Hi, I'll take a stab at this since no one has chimed in yet. I recently moved an aloe to gritty mix and learned that it does require a great deal more water than before. In soil, the plaint needed water once every two weeks, if I remembered. Sometimes it went for a month without. In gritty mix, I have to water it copiously about once per week. I think it could stand more than that, actually.

I hope this helps

Would love to see a few photos of the plant, leaves, and setup. =)

I have a massive Aloe Vera that sits in a South window all winter, outside all summer southern exposure...

It went from October till February with no water and it is now about to flower.. which is why I watered it with a little dose of Foliage Pro to give it a little boost for the flower..

It is potted in 75% Oil Absorbent, 25% cactus soil

I don't water them that often either, and they are in very gritty mix. Do not have A. vera, but have other 4 or 5 different ones. Some A. maculata got water maybe 3x since brought inside in November.

I don't know where OP lives (why don't adding your general loc/zone to your name as others doo Heather?) - but unless hot, watering often may be too much.

Rina: Yes, now that my aloe in gritty mix is established, it seems to need less water. At first, I was watering it about once a week. Now, its still fine after about two weeks.

sorry i'm late..been a busy two days...mine are all indoors..and its well..i'm on the east coast..its suppose to be "winter" but we have bipolar weather...one day 20's..the next 60's..

not sure what is meant by setup??? as in placement of where my plants are and light???

that leaf started to die soon after those 3 days that i watered in a row..i freaked out and stopped watering for a bit..but the aloe got back to being very thin.. :O(

lol my unruly aloe..i wish i took pics of it when i bought it last summer..it was half this size..

i do have plans to buy pots for my succulents..money has been very very tight

Watering every day is way too much: you will just get water-logged plants that will, sooner or later, start rotting. Depending on temps and light they are in, it should be much less often. And very important is the mix they are in: you need to check deep in pot to see if dry or wet.

Right which is why I'm not understanding why their leaves don't stay plump..the aristata is the worst..after about 3 days it's deflated. .my understanding is both alpes should have full leaves

Not sure how many lumens my light has when pirchased that wasnt given...but I'd say the amount of color and growth it's a lot ir faurly decent..and they are under the lights for 16 to 18 hours. I check and the gritty mix is always dry and usually wait another day before watering..I don't want to over water..but they act like they need more...kinda why I posted..but if I assume the leaves are full..they need more water..unless they aren't suppose to

I have 5 small Aloe, 4" pots, semi gritty mix. These are new to me, only had Aloe Vera in the past. These are under T5HO lights. Like the OP I thought the leaves looked very thin, I increased watering to about every three days, they would be dry in that short time. In the past six weeks I see the leaves have doubled in thickness and I have lots of new growth. They look much better than they did when I bought them three months ago.

Heather

Many hours of weaker light will not help. Forget about lumens, can you find info on kelvins? Lights I use are 6500k, bright. (May not need such strong light). I don't think it makes sense to keep lights on longer than 14hrs. But that is just my opinion :)

Your gasteraloe looks fine in photos - but only you can tell for sure. I have one, and it is similar looking. I believe it is healthy...it grew and even bloomed 2x since I got it.

How do you check to see if mix is dry?

it varies..i usually go by feel or look..if the leaves are wrinkled..then i know for sure.....the base will be paper thin but further up its fuller...those three days i watered it looked/felt the best...but i'm still new to succulants and plants in general..i tend to kill everything..which is ironic that i have the amount of plants that i do...but when i first started out...i had a lot of issues..but with the gritty mix and light..its changed a lot of things..

uh the listing doesnt say kelvins https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HPIPM70/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1#Ask i did have them under the light for a lot longer..but have knocked it down a few hours gradually..didnt want to be abrupt with it

i looked at reviews and saw someone else used this for their succulents so that was a selling point for me..

ha i stick a cocktail toothpick deep into the pot for a while to check just how wet/dry it is..

steven..i'd love to know the succulent in your photo far right in the middle..looks really cool!

I was just to suggest a wooden stick test...bamboo skewer or bamboo chopstick will work well, or even pencil. You'll be able to test deeper in the pot.

I think the plant you are wondering about in Steven's post if a Kalanchoe daigremontiana (one with tiny babies on edges of the leaves).

yes tiny babies on the edge..love it! thank you!

Heather if you PM your address I'll send you a start or two. I have two variations, all green leaf and green with brown stripe at ends.

kinda bummed i've noticed there are more leaves on the aloe were the tips are drying up...

steven...are you sure???

Heather - Ack, I didn't get any notifications on this post! Thanks for the clear plant photos, that helps a lot. Did want to see your lights too, but the look of your plants shows that indirectly.

Lauren has the right idea and I think it is simple. Roots not established well in gritty mix yet.

Soak each pot for 15 minutes in fresh water, tilt pot on an angle, and let drain. Wait until the mix dries - I expect a week under lights maybe. Then do it again for a few weeks.

After that just water normally. This will give the roots more time to absorb water, mix to be thoroughly wetted, and encourage roots to colonize more of the pot.

As you learned, watering multiple days in a row is a very bad idea. If you water and the plant is not better the next day there is usually a root problem. Watering again the next day will almost always make it even worse and certainly not better.

mayo..i posted the link to the light bulb i have and have them under

how does one define well established roots in gritty mix? i have recently moved the smaller aloe into the container that its in now..it was in a much smaller one..

Heather - I wanted to actually see how you are using the bulb. A photo like this:

I have done calculations and design for lighting in industrial and government facilities; one thing for sure is that there are MANY ways to use a light bulb. And even more factors that affect how that light is utilized/fixture design/etc.

