is to apply the soak and dry method when watering them. Literally you need to water them thoroughly and let them dry. Further before you water them again, you need to check whether the soil is dry from the previous watering session.
You need to ideally water these plants once or twice every week during their actively growing seasons. On the other hand, you may water them less often as once every two weeks or once every month when they are in their dormancy.
Soil Requirement Type / pH
Aloe ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ plants could survive in any potting medium as long as they have good drainage. Along with that, it is important that it has good aeration as well. In terms of the pH, it should ideally be around 7.0–8.5 (Acid – neutral). You could use ordinary garden soil along with 1/3 cup of coarse sand to make a perfect soil mix for these plants. Instead of coarse sand, you may even use gravel as well.
The purpose of using a well-draining soil mix is to avoid any potential root rot that could take place in the pot. Root rot is one of the major problems that you will come across when growing these plants . if you come across such a situation, chances are that you may even lose the plant too.
Flowering and Fragrance
You may spot these plants blooming with bright orange flowers. They are quite attractive to birds. Usually, they would start to bloom in the spring. The blooms of the Aloe ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ plants would usually arise on the spike. Aloe Crosby’s prolific flowers tend to take a tubular shape.
Pot size Potting and Repotting
When you have to choose the right pot to grow the Aloe ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ plants, it needs to be ideally a pot or a container that is slightly bigger than the root ball. Further, it is important that it comprise sufficient draining holes to drain the excess water. Aloe ‘Crosby Prolific’ plants are colonial plants which usually produce pups at their base. Literally they will produce many plants in one individual area.
As such whenever you spot, they have outgrown the pots, you should consider repotting them. In addition to that, you need to repot them once you freshly purchased them from the stores. Best season to conduct repotting is spring. You may adhere to the general succulent repotting practices when repotting them.
Where to Plant
If you are wondering where to plant your beloved Aloe ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ plant, you need to keep in mind that they are not cold hardy plants.
As such if you are someone who lives in an area where the temperature drops to 30 degrees Fahrenheit (-1.1 degrees Celsius). Moreover you need to grow them in a pot which you could easily take in and out from your home. Further no matter where you grow, ensure that you expose them to sufficient sunlight levels.
Fertilizer and time of year
Aloe Crosby’s prolific are not dependent on fertilizers. Having said that you could consider feeding them with a cactus soil mix during their actively growing season.
Dormancy
Aloe ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ are summer dormant plants.
Can it be toxic to pets
Aloe ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ could be toxic for pets.Further they could be poisonous for humans as well. Find more in here.
Common bugs and illnesses
Aloe Crosby’s prolific can usually resist the pests. However, these plants may come across pests’ attacks from bugs such as mealybugs, aphids, etc. In addition to that, snails, slugs, and some birds could also invade these plants. It is crucial that you overcome the pests’ attacks at the very moment you spot them, unless it could cause greater damage to the plants. If you do not attend to this, they will transmit further infections.
In addition to that, if you expose the plants to high humidity levels, that will make the plant more vulnerable to fungi attacks as well. Apart from the above, if you leave them in waterlogged conditions, that would contribute to root rot in the plants too. When root rot occurs, it attracts mold and bacteria, which then start attacking the roots of the plants.
When the plant is going through root rot, you could spot symptoms such as mushy leaves, rotting, molding, etc. Further, you could see that your plants tend to take on an unhealthy look as well. Hence, it is important that you water these plants properly and take care of them well so that they can grow vigorously and healthy.
Special Care tips
These are easy care plants and there is nothing special you need to do when growing these plants. It is not even required to prune them also. However, I advise removing the leaves and flower spikes which are dead and damaged. Unless those would be ideal breeding places for opportunist pests. In addition to that it will give a neat look for the plant too.
How to propagate Aloe Crosby’s prolific
It is very simple to do. You only have to separate the small pups that come out of the mother plant’s bases. You need to snip them from the mother plant using a knife. Next, you need to place them in a dry place where they can develop callousness. That will avoid any potential infection that could take place during the propagation process.
Once they develop callouses, you could grow them in a well draining soil mix. Avoid exposing them to direct sunlight until they form roots. In addition to that, you could use their seeds to multiply these plants. You simply have to sow them in a soil mix that consists of 2/3 coarse sand and 1/3 universal substrate. After that, you need to expose the specimen to temperatures of around 18-24 degrees Celsius.
Aloe Crosby’s prolific plant benefits
They would be handy to use for rock gardens, succulent gardens and for Mediterranean gardens as well.
Conclusion
Before winding this up, trust this article was quite useful for you to improve your knowledge and hope you were able to clear all your doubts on growing Aloe Crosby’s prolific plants if you had any. Happy gardening with Aloe Crosby’s prolific plants and do share the experiences with us.
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