How to care for aloe vera at home? 5 easy tips for watering, pruning etc …
Today you will learn from this post how to care for aloe vera, how to water it, trim it and when to replant it. I will share with you my personal experiences in caring for aloe vera.
The best way to care for aloe vera is to water it properly, provide well-draining soil and use fertilizer in the summer.
Aloe vera, otherwise known as Aloe Vera, is a plant that is very easy to care for. It does not require special care, but you should take care of the basic elements that will allow it to grow. This easy and attractive succulent is a great addition to any interior. It’s quite nice to care for succulents like this.
Anyone who wants to enjoy great aloe vera must know how to care for succulents.
Aloe has been used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. We can find countless aloe vera products on the market and the increasingly popular bio aloe vera juice drinks. As a plant, aloe vera can also be used to relieve pain from scratches, for example. It speeds up the healing of wounds and on the Internet, you will find countless different applications.
But let me get to the point as I assume you are on my blog as you already have aloe vera in your home and want to learn how to take good care of aloe vera?
Here are some tips that I have gathered over my years of experience with aloe vera.
How To Care For Aloe Vera?
Aloe is a succulent that comes from the golden head family.
It is a plant that has a small number of stems and thick fleshy leaves that sprout from a central stem. Aloe leaves are endowed with spikes by nature, so they should be handled with due care.
When deciding to buy aloe vera, you must remember to provide it with a suitable place.
Aloe does not like too long, direct sunlight, so before you set it up at home, think carefully about whether the chosen place will be suitable for it.
Direct sunlight can dry the plant too much, and as a result, the aloe leaves turn yellow.
In my experience, the best place for aloe vera is on your kitchen window sill. It is bright enough for the aloe vera and at the same time not too much sunlit.
| Type: | Aloe vera |
| Sun exposure: | moderate, avoid prolonged, direct sunlight. |
| Land Type: | sandy, well-drained |
| Required soil pH: | neutral |
| Flowering time: | summer |
How to care for tiger aloe vera?
Tiger Aloe Vera has very similar requirements to most succulents.
This plant grows outdoors mainly in warmer climates.
On the other hand, it’s not that bad at all because we can enjoy his great looks all day long ?
To take care of tiger aloe vera, you need to provide it with the right amount of light, i.e. set it in the right place.
Remember that even though tiger aloe is not a very tall plant (it grows up to about 30 cm), its rosette can grow a lot, even up to 60 cm.
Of course, do not forget about the correct pot, which should be wider than the height. Thanks to this, your tiger aloe vera will not tip over when it grows up.
The pot should also be equipped with drainage holes so that excess water can easily get out.
The most common disease of succulents is their rotting, caused by the fact that the roots are in the water, so be sure to water only when the soil is completely dry.
How to take care of aloe vera at home?
To take good care of your aloe vera at home, you need to provide it with the right living conditions. As I wrote before, for aloe vera as well as for other succulents it is very important:
- suitable place (pay attention to lighting)
- relatively constant temperature ranging from 13 to 27 degrees Celsius
- suitable, well-drained soil for succulents
- a properly selected pot with a drainage hole
- regular fertilizing and watering of succulents
- avoiding direct sunlight
- care activities such as cutting damaged leaves and stems after flowering
- transplanting as the plant grows
1. Which place should I choose for aloe vera?
Now that you’re happy to own aloe (or will soon be), it’s time to choose a place for it.
As I mentioned before, a good place for aloe vera is the kitchen window, as long as it is not lit directly by the sun for too long.
When choosing a place for aloe vera, remember that it likes a lot of light. Therefore, it will thrive on a south or west window.
Once you’ve placed your aloe vera in the desired location, watch it grow. If the aloe leaves become long and thin, it is a sign that there is not enough light. In such a case, the most illuminated place should be changed or provided with artificial lighting.
Aloe likes the temperature between 13 and 27 degrees Celsius, which is why most Polish apartments and houses are perfect for him. In summer, you can put the aloe outside, but remember that if the nights are cold, you must put it home, preferably in the evening.