That is just part of the work I do...

In my spare time, I also teach lighting classes (natural and artificial) for portrait and fashion photography. Just hoping I can help, sorry that I ask too many questions. =)

oh i see..well slightly hesitant because my setup is so not uh professional??? And well..laughable.. lol currently they all sit on the treadmill and the light is attached (like desktop light fixture) to rail on the side...(i take all of that off just to workout). actually, in the beginning, I had them in my room and I would move them to the other room..and then back in my room ..everday..twice a day..

Santa surprised me with a metal 5 shelf unit so I can put this in my room and plan on having the light attached at the top..but unsure about that..and I have different types of plants with different light needs ...so really unsure of how i'm going to have this set up..plus where in my room..because for one..its winter here (or supposedly) my room is cooler..and prefer it cooler. so I'm worried about that..I cant figure out if I want it in front of my south facing window or not (plus theres a vent there even though they are sort of in front of a vent now) ..Also a big thing I am up all night..and sleep during the daylight hours..I'm not sure I want this bright pink light on while i'm sleeping..I was thinking of putting it in a corner of my room where its a little more hidden..I dont know lol..

sorry this was stupidly long..I've been tossing this around of how i'm going to do this in my head since christmas..and my plant selection keeps expanding..

Nothing wrong with ghetto setups, haha. We don't judge! Feel free to crop heavily. My plants indoors are on an adjustable shelf unit, wouldn't be surprised if it was very similar.

I chat with my friends who grow orchids and succulents all the time - we are all different "types" of growers from starting out, to serious enthusiast, to mom with young kids and love for plants. =)

Take a look at Rina's setup and you may get some ideas as she is using CFL bulbs, which are similar.

Make sure the bulb is VERY close, like 5-6 inches away from your plants. Don't forget to have a good reflector on your fixture that extends past the face of your LED bulb.

You may also consider a $1 mylar sheet purchased online (space blanket) to cut the spread of light. I did that and it reduces the amount of light spilling into the hallway early in the morning so I can sleep much better.

update..aristata is getting worse :O(

hmm the bulb isnt that close..and i'd be afraid to honestly with how much they grow...plus with my setup..and the different plants..currently i have 3 poinsettias, spearmint, orchid, hyacinth, lavender, two prayer plants, all the succulents (under the light)...in my room i have a large spider plant, bromiliad, and 4 african violets..and something else that i cant think of on the top of my head..

soon (now that i put it together the correct way) they will all be on this https://www.amazon.com/Seville-Classics-5-Tier-UltraZinc-Shelving/dp/B00B7E8Y9M/ref=s9u_simh_gw_i2?_encoding=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=VD5R9653WZ0SF8WA850H&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2a864ace-95b0-4160-8611-8c68f18bad61&pf_rd_i=desktop

Light is way too far - should be more like 1/4 that distance.

Did soaking the aristata pot help?

Heather way to put that treadmill to good use:). At least I think that's a treadmill. Now that's commitment to your plants;). How funny!

lol @kara thank you..yes thats a treadmill..it definitely gets used...5 days out of the week..i take all the plants off to workout

mayo..thats is as close as i can get it..the bulb is heavy...so getting the light to stay was a task in the beginning...plus to shine on all of my plant collections (that keeps getting bigger)...i do think the light does say you can angle it etc and its still the same amount of light..honestly with as much color as some of my succulents have..i'm afraid if i put it closer..it would be too much..not sure..its the one con to the light as i dont know its strength...i just know by the amount of growth in the last 4 months and color..

soon when i get them transferred to the shelf i'm thinking of attaching it to the top somehow..which will be another task at the high light items getting higher up towards the light source..i have no idea honestly..i'm trying ..i'm a plant killer normally..(probably my issue with my aloe..lol)

Is that a heat lamp? LED? Usually, some info is on the socket of the bulb. I wonder how it is attached to the treadmill.

led i'm pretty sure...it doesnt give off any heat..like it can be on for hours and i can go and touch the bulb with no problem..

its like a clamp light to a desk (its what i had without having to spend money..more money) i clamp it from underneath the rail..then pull the light part up and over in the opposite direction so the weight is balanced so it'll stay

It is a compromise with the light. If you only have one you can only do so much. Gotta pick your favourites!

the light will have to do..and has been doing ok ..i wasnt sure until i notice the growth in comparison..i only made 3k last year..and it was the worst ever in sales..and this year isnt doing any better..in fact worse..so the light isnt anything i can change..i've made do with it for 4 months..i'm really just worried about my dying aloe..all of the plants are my favorite..right now its the only thing that i have had as an outlet to cope with the crappy two years i'm having..its the only thing that hasnt been taken away from me..and now is dying..so its important..and please dont take any of this offensively or directed at you..its just my crappy day..and the frustrating and stressful two years that has taken its toll on me..i couldnt even afford the $1 mylar sheet suggested..the only reason why i have the plants that i do is because one was given..and most my mom bought me cause she felt sorry for me

Sorry, that's all the suggestions I had - move the one plant closer and try soaking once. =(

i'm sorry..i do appreciate the advice..

the tips turning brown and drying up would be a not enough light issue??

no since posting there are more leaves dying..turning brown and crispy on the ends...i've pulled the plant out..it has a crap ton of roots..really big ones..i had put it in a bigger pot..and it hadnt even been a month and took it out just to see and roots grew even more cause they were stuck more into the screen i have at the bottom so my gritty mix doesnt keep falling out of the bottom

Not boring! Tremendously useful, and thank you!