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Growing Aloe Vera Plants: Watering, Lighting, Repotting, Use, and More!
Planting
Before Planting Aloe Vera
- It鈥檚 important to choose the right type of container. A pot made from terra-cotta or similar porous material is recommended, as it will allow the soil to dry thoroughly between waterings and 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 more moisture.
- When choosing a container, pick one with at least one drainage hole in the bottom. This is key, as the hole will allow excess water to drain out. Aloe vera plants are hardy, but a lack of proper drainage can cause rot and wilting, which is easily the most common cause of death for this plant.
- Select a container that鈥檚 about as wide as it is deep. If your aloe plant has a stem, choose a container deep enough to plant the entire stem under the soil.
- Aloe vera plants are succulents, so use a well-draining potting mix, such as those made for cacti and succulents. Do not use gardening soil. A good mix should contain perlite, lava rock, chunks of bark, or all three.
- 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 drainage enough!
- (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 bought online.
How to Plant (or Repot) an Aloe Vera Plant
If your aloe plant has grown leggy, has gotten too large, or simply needs an upgrade, it鈥檚 time to repot it. Here鈥檚 how:
- Prepare your pot. After giving the new pot a quick rinse (or a good scrub if it鈥檚 a pot you鈥檝e 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, though these will break down over time.
- 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 鈥淐are鈥 below for instructions on removing and potting pups.)
- If your plant has a very long, spindly stem that won鈥檛 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 callus will form over the wound. At this point, continue with the repotting instructions below.
- 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 an inch 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 after planting.
- Ignore your plant (temporarily). After you鈥檝e placed your aloe in its new pot, don鈥檛 water it for at least a week. This will decrease the chance of inducing rot and give the plant time to put out new roots. Until the plant seems to be rooted and happy, please keep it in a warm place that receives bright but indirect light.
Growing
How to Care for an Aloe Vera Plant
- Lighting: Place in bright, indirect sunlight or artificial light. A western or southern window is ideal. Aloe that are kept in low light often grow leggy.
- Temperature: Aloe vera does best in temperatures between 55 and 80掳F (13 and 27掳C). The temperatures of most homes and apartments are ideal. From May to September, you can bring your plant outdoors without any problems, but do bring it back inside in the evening if nights are cold.
- Fertilizing: Fertilize sparingly (no more than once a month) and only in the spring and summer with a balanced houseplant formula mixed at 1/2 strength.
- Repotting: Repot when root-bound, following the instructions given in 鈥淧lanting鈥 above.
Watering Aloe Vera
Watering is the most challenging part of keeping aloe vera healthy, but it鈥檚 certainly not rocket science! The aloe is a succulent plant accustomed to arid environments, but its thick leaves still need sufficient water.
- Water aloe vera plants deeply but infrequently. In other words, the soil should feel moist after watering but should be allowed to dry out to some extent before you water again. If the soil stays overly wet, the plant鈥檚 roots can rot.
- To ensure that you鈥檙e not overwatering your plant, allow the top third of potting soil to dry out between waterings. For example, if your plant is kept in 6 inches of potting soil, allow the top 2 inches to dry out before watering again. (Use your finger to test the dryness of the soil.)
- Generally speaking, plan to water your aloe plant about every 2鈥3 weeks in the spring and summer and even more sparingly during the fall and winter. One rule to remember 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 2 weeks in summer, water every 4 weeks in winter.
- 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鈥15 minutes, then dump any remaining water.
Removing and Replanting Aloe Vera Offsets (Pups)
Mature aloe vera plants often produce offsets鈥 plantlets, pups, or babies鈥攖hat can be removed to produce an entirely new plant (a clone of the mother plant, technically).
- 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 the offset.
- Allow the offsets to sit out of the soil for several days; this lets the offset form a callus over the cut, which helps to protect it from rot. Keep the offsets in a warm location with indirect light during this time.
- Once the offsets have formed calluses, pot them in a standard succulent potting mix. The soil should be well-draining.
- Put the newly potted pups in a sunny location. Wait at least a week to water and keep the soil on the dry side.
How to Get Your Aloe Vera to Flower
Mature aloe vera plants occasionally produce a tall flower spike鈥攃alled an inflorescence鈥攆rom which dozens of tubular yellow or red blossoms appear. This certainly adds another level of interest to the already lovely aloe!
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, sufficient water, and the right temperature range. Due to these requirements (mainly lighting), aloe flowers are usually only seen on plants grown outdoors year-round in warm climates.
