The aloe vera plant is an easy-to-grow succulent that is a wonderful indoor companion. Applied externally, the juice from the leaves of aloe vera plants helps alleviate the pain of cuts, burns, and other skin injuries. In this guide, you’ll learn how to cultivate and care for aloe vera in your own house!
Aloe vera belongs to the Aloe family. The stemless or short-stemmed plant has thick, greenish, fleshy leaves that sprawl out from the plant’s primary stem. There are little teeth on the leaf’s edge. The aloe is best kept in a setting with bright, indirect sunlight before you purchase it (or artificial sunlight). Aloes in very sunny spots may need more frequent watering due to the risk of excessive drying and yellowing of their fleshy leaves. You may keep an aloe vera plant near a kitchen window for occasional usage.
What’s the Best Light Environment for your Aloe Vera
Place in a bright, indirect light source, such as a window or artificial light. A window facing west or south is the best location for this item. Aloe that is maintained in low light tends to get elongated.
Does Your Aloe Vera Need Fertilization?
A balanced houseplant solution blended at half strength may be used sparingly (no more than once per month) in the spring and summer to fertilize your plants.
What temperature does Your Aloe Vera like?
Between 55 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (13 and 27 degrees Celsius), aloe vera is at its most effective. Temperatures in most houses and flats are within acceptable ranges. It is OK to leave your plant outside from May to September, but if it is chilly at night, be sure to bring it in before you leave the house.
How To Water Your Aloe Vera Properly
Watering is the most challenging component of aloe vera’s care, but it’s not rocket science. Even though the aloe plant’s thick leaves are adapted to dry conditions, it nonetheless requires regular watering to maintain its lush appearance.
- Water aloe vera plants thoroughly but sparingly. If the soil is damp when you water it, let it dry a little before you water it again. The roots of the plant might decay if the soil is left too damp for too long.
- Allow the top third of your plant’s potting soil to dry out between waterings to ensure that you aren’t overwatering it. You should wait until the top two inches of your potting soil have dried out before watering again, for example. Test the soil’s dryness by pressing your finger into it.
- During the spring and summer, you may expect to water your aloe plant every two to three weeks, while you should water it even less in the autumn and winter. During the autumn and winter, it’s a good idea to water less often and space out waterings more evenly (as compared to your summer watering schedule). In other words, if you water every two weeks in the summer, water every four weeks in the winter.
- When watering, some of the surplus water may spill out of the pot’s bottom. As much water as possible should be absorbed by the soil in the container, so leave it there for now. Dump any residual water after a few minutes of incubation.
Aloe Vera Offsets Can Be Removed And Replanted (Pups)
As long as the appropriate circumstances are met, your aloe plant may produce offspring. To create a completely new aloe vera plant, it is common to remove offsets (also known as plantlets, “pups,” or “babies”). This is a clone of the mother plant, technically.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the bottom of the root after it reaches 3 to 4 inches in height and then set it in soil or water to develop new roots. Pruning shears, scissors, or a sharp knife may be used to remove the offsets from the parent plant. At least one inch of the stem should be left on each offset
- A callous will grow over the cut, protecting the offset from decay, if it is kept out of the soil for a few days. Make sure the offsets are kept in a warm, indirect light environment throughout this period.
- Make sure the callouses on the offsets have hardened before potting them. The soil must be permeable and permeable.
- Give your aloe plant a lot of sunshine and very little water as you wait for it to mature. Sunlight is best for the newly-planted puppies. Make sure the soil is completely dry before watering for at least a week.
How To Get Your Aloe Vera To Flower
It’s very uncommon for aloe vera plants to develop an inflorescence, a tall spike of tubular yellow or red flowers, from which hundreds of tubular yellow or red blooms emerge. Aloe is always beautiful, but this adds a whole other level of appeal!
As a houseplant, aloes can’t blossom because they need the correct circumstances to thrive: plenty of light, enough water, and a temperature range that is just right. Plants that are cultivated outside year-round in warm areas may generally only be found to have aloe blooms due to these conditions (mostly lighting).
Give your aloe a chance at blossoming by following these instructions:
- During the spring and summer, make sure it has enough light. Outdoors in full light above 70°F (21°C) throughout the summer is OK for aloes. To protect yourself from the cold at night, bring the aloe indoors.
- It’s important to give your aloe some time to become used to the bright light before moving it to the sun. Otherwise, it might get sunburned. When you’re ready to move it, put it in a spot with some light but not direct sunlight for approximately a week.
- If the plant is receiving enough water, but not so much that it’s drowning, you’ve done your job! You should ensure that the plant if it is maintained outside, does not get saturated by summer rain.
- In the autumn and winter, give your aloe an appropriate rest time. Giving aloe a break time with less regular watering and milder temperatures may help plants to blossom in the late winter or early spring.
- Don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t bloom after all this time. Most aloes just don’t thrive in a confined space.
Takeaway
The aloe vera plant is a popular houseplant for many reasons. It’s easy to grow and is extremely forgiving. The leaves are used in traditional medicine to help treat a variety of health problems, including burns and skin infections.
