Aloe - help needed with problem

[Fuerte Rav]

I've got a NOID Aloe that I call the Spider. I was given a cutting about 10 years ago and have grown it, propagated it from cutting and seed and have several large clumps in my garden. A couple of months ago I overturned my wheelbarrow accidently and knocked a chunk off. No worries, I stripped off the lower couple of leaves and stuck it in another bed. Gave it some water and forgot about it. This is standard treatment for aloes here.
I have about 6 different varieties and all get treated the same and they all grow and bloom like mad.
Today though I noticed this new plant was looking decidedly unhappy and it's all happened in the last couple of days. I went and checked the other clumps of the same variety and they are all suffering as well! The other varieties are all OK.
It seems to start with random discolouration on one or more leaves. Then that area goes really soft, then it dries out. This is happening on old leaves and new. Affected plants are in different parts of the garden, different soils, different levels of sun and wind.
Any ideas as to what is happening? This is not something I've seen before.

This is the 'new' plant:


This is the 'parent':

[Shadeflower]

Hey fuerte, I'm not too sure but to me it looks like possible sun damage. On the second picture the leaves that are protected under another plant have no damage and the ones further out receiving full sun from above have gotten damaged.
I know you said that they have been growing outdoors for years so it would make no sense for them to develop burns now but plants can get dehydrated during a drought

[Paphluvr]

Any chance that it could have received some drift from the use of herbicide nearby?

[Fuerte Rav]

Originally Posted by Shadeflower

Hey fuerte, I'm not too sure but to me it looks like possible sun damage. On the second picture the leaves that are protected under another plant have no damage and the ones further out receiving full sun from above have gotten damaged.
I know you said that they have been growing outdoors for years so it would make no sense for them to develop burns now but plants can get dehydrated during a drought

Aah, this got me thinking! I don't think it is standard sun damage, as you say the parent plants have been growing there for 10 years, but, my irrigation system developed a pinprick leak a couple of weeks ago and was sending a fine spray over that area in the middle of the day! It may have been going for several hours before I spotted it - so water/sun damage is quite likely

---------- Post added at 10:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:06 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Paphluvr

Any chance that it could have received some drift from the use of herbicide nearby?

Thanks Paphluvr - good call but I don't use any herbicides. However I had to douse a nearby tree with a pesticide for cochineal, perhaps the 'new' plant that is very close got some drift from that.

So possibly 2 different causes and effects:
sun/water damage to the established plants and pesticide drift to the new one.
The problems do look a bit different so this would make sense.

Really appreciate the input - helped me work through it in my mind.

[estación seca]

Aloe sun damage usually isn't patchy like that. There are some irregular yellowish patches on some of the leaves. I'm wondering whether it was in the hot sun, and cold water was splashed on it?

[Fuerte Rav]

thanks ES
yes, this was my conclusion to Shadeflower's thoughts:

Aah, this got me thinking! I don't think it is standard sun damage, as you say the parent plants have been growing there for 10 years, but, my irrigation system developed a pinprick leak a couple of weeks ago and was sending a fine spray over that area in the middle of the day! It may have been going for several hours before I spotted it - so water/sun damage is quite likely.

[kvet]

Originally Posted by Fuerte Rav

However I had to douse a nearby tree with a pesticide for cochineal, perhaps the 'new' plant that is very close got some drift from that.

Totally random and unrelated, I was just looking at buying a jar of dead cochineal bugs on amazon a couple weeks ago for another hobby. Very random to come across that here hahaha

[Fuerte Rav]

If it was allowed, I could send you hundreds, no, make that thousands, of live little bast**ds

Do you do something with the dye? My fingers are crimson after squashing any I see and can reach!

I read an article a while back that said Australia was importing them and letting them loose on their prickly pear problem - they will regret it very quickly. They feed on the prickly pear, not kill it (I know this through experience) and then quickly spread to most other plants - and those plants they do kill or at least severely set back.

[Dorchid]

Sounds like a terrible idea. Shit’s bout to get invasive down under. 😢

[kvet]

Originally Posted by Fuerte Rav

Do you do something with the dye? My fingers are crimson after squashing any I see and can reach!

The bugs are cooked in some concoction of alum and cream of tartar to extract carmine. Carmine is typically used to dye clothes and cosmetics (e.g. lipstick). Long ago it was also used as red food coloring, but I think it's fallen out of favor given western culture's ick factor against bugs, and it's tough to find without hitting up some super specialty stores. When I read up on the process, this made me realize why some cosmetics and clothing manufacturers mention their products are "vegan" (always struck me as odd previously since you don't actually eat your clothes..).

I learned all this a few weeks ago when looking for natural alternatives to coloring pastries and confections (there's also beet and radish, but I haven't had luck with these retaining color).

Sorry to take your post off topic, hopefully it was a fun diversion though