I don't think this is a typical question for this forum/board, but I was hoping somebody could help. I have two houseplants: a spider plant, and an aloe plant. In my old house these plants were given great spots in front of large windows. Each received a lot of light and grew quite a bit.

I have since moved into a very dark apartment. I have placed the plants out on my porch for the most sunlight (which is not much at all) and they have not been doing well. Further, in the move my aloe plant tipped over and four of his "arms" fell off. Also, I repotted the aloe plant in a larger pot. It is getting cold now, so I have moved the plants inside, where there is little light.

Questions: (1) what should I do with the broken "arms" of the aloe plant, that are still on the plant? They have dried ends, but are otherwise green.
(2) does a drastic move from well-lit-inside to dark-outside then dark-inside have a negative change on the plants? What should I do to correct this? Should I wait it out and let them adjust?
(3) should I keep them both here and hope for the best or put them into foster care until I move again in August?

I live in Colorado.

Thanks for any help.

I think you might consider getting them a grow light, because they won't do well without enough light and they'll become weak and spindley.

You might try putting the broken parts of the aloe in a pot with some soil, and keep it slightly damp but not wet. The parts should sprout new roots and you'll have some new plants. Be careful about overwatering though, or they'll rot.

You might try putting the broken parts of the aloe in a pot with some soil, and keep it slightly damp but not wet. The parts should sprout new roots and you'll have some new plants.

The parts that broke off have been thrown away long ago. Are you saying I should slice the broken limbs off of the plant and put them in a new pot? Won't this damage the plant more?

Oh no, I misunderstood you. Just leave it as is, it should be fine.

The thing with aloe is, the more you neglect them, the better they grow. So it should be OK. Sounds weird, but true. I've heard many stories. One thing to be careful of is, the less light, the less water. Make sure the soil in both dries out before watering. My aloe is in a window that doesn't get much light and it does fine. In fact, when aloe gets really bright light, it tends to turn more yellow.

The spider plant might benefit from brighter light. A plant light can be better than a regular lamp, but not necessary. But I don't think spider plants need super bright light. I have some in my office near a window that gets so-so light and it seems ok. I'd keep it away from drafty windows, though.

Will the arms ever fully grow back or are they forever stumps?

A plant light can be better than a regular lamp, but not necessary. But I don't think spider plants need super bright light.

Thanks Thalia. I noticed that my aloe plant in my old house was getting somewhat sunburned, because it was in direct sunlight all day long. Also - about lights - does a regular 100 watt bulb do anything for plants?? or are you talking about a growing lamp?

Being moved into different conditions is very stressful for a plant, even if the new conditions are ultimately better for it. Unless they are rapidly dying where they are, I would give them at least a couple of weeks to adjust before moving them to any new location, even if it's just a different room in the house.

Also, the sources I've read say that regular incandescent bulbs don't really help plants, that they need full spectrum light. The plants at my office seem to do well under fluorescent bulbs, though.