Hi,

I think the problem is A overwatering and B too little light. When repotting is done, you shouldnt water for at least a few weeks. Aloes love full sun, in an east window it will lean towards the light. I think you should remove the rotting leaves, you can cut them off ot try pulling them, but this could damage the plant further. Make sure the soil you used is fast draining, preferably with some added perlite for drainage. Place in more sun and dont water for at least a month. They hold lots of water in their succulent leaves. Good luck!

Jen

Thank you for the reply!

How would I go about cutting off the leaves? Just cut them off straight across near the base of the plant?

I won't water it for a while now. Unfortunately we only have east facing windows (we're in an apartment), but I could elevate it with a higher table or something so it's right in the window instead of underneath, giving it a little more sun time.

I suspect overwatering as well. Mine likes to be bone dry. I'd be willing to bet my bottom dollar that it was ridiculously overwatered at wal-mart too. I also think you should move the plant up. You should be able to make a shadow on the plant with your hand with the light you recieve (direct). Simply putting it near the window so it gets the ambient light from outside won't cut it.

Another option is to get a 40 watt compact fluorescent light or two and hang them 4-5 inches above the top of the plant to supplement the light from outside. They are relatively inexpensive and can screw into standard desktop and clamp light fixtures.

Good Luck!

I agree the plant was overwatered and underlighted. My ...get it out of that wet soil immediately or the rot w/continue. If the center growing point is still firm and green, it may not be too late to save your plant. Immediately remove it from this wet soil. Gently shake out the dirt from the roots then rinse until you have a clear view of all the roots. Use a VERY sharp knife and heat to sterilize the blade. Cut the rotted leaves down as close to the base as possible (or until you hit good leaf tissue). Sterilize your knife again after each cut. Cut off all the unhealthy roots. Some folks sprinkle sulfur on the wounds. Leave your plant out of the pot for *at least* 2-3 days so it can scab over. Just set it aside on newspaper or something, preferably where there is nice air flow and indirect light. Toss the existing dirt. Mix 50% perlite (or non-clumping kitty litter) and 50% potting soil or some other version of a very fast draining soil when you repot. In an east facing window, aloes probably will not need water more than 1x or 2x per month in summer and 1x or less in winter. Turning your plant 1/4 turns each week will help to keep it from leaning into the window. Hope this helps! Jo
Okay, i was gonna stop there but just gotta say one last thing. *IMHO*, whenever you repot a new plant you should always take it out of the dirt it came in, wash all of the soil off the roots, check them out, cut any mushy ones off. As a rule of thumb, I would never plop a plant into a new pot without breaking apart the root-ball, even a non-succulent one.

Be careful with the kitty litter. It can turn to mush very fast and clog your soil. Use aquatic soil instead or if you have a Sam's Club in your area, get OilDri. It is much like Turface and will hold it's structure for at least a year or better. Mine have been in it since last year and love it. This is just my soil mix. I use it because it is very free draining. I live in Houston and my aloe is in a 12" pot in the middle of my yard. It gets full sun but also full rain - and we sometimes get A LOT of rain, sometimes days and days of it. It is very big and very happy. It is in the end days of flowering for the first time. This from a plant that stayed in a garage from September of 05 to March of 06 because of "hunkering down" when Rita was immenent. I sort of forgot I put it in the garage. Ooops. I use 1 part pine bark fines(landscapers mix), 1 part fired clay (OilDri), 1 part non-painted fish tank gravel, and 1 part cactus soil. This year, when I have time, I am changing it all out and using coir instead of the cactus soil. It is less hydrophobic from a dried out condition. Not usually a problem for my aloe, but for the ones on my porch that only get water when I give it to them, it's a problem.

I disagree w/ the above just about rinsing the roots, I would not rinse them, I think they've had enough water. I'd just shake off all the old mix completely, avoiding any more water.