2 . Watering aloe
In the previous post, I showed you how to water succulents. The most common mistake beginners make when growing aloe vera is too much water.
At the beginning of the adventure with growing aloe vera, the amount of water may seem a bit puzzling. I always asked myself how much of this water should I pour?
100 ml for a 50-litre pot or maybe 70 ml better? I wanted one simple answer, but unfortunately, I realized it didn’t exist.
The answer to this question is not simple, because it depends on the soil you have in the pot. Therefore, I prefer to prepare the soil for succulents myself. Thanks to this, I know how much water will be needed by my plants.
If in doubt, it is better to add less water than too much. Aloe can cope with a little water much better than excess water which can cause leaf rot or other diseases.
When watering aloe vera, never allow the situation when there is standing water in the pot, because the aloe roots will rot very quickly.
When it comes to watering or aloe vera, it should be watered rarely but heavily. Before each watering, touch the ground with your finger to make sure it is not damp. If you only feel a little damp, this is not a good time to water.
In winter, aloe doesn’t need to be watered, which may seem strange at first. I remember my first winter with aloe vera when I was worried that it would dry out. I had a fairly good-looking specimen that I got from my mother-in-law and the idea of not watering the plant seemed a bit strange to me. Especially since the watering intervals were four weeks.
Aloe, however, has survived and is doing quite well. However, if your aloe vera is small you can water it about once every 3 to 4 weeks. Be sure to check that the soil is dry before watering.
3. Fertilizing aloe
Aloe vera, like all plants, needs nutrients.
Of course, it is known that aloe comes from places where there are not many of these nutrients, but on the other hand, any aloe you buy in the store has grown on specially prepared soil for cacti.
Growers often add large amounts of fertilizer so that the plants grow quickly and can be sold as quickly as possible. This means that each subsequent generation of plants is more and more used to the use of fertilizers.
If you stop fertilizing suddenly store-bought, medium-sized aloe vera may stop growing. There are many different fertilizers
available in stores that are specially designed for cacti and succulents. As for the frequency of fertilization, the fertilizer should be used only in spring and summer and not more than once a month.
This fertilization will provide the aloe with the right amount of nutrients and allow you to enjoy a wonderful plant.
4. Pruning aloe vera
One of the treatments that we absolutely must perform is trimming the aloe vera leaves.
This operation is quite simple and you can do it yourself with a knife or scissors. If your aloe vera is thick enough it is much easier to use a knife. Just remember to choose a smooth knife and not a serrated knife so as not to tear the edge of the leaf.
The cut itself should be made at a distance of about 2-3 cm from the shaft. After cutting, turn the plant over so that the sun does not shine directly on the cutting site. This will help the aloe vera seal the cut area faster.
Aloe leaves are pruned when the plant is sick or when we want to prepare aloe juice.
On the Internet, you can find many recipes for making aloe vera juice that you can drink. Unfortunately, as far as I know, aloe vera juice is not suitable for direct consumption. You can use it on scratches and then it speeds up wound healing. However, I strongly advise against direct consumption of aloe vera juice. According to the textbooks, it can cause nausea, vomiting and stomach irritation.
5. Aloe care
When caring for your aloe vera at home, pay attention to insects as well. If you put your aloe outside in the summer, it can be exposed to insects such as mildew. You have to keep this in mind and watch your aloe vera “when you get home.”
Also, remember to periodically wash the leaves with a damp cloth. This allows not only the removal of dust but also protects the plant surface from insects.
I advise you to avoid taking a bath 🙂
6. How to prune aloe vera?
As the aloe vera grows, it may happen that its leaves are not in the best shape and need to be pruned.
This happens, for example, when the aloe leaves turn brown or simply rot and need to be removed. Affected leaves must be removed and it is most convenient to cut them off with a knife.
Choose a smooth knife (no cloves), grab an aloe leaf and gently cut it off with a knife right at the base.
