I love Aloe vera plants, and we always have a reason to use them in our house. Whether we’re treating burns, sunburns, scratches, itchy skin, constipation (yes, you can consume aloe for a gentle laxative), using aloe as a facial, or just treating a simple mosquito bite, we take care to baby our Aloe vera plants because they baby us back. Learn how to grow and care for your own Aloe vera plant so you can get the most out of this awesome plant!
First of all, when you go to buy an Aloe vera plant, go big as you can. Sure, that large plant could use some TLC, but the potency of the aloe within that plant versus the more perfect-looking smaller Aloe vera plants is incomparable. Aside that, a more mature (bigger) plant is more likely to survive in your home since they have been around a while. Aloe vera plants grow very slowly indoors, so for an indoor plant, get a bigger one. If you want an outdoor Aloe vera plant (they love it outside) then you can buy a small one, but for in the house, go big or go home.
If you want to be able to use the aloe in the Aloe vera plant right away, again, go with a larger plant. Small Aloe vera plants do have the aloe gel, but it’s more watery than in the mature plant. So, if you want an Aloe vera plant for immediate medicinal use, then get a large one. The bigger, the better. Plus, it will produce little shoots that you can replant and keep on growing for more plants.
If you over water your Aloe vera plant or put it right in the window, the plant will rebel against you. Aloe vera plants do not like direct sunlight, nor do they enjoy too much water. Let the dirt get almost parched before watering the Aloe vera plant again, and have a hole in the bottom of the pot so the water can drain. If you over water the Aloe vera plant or give it direct sunlight, it will turn brown and begin to curl up on itself. Not enough water or not enough sunlight, it will start to droop, and look ‘sad’. You know when to water your Aloe vera when you can barely feel any moisture in the dirt with your finger submerged as deep as your cuticle. Don’t drench the plant, but water it until water begins to drain out of the bottom of the pot.
Your Aloe vera plant won’t get much bigger if you don’t change pots a lot. Once you see new little Aloe vera plant shoots pop up, it’s time to move your Aloe vera to a bigger pot. After about a month or so, you can move those little shoots, too, into their own pots. These shoots will turn into yet another Aloe vera plant that you can enjoy, and will produce shoots of its own.
Aloe vera plants love to be outside if you can get it out there, too- it will get huge before you know it if you put it outside. Pick a sunny area near your house that gets shade in the high sunny part of the day, and just water your Aloe vera as you water the rest of your plants. Your Aloe vera will thrive in this much more natural environment. Move it inside for the winter though; it will freeze if you don’t move it or at least cover it with a blanket.
Just so you know, that pretty clear or sea green gel you buy from the store is so not what you get from an Aloe vera plant directly. Real aloe has a weird stink to it, like a rotting lime, and you can smell it all over the house when you crack open a leaf. And the aloe is super slimy, and usually a pale green to a murky brown in color. Just so you know- the stuff isn’t pretty, but it works wonders. Older plants produce more aloe than younger plants do, but younger plants have less smelly aloe, in my experience. Once you break off an Aloe vera leaf, it will turn brown where you broke it, but should regrow in a few days. If not, cut that leaf off, as it can keep growth from happening with the rest of the Aloe vera plant.
Sources:
hubby who is a landscaper
personal planting