Aloe x ‘Crosby’s Prolific‘

Aloe x nobilis X Aloe humilis

AL-oh  x NO-bil(BIL)-iss X HEW-mil-is var. ek-in-AY-tum

I brought this Aloe x ‘Crosby’s Prolific home from Lowe’s in Sedalia, Missouri on April 20, 2013. There were several HUGE pots with really nice clumps, but I didn’t want to pay $10.00 so I took a small pot home. Although they grow to only about 6″ tall, they quickly form a large clump. Information on the internet says they are one of the fastest-growing Aloes.

THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AND GROWING RECOMMENDATIONS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING.

As soon as the temperatures permitted, I moved my plants back outside for the summer. I repotted my new Aloe x ‘Crosby’s Prolific into a somewhat larger pot.

I really liked this nice little aloe with its bright green leaves. It has plenty of translucent teeth to provide additional interest.

Somewhere in my earlier research about Aloe ‘Crosby’s Prolific’, I found where it was a cross between Aloe x nobilis and Aloe humilis var. echinatum. Aloe x nobilis itself is a very old hybrid of uncertain parentage and should be written as Aloe x nobilis. An older article I found said some think it is a cross between Aloe mitriformis and A. brevifolia while others think maybe Aloe distans and A. brevifolia. Aloe mitriformis is now considered a synonym of Aloe perfoliata. Aloe humilis var. echinatum is also not accurate because there is no species by the name of A. echinatum maybe because of an incorrect spelling… The correct infraspecific name is Aloe humilis var. echinata but that name now is a synonym of Aloe humilis. Another website says A. ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ is a cross between Aloe perfoliata x Aloe humilis which is kind of true in a roundabout way. Some believe since Aloe x nobilis is an older hybrid and widely grown it should have a correct and accepted name. Well, if it is that old and no one knows who the parents are, how do they even know it is a hybrid and not a species. Who is “they” anyway? I am going to stick with Aloe x nobilis X Aloe humilis even though it looks weird…

As with all Aloe, they need well-draining soil. When grown in pots, they need soil that absorbs and drains quickly. Even though they are drought tolerant and require little water if grown in the ground, pot-growing is somewhat different. Aloe are listed as summer dormant but some say that depends on whether the species is native of a summer or winter rainfall region. Either way, they supposedly do most of their growing in the spring and late summer to early fall.

Information online says they are easily proposed from cuttings. That is a new one and I have never attempted to root Aloe that grow like this from cuttings. I always allow my clumping Aloe, such as this one, to form a natural colony of rosettes from their offsets. If one happens to come loose while I am repotting I may put it in another pot or just stick it in the same pot.

Aloe x ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ on 8-23-13, #178-12.

During their growing period, they should be watered on a regular basis if there was no rain. That is just my opinion because some websites say they need very little watering. Even though they are drought-tolerant, regular watering does make them grow better.

When I first moved back to the family farm in 2013 I had to first decide where I was going to keep my plants. I put them behind a shed on tables I brought with me from Mississippi. There was an old Chinese Elm behind the shed that gave light shade for the plants which was good. The Japanese Beetles start eating the leaves in about June which starts adding more light as summer progresses.

The leaf tips of the Aloe x ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ turn reddish-brown in brighter light.

Aside from an occasional cricket taking a bit out of the leaves at night, I had no problems with the Aloe x ‘Crosby’s Prolific.

By October I had to start planning where I was going to put all the potted plants for the winter. I had to get used to the idea of an “F” in October in Missouri instead of December in Mississippi… GEEZ!

I put most of my succulents on a table in the front bedroom. It was a west exposure so they received a good amount of afternoon sun and the room would sometimes get quite warm. That is not really a good combination for some succulents as they should be slowing down. It caused many succulents leaves to stretch.

<<<<2014>>>>

All the plants were happy to be back outside for the summer. I believe those brown spots are old war wounds between the Aloe x ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ and hungry crickets. They just ruin the appearance of the plant. In time the leaves will get old and turn brown and be replaced by new leaves…

I had no problems with my Aloe x ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ companion. As I mentioned earlier, the only issue was with the crickets. Unfortunately, I gave up most of my plants shortly after the above photo was taken. Now I am starting over and hopefully, I will run across another Aloe x ‘Crosby’s Prolific’.

I hope you enjoyed this page and maybe found it useful. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, I would like to hear from you. Please click on “like” if you visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂 You can check out the links below for further reading. The links take you directly to the genus and species of this plant.

USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Asphodelaceae
Origin: Hybrid
Zones: USDA zones 9b-11 (25-40° F).
Size: Up to 6” (some information says up to 12”) x 9-15” wide.
*Light:  Light to part shade
Soil: Very well-draining soil. Good quality potting soil amended with pumice (50/50) or additional pumice and chicken grit (2-1-1).
Water: Regular watering during the growing period and very little during the winter months.
Flowers: Red-orange flowers on 18” stems.

Aloe and their cousins are some of my favorite plants. They are very easy to keep as companions as long as you follow a few basic rules. Even so, there have been a few I have had ups and downs with but eventually, we get it figured out, or at least we agree to disagree. Normally, it has something to do with water. You can’t lump all succulents in the same category when it comes to care because many are very unique in their preferences…

Aloe and their cousins are considered a summer dormant/winter growing species but for me, they seem to grow pretty much year-round. I read where Aloe hybrids don’t go dormant and whether they are summer or winter dormant depends on where the species are native. Personally, I think most Aloe will grow year-round if given the opportunity but I am no expert. For me, I think they do most of their growing while outside from May through mid-October, but most show no sign of being dormant while inside for the winter. Their growth does slow down while inside over the winter and I pretty much withhold their watering to a little once a month if necessary.  

When you bring your new plants home from the store, you need to check their roots and the soil to see if they are wet. If so, you may want to re-pot it right away. It is advisable to re-pot them in a better potting soil more suitable for cactus and succulents. Always check for critters that may come home with the plants and keep an eye out during the winter months… 

You can read my Cactus Talk & Update and Cactus & Succulent Tips to get my opinion about growing cactus and succulents.

I hope you enjoyed this page and maybe found it useful. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, I would like to hear from you. Please click on “like” if you visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂 You can check out the links below for further reading. If you see I have made an error, please let me know in a comment or email me at thebelmontrooster@yahoo.com.

FOR FURTHER READING:
PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE (GENUS)
WIKIPEDIA (GENUS)
DAVE’S GARDEN
GARDENIA
THE NATIONAL GARDENING ASSOCIATION