If the leaf is already badly damaged, you can simply tear it off. It should come off the base by itself.
Another reason for pruning aloe vera is of course the need to prepare aloe vera juice.
It is not difficult to prepare and the benefits are huge. Aloe vera juice can be applied to the hair or facial skin, but be careful. Some people may be allergic to it, so consult your doctor before using it.
Transplanting aloe vera
One of the most important elements when growing aloe vera is the appropriate container in which we will grow plants.
Container for aloe
As a rule, all succulents must have adequate drainage because they do not like standing water in the pot.
So we can use the popular plastic or ceramic pots, but remember that the pot has a hole in the bottom through which excess water will drain.
When choosing a pot, try to choose the dimensions and dimensions so that the width corresponds to the depth. Aloe, due to the structure of the shaft from which it grows, needs an appropriate amount of space.
Soil for aloe
Another important element is the selection of the right soil for aloe, which I wrote about in the article “What soil to choose for aloe”. You can choose a ready-made mix that can be purchased at the shop, but it will be much better prepared by yourself.
The preparation itself is not complicated. It is enough to put a handful of pearl stones on the bottom of the pot. You can use stones that are available in aquarium stores. They are sterilized and will certainly not harm your plant. If in doubt, pour boiling water over them.
Then you need to have a properly prepared substrate before planting the aloe vera.
Mix the soil for cacti with sand and fine stones. The prepared substrate will provide the aloe with proper drainage and conditions similar to natural ones.
After replanting aloe vera, you can practically forget about it for at least a week. After one and a half or two weeks, you can water it for the first time with a little water. This way you will reduce the chance of the roots rot.
One more note.
When disturbing the aloe, make sure that the leaves do not touch the ground. Thanks to this, they will not remain in the water after watering, which aloe especially dislikes, as well as succulents.
How to care for aloe vera in a pot?
Caring for your aloe in a pot, perform all the above-mentioned activities and additionally remove any shoots that appear.
I mean little aloes that grow out of the ground.
It is good practice to replant them into new pots while they are still small as they absorb large amounts of nutrients and can inhibit the growth of the main plant.
Especially if the pot is small, you should replant the shoots as soon as possible.
All in all, it’s a pretty cool situation because we have another aloe vera that we can grow or give to our loved ones.
If the pot in which the aloe vera grows has more drainage holes and is standing on a rack, be sure to pour out any excess water from it. The small amount of water that goes into the cradle does not bother you and it may even help the plant to take root better. Water will be drawn into the pot and the roots will grow towards the water.
The problem may arise only when there is too much of this water. Then the roots can start to rot. for safety, you can empty this water. Also, remember to replant the aloe vera if the pot is too small for it. Once the aloe vera starts to grow, it can take up quite a lot of space.
How to care for an aloe flower?
If you manage to make it bloom, you need to properly care for your aloe vera and its wonderful flowers. Thanks to this, you will be able to enjoy not only a wonderful plant but also beautiful flowers.
Aloe flowers appear as an inflorescence on plants that are at least 4 years old. Getting your aloe to bloom is quite difficult in homes, but not impossible. The situation of Echeveria flowers is similar.
One of the elements is to provide the right amount of sunlight. The point is that the plant should have a lot of light and conditions as close to natural as possible.
In summer, the plant should be exposed to the sun for several hours. Unfortunately, I could not find any precise information on how long you should leave the aloe in the sun. At the same time, we will have to provide the right amount of water due to direct sunlight.
Adequate fertilizers should also be used.
Just remember to avoid fertilizers with a lot of phosphorus. Phosphorus can damage the plant.
What can also help is replanting the plant approximately every 2 years? By providing fresh soil and aerating the roots, we support plant growth.
When exposing aloe vera outdoors, just like the snake plant, we must remember that aloe does not like low temperatures, so in the evening it should certainly be hidden at home.
And when the aloe is in bloom, we can enjoy the wonderful flowers ?
That’s it for today.
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