Aloe Vera (2024)

No content available.

Before Planting AloeVera

• It’s important to choose the right type of container. Apot made from terra-cotta or similar porousmaterial is recommended, as it will allow the soil to dry thoroughly between wateringsand will also be heavy enough to keep the plant from tipping over. A plastic or glazed pot may also be used, though these will hold moremoisture.
• When choosinga container,pick one with at least onedrainage hole in the bottom. Thisis key, as the holewill allow excess water to drain out.Aloe veraplants are hardy, but a lack of proper drainage can cause rot and wilting, which is easily the most common cause of death forthisplant.
• Select a containerthat’s about as wide as it is deep. If your aloe plant has astem, choose a container deep enough to plant the entire stem under thesoil.
• Aloe vera plants are succulents, so usea well-draining potting mix, such as those madefor cacti andsucculents. Do not use gardening soil. A good mix should contain perlite, lava rock, chunks of bark, or allthree.
• A layer of gravel, clay balls, or any other “drainage” material in the bottom of the pot is not necessary. This only takes up space that the roots could otherwise be using. A drainage hole is drainageenough!
• (Optional) To encourage your aloe to put out new roots after planting, dust the stem of the plant with a rooting hormone powder. Rooting hormone can be found at a local garden center or hardware store or boughtonline.

How to Plant (orRepot) an Aloe VeraPlant

If your aloe plant has grown leggy, has gotten too large, or simply needs an upgrade, it’s time to repot it. Here’show:

1. Prepare your pot. After giving the new pot a quick rinse (or a good scrub if it’s a pot you’ve used before) and letting it dry thoroughly, place a small piece of screen over the drainage hole; this will keep the soil from falling out the bottom and will allow water to drain properly. A doubled-up piece of paper towel or newspaper can also work in a pinch, thoughthese will break down overtime.
2. Prepare your plant. Remove the aloe vera plant from its current pot and brush away any excess dirt from the roots, being careful not to damage the roots.
   • If your plant has any pups, remove them now. (See this page’s “Care” section for instructions on removing and pottingpups.)
   • If your plant has a very long, spindly stem that won’t fit in the pot, it is possible to trim the stem off partially. Note that this is risky and could kill the plant. To trim the stem: Cut off part of the stem, leaving as much as possible on the plant. Next, place the bare plant in a warm area that gets indirect light. After several days, a callous will form over the wound. At this point, continue with the repotting instructionsbelow.
3. Plant your plant. Fill the pot about a third of the way with a well-draining potting mix, then place your plant in the soil. Continue filling in the soil around the plant, bearing in mind that you should leave at least 3/4 of aninch of space between the top of the soil and the rim of the pot.The bottom leaves of the aloe plant should rest just above the soil, too. Do not water afterplanting.
4. Ignore your plant (temporarily). After you’ve placed your aloe in its new pot, don’t water it for at least a week. This willdecrease the chance of inducing rot and give the planttime to put out new roots. Until the plant seems to be rooted and happy,please keep itin a warm place that receives bright but indirectlight.

How to Care for an Aloe VeraPlant

• Lighting: Place in bright, indirect sunlight or artificial light. A western or southern window is ideal. Aloe that are kept in low light often growleggy.
• Temperature: Aloe veradoes best in temperatures between 55 and 80°F (13 and 27°C). The temperatures of most homes and apartments are ideal. FromMay to September, you can bring your plant outdoors without any problems, but do bring it back inside in the evening if nights arecold.
• Fertilizing: Fertilize sparingly(no more than once a month), and only in the spring and summer, with a balanced houseplant formula mixed at 1/2strength.
• Repotting: Repot when root bound, following the instructions given in “Planting”above.

WateringAloeVera

Wateringis the most challenging part of keeping aloe vera healthy, but it’s certainly not rocket science! The aloe is a succulent plant accustomed to arid environments, but its thick leaves stillneed sufficientwater.

