How to grow Aloe vera

How to grow and care for the Aloe vera Plant indoors and outdoors:

An introduction to Aloe vera:

Aloe vera is known world wide as a wonder plant, here we give you the best tips and advice on how to grow Aloe vera plants indoors and outdoors and we share special tips on how to care for and maintain Aloe vera plants for the best results and good harvesting yields to make Aloe vera Jells and all the other fun healthy treats and properties these awesome plants offer.

Aloe Vera Plants are attractive and useful.

Popular indoor plants like Aloe vera (botanically known as Aloe barbadensis) are attractive to look at and have tons of extra uses and advantages. They are renowned as medicinal plants that can be used to treat a variety of ailments, including sunburns, inflammation, and wound healing. Simply break a leaf off and rub the gel onto the affected area (just test out on a patch of skin first). Aloe vera plants are also super healthy to eat and make a healthy addition to smoothies and juices.

It makes sense why so many people have these plants in their homes, but in order to keep these babies healthy, you must first understand how to take care of your Aloe vera so that it can look after you in return.

Because of their fleshy and robust stems, which make them immediately distinguishable as succulents, it’s ideal to keep your Aloe vera in dry conditions and in bright, indirect light. Additionally, they tolerate irregular watering well; Aloe vera only require a thorough watering every two weeks. So when watering Aloe Vera make very sure it is not too moist.

If your Aloe is happy you will likely get to enjoy a brand-new plant if your plant produces Aloe vera pups along the base of the mother plant.
So, if you choose to grow Aloe Vera outdoors or as a fun ornamental Aloe indoors, below we provide all the information you need on how to grow and maintain Aloe vera.

How to Grow Aloe Vera Indoors

Because of Aloe vera’s resilience and its spectacular tolerance of infrequent watering and low maintenance needs in general, this little Aloe has gained popularity among home gardeners and indoor plant lovers alike.

You want to plant your Aloe vera plant in a terra cotta container with well-drained soil to keep it healthy. Terra cotta pots work wonderful for growing Aloes and other succulents indoors as they help control the moisture exposed to the plant. Terra cotta containers dry quicker than conventional plastic or glazed pots and they help accentuate the plant to make an attractive feature in the home.

The right soil is important for growing Aloe vera indoors. Your best option is to purchase a pre mixed succulent soil mixture, alternatively combine equal parts sand and normal potting soil for a good home-made potting soil with good drainage which Aloes absolutely adore.

Your Aloe may  tip over because of its weight, if it does consider repotting it in a larger pot or divide its pups for some free Aloe vera plantlets otherwise, don’t worry about providing Aloe vera with plenty of space, like most Aloes good air movement around the plant is important to keep pest and disease infections at bay.

Where you place and position your plant is vitally important for healthy growth.

Put your Aloe vera plant somewhere bright and sunny. They love high light and will struggle or grow long and leggy or even worse they might become dormant and cease to grow if they don’t see enough sunlight.

Wait until the soil in your pot is completely dry before watering Aloe vera (a heavy watering every two weeks is best)

An unattractive plant or Limp or brown leaves are another clue that you overwatered your plants. A good tip is to make sure the container you growing it in has ample drainage and is not sitting in a soggy dripping tray.

You can transfer your potted Aloe outside for the summer if you’d like, but don’t immediately place it in bright sunlight. If you are moving a plant outdoors for the season it is best to acclimatise it. Every few days, gradually move it to a brighter location to avoid overexposure and slowly help it get use to the conditions of its new home over time.

How to Grow Aloe Vera Outdoors

Aloe vera plants will almost certainly perform better if grown outdoors, especially if you elect to grow it in open soil rather than a container.

Select a location in a garden bed that is well-drained and receives plenty of sunlight and you will almost be able to leave your Aloe to look after itself.

Except in droughts, you won’t need to water your Aloe and a quick check for disease or pests every now and then is almost all they require for maintenance.

When watering Aloe vera give it a good soak if it hasn’t rained in a while, then allow the soil to dry out again. They love dry conditions even though that might not sound so fun to me and you.

How to Care for Aloe Vera

If you where wondering yes Aloe vera does flower. It will occasionally sprout a tall stalk with tiny little bell-shaped flowers. That said, unlike most Aloes which are typically grow for their impressive flowers Aloe vera is more popularly grown for its attractive and useful foliage. You can cut the stem at the base once the blossoms have faded to keep the plant attractive.

This Aloe is known to produce new, smaller plants that are perfect to be split of for propagation, which is an absolute bonus as they root easily and require little attention to perform.

If you spot one of these Aloe “pups,” remove the soil, split the roots of the various plants, and replant in their own containers, they make awesome plant gifts as Aloe vera is a verry well known plant and requires minimal attention so your friends would struggle to kill them.

If you are keen on how to propagate Aloe vera, you might want to attempt beginning your own Aloe plants by chopping off a few leaves and allowing them to root.

To Propagate Aloe vera, cut a reasonable bit of leaf off the plant. Allow the part you have removed to dry out for a day or so, now firmly position the cut end of the leaf in a container of potting soil. Water it in making sure not to over water too often and allow this miracle plant to do its thing. In no time you will have a new Aloe vera plantlet to show off, share or even just add to your collection.

The Aloe vera leaf cutting will produce tiny new leaves at the base, that will grow into mature plants, if you propagate Aloe vera do so by making a number of cuttings at a time as not all of them are guaranteed to grow. Once the new plants appear repot them again and let this new little plant establish itself and flourish.

How to Harvest Aloe Vera

Aloe leaves not only make lovely decorations in a flower vase, but also have a clear gel inside that is used as a common home treatment. This gel is the Aloe Vera’s claim to fame and its an absolute must for any modern homesteader or health junkie.

Around the world its renowned that this Aloe vera gel may speed up wound healing, minimize the recovery time for first- and second-degree burns and a list of other beneficial qualities.

Some have said that consuming too much Aloe could damage the kidneys, so take care to research this well before consuming it regularly.

For a special skincare remedy chop an Aloe leaf off (as close to the stem as possible) and apply the juicy end to a sunburn or other sensitive area whenever you need it. Aloe vera gel is said to help with mosquito bites and a number of medicinal cocktails and remedies.

Aloe vera juice is also popularly used as a brow gel, makeup remover, and hair conditioner by some people. Slitting the aloe leaf lengthwise and scooping out the liquid with a spoon will allow you to acquire more of the juice, though there is no guarantee it will work as well as some of your favourite goods.

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