To give your aloe the best shot at flowering:
- Provide it with as much light as possible, especially during spring and summer. Aloes can be kept outdoors in full sun during the summer when temperatures are above 70掳F (21掳C). Bring the aloe inside if nighttime temps threaten to drop below 60掳F (16掳C).
- Note: Don鈥檛 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 sit in partial shade for about a week before moving it to a brighter location.
- Ensure the plant is getting the right amount of water鈥攅nough to keep it from drying out completely but not enough to drown it! If the plant鈥檚 being kept outdoors, make sure that it鈥檚 not getting consistently soaked by summer rains.
- 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 to flower.
- Don鈥檛 be surprised if it still doesn鈥檛 flower. Despite our best efforts, indoor conditions just aren鈥檛 ideal for most aloes, so don鈥檛 be surprised if yours simply refuses to bloom!
Harvesting
Aloe Vera Gel
To make use of the aloe vera plant鈥檚 soothing properties, remove a 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鈥檚 healing properties.
Do not ingest the gel, as it can cause nausea and other unpleasant symptoms.
Catherine Boeckmann
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Hi Elisa,
Once you plant something outside, it’s open to all of the pests and diseases in the soil. Did the drying happen after you transplanted? It could be caused by stress from the move. Yes, egg scraps are good for keeping insect pests away: Crumble the shells into small pieces and sprinkle them around the base of the aloe plant in the soil.
Hi I have 4 Aloe Vera plants and I thought I was taking good care of them. But recently a lead on 2 of my plants are wilted and dried up? I have been cautious to not over water only once a week for fear of root rot but is that not enough? The rest of the plant is bright green and full looking and the leaves that have turned brown on me and wilted are small ones at the base. All 4 plants appear healthy and green and very plump looking. Just want to keep them healthy and could use some advice on their care such as should I feed them plant food also?
Hi Tim,
Since the leaves that wilted were ones on the outside, it sounds like they could just be old ones. As long as the rest of the plants look healthy, it would be better to not change how you care for them.
I bought an aloe plant today because I burned my finger and wanted some aloe gel to put on it, and because I liked the idea of being able to have access to aloe going into the future. I was in a hurry to bandage my burn and use the aloe so I didn't do research on how to harvest the gel first. I just cut the tip off one of the leaves and squeezed out the gel like it was a tube of toothpaste. Will this sort of treatment harm the plant? The leaves are pretty big so there's no way I would need a full one to treat my small burn. So doing it this way works better for me, but I don't want to hurt the plant.
Also, it seems a lot of the soil fell out of the pot prior to my buying it. When I pick up the pot and move it (like from one surface to another) the whole plant wobbles because there is so much empty space in the pot. I will not be able to get to the store for more soil for about another week. Do you think the plant can survive as-is that long?
I have an old aloe vera that was so large and heavy it toppled over in the pot and now has a new generation of aloe veras. I want to trim the old plant but do not want to destroy the leaves. Can I cut them and freeze them to preserve them for future use?
Hi, I just got a 2 aloe vera plants from my friend. However, I didn't have any soil so it stayed in my room for a while and now, its brownish in colour. I've planted my aloe Vera's but I used a professional seed raising soil which said it holds extra water. I can't buy a new soil or sand to mix it in. Would it be alright? And also it's the last month of Winter so would I have to bring it in my room? And my aloe vera is in a pot which looks much TOO big for it. I would really appreciate some answers. Thanks
Hi Elisa,
It sounds like the plants have gone through a couple of different shocks: First they didn’t get any water or soil, and then they were planted outside and watered plenty. They might not come back, but the best thing to do would be to let their soil dry out to a depth of about 1 inch. Water sparingly. Also, this advice depends on where you are located. Here it is currently the middle of summer.
Hi,
Thanks for the tips. Right now, it's the last month of winter and my plants are so much better now. They are green in colour and thick with gel. However, should I water the plants once a week? Since I have this soil which "holds extra water" I'm not sure how much I have to water. Thanks, Elisa
Because you are using a water-retaining soil, you will need to wait longer between waterings. You should only water when the top inch of soil has dried out thoroughly. This may mean that you water once a week or once a month, depending on how fast the soil dries out. Remember that it’s always better to water too little than it is to water too much.
A lady I work with gave me an aloe pup from her plant. She told me to remove the brown part at the both and to plant her right away which I did. However I didn't notice any root whatsoever. I don't know anything about these plants and now she look wilted. I've taken her out of the pit and put her on some napkins because I think she was too wet. Any hope of saving her
