Aloe myriacantha

[Herts Mike]

I have grown this from seed this year.

Any observations on cultivation? Not much on the internet beyond "can be difficult".

[topsy]

Hi Mike,

I too raised some A.myriacantha from seed, but they weren't! Whatever mine are they are not a grass aloe which is what it should be. All grass aloes can be tricky, it is giving them the right amount of water at the right time that is the key. I used to grow this plant before I was married so going back a considerable number of years and it grew well for me with a standard cactus regime, i.e. summer growing, frost free in the winter, so nothing particularly special, but as I no longer have the plant I must have got something wrong!.

Good luck, Suzanne

[Terry S.]

I have had two plants over the years and I am afraid I suspect that the first one was ex-wild; the second was a Robert Wellens microprop. They both grow for several years and even flowered but eventually both failed to resurrect in the spring - perhaps I should have kept them a bit moist and possibly warmer during the winter, to avoid terminal dormancy. I believe that it is very widespread in the wild and it is possible that certain ecotypes are more amenable to cultivation.