What's Wrong with My Lace Aloe?

Lace Aloe's triangular leaves are packed with water-storing tissue. When the soil stays wet too long, those cells keep absorbing until they burst from the inside, turning the lowest leaves translucent and soft. Rot climbs from the base up.

Lace Aloe evolved in rocky South African terrain with bright filtered light and gentle morning sun. It handles mild direct sun in the morning without issue, but strong midday or afternoon sun bleaches the dark green leaves pale yellow or tan. The difference between good morning exposure and harsh afternoon exposure is the intensity of the light, not the fact that sun is hitting the leaves.

Lace Aloe's natural form is a tight, compact rosette. In low light, the central stem elongates and the leaves spread apart and thin out as the plant strains toward the nearest window. The distinctive white-bumped texture becomes less prominent.

Lace Aloe can go weeks without water, but once the leaf reserves are truly empty the leaves pucker and feel soft between the fingers rather than firm. Recovery is fast once the plant gets a good drink.

White cottony clumps tucked into the tight spots where leaves meet the stem. Lace Aloe's densely packed leaf axils give mealybugs ideal cover, and the white raised bumps on the leaves can make early infestations easy to overlook.

Small flat brown or tan bumps along the stems or the undersides of leaves that do not move when touched. Scale feeds directly on sap and causes the leaves to yellow and weaken. They are common on the firm stems of aloe-type plants.