• Water aloe veraplants deeply butinfrequently. In other words, the soil should feel moistafter watering but should be allowed to dry out to some extent before you water again.If the soil stays overly wet, the plant’srootscanrot.
• To ensure that you’re not overwatering your plant, allow the topthird ofpotting soilto dry outbetween waterings. For example, if your plant is kept in 6 inches of potting soil, allow the top 2 inchesto dry out before watering again. (Useyour finger to test the dryness of thesoil.)
• Generally speaking, plan to water your aloe plant about every 2-3 weeks in the spring and summer and even more sparingly during the fall and winter. One rule of thumb for fall and winter watering is to roughly double the time between waterings (compared to your summer watering schedule). In other words, if you water every twoweeks in summer, water every four weeks inwinter.
• When watering, some excess water may run out of the bottom of the pot. Let the pot sit in this water so the soil absorbs as much as possible. Wait 10-15 minutes, then dump any remainingwater.

Removing & ReplantingAloe Vera Offsets(Pups)

Mature aloe vera plants often produce offsets—plantlets, pups,or “babies”—that can be removed to produce an entirely new plant (a clone of the mother plant,technically).

1. Find where the offsets are attached to the mother plant and separate them using pruning shears, scissors, or a sharp knife. Leave at least an inch of stem on theoffset.
2. Allow the offsets to sit out of the soil for several days; this lets the offset form a callous over the cut, which helps toprotect it fromrot.Keep the offsetsin a warm location with indirect light during thistime.
3. Once the offsets have formed callouses,pot them in a standard succulent potting mix. The soil should bewell-draining.
4. Put the newly potted pups in a sunny location. Wait at least a week to water and keep the soil on the dryside.

How to Get Your Aloe Vera toFlower

Mature aloe veraplants occasionally produce a tall flower spike—called an inflorescence—from which dozens of tubular yellow or red blossoms appear. This certainly adds another level of interest to the already lovelyaloe!

Unfortunately, a bloom is rarely achievable with aloes that are kept as houseplants, since the plant requires nearly ideal conditions to produce flowers: lots of light, sufficientwater, and the right temperature range. Due to these requirements (mainly lighting), aloe flowers are usually only seen on plants grown outdoors year-round in warmclimates.

To give your aloe the best shot atflowering:

• Provide it with as much light as possible, especially during spring and summer. Aloes can be keptoutdoors in full sunduring the summer when temperatures are above 70°F (21°C). Bring the aloe inside if nighttime temps threaten to drop below 60°F (16°C).
  • Note: Don’t move your aloe from indoors to full sun right away; it needs time to adjust to the intense light, or it may cause sunburn. Allow it to sitin partial shade for about a week before moving it to a brighterlocation.
• Ensure the plant is getting the right amount of water—enough to keep it from drying out completely, but not enough to drown it! If the plant’s being kept outdoors, make sure that it’s not getting consistently soaked by summerrains.
• Give your aloe a proper dormancy period in the fall and winter. Aloe tends to bloom in late winter or early spring, so giving them a period of rest consisting of less frequent watering and cooler temperatures may encourage them toflower.
• Don’t be surprised if it still doesn’t flower. Despite our best efforts, indoor conditions just aren’t ideal for most aloes, so don’t be surprised if yours simply refuses tobloom!

Especially attractiveAloeinclude:

• Tiger or Partridge-Breasted Aloe (Aloe variegata) – A compact aloe characterized by short, smooth leaves with uneven whitestripes.
• Lace Aloe (Aloearistata)–A small plant with white-spotted, finely sawtoothedleaves.
• Blue Aloe (Aloe glauca) – A larger aloe species withsilver-blueleaves.

Aloe VeraGel

To make use of the aloe vera plant’s soothing properties,removea mature leaf from the plant and cut it lengthwise. Squeeze the gel out of the leaf and apply it to your burn, or lay the opened leaf gel side–down on the affected area. Learn more about aloe vera’shealing properties.

Do not ingest the gel, as it can cause nausea and other unpleasantsymptoms.