Wondering ‘How to Plant Aloe Vera?’ Well, this guide can help you. Aloe Vera is one of the most widely used plant around the world. It is known for its herbal, medicinal and cosmetic properties. This short tutorial will guide you how to plant aloe vera.
The potted plant can have over a 100 uses and is useful for killing mold and bacteria around the home. However there are minor aloe vera side effects also.
Here are some of most important and useful tips on how to plant Aloe Vera?
1Getting All the Materials
Looking for How to plant aloe vera? Start by getting all the required items. Most of these items are available at any gardening store.
- Aloe vera leaf
- A clay pot that has holes in its base
- Soil – cactus potting mix (containing equal amounts of soil, sand, and gravel)
- A watering device
- Some fragments of broken pottery
2Planting Adult Aloe Vera
- The right pot- Since aloe vera plants have short roots and heavy leaves, they require big pots for plantation. In case the plant is grown a medium sized pot, time will come when there will not be any space left for its root to grow. In such a case, the plant starts producing pups, which grow at the base of the parent plant. So, choose a pot depending on the size of the plant. Ask your gardening store for assistance.
- Prepare the pot – Look for a big, deep pot. It should consist of holes’ in its base to drain extra water. Use fragments of broken pottery to cover the base of the pot to restrict dirt from falling out while still allowing water to flow. Now, fill the pot with potting soil up to an inch below the edge.
- Plant cautiously – Since aloe vera plants have small roots, it should be placed wisely. Place it just below the soil surface so that the green leaves don’t touch the soil. Now, you have to give it air and sunlight.
- Cover the soil surface with gravels (optional) – Place some small white gravels or pebbles around the base of the plant. This will prevent excess evaporation, especially in hot climate conditions.
- Don’t water for the first few days – Post plantation, don’t water the plant for 2-3 days. Allows plant roots to regenerate if there has been any wear and tear due to planting. If you water the plant immediately, you may rot the roots. Don’t worry! Aloe vera stores water in its leaves and roots as they are adapted to survive in dry conditions. Hence, lack of water isn’t going to cause any harm to it.
Also Read: Gardening Is Good For Your Health!
3Caring and Troubleshooting
- Hydrating Essentials – Whenever the weather is warm and dry, keep the soil hydrated, to accelerate the growing process. But you shouldn’t overwater. Therefore, the key to this process is to only water when the soil has dried out to a depth of about 7.5 cm. No need to use the ruler, just check with your eyes. During winters or when the weather is cold, aloe plants go dormant. So, you don’t need to hydrate the soil very often. Doing it once or twice a month would be more than sufficient.
- Fertilize once in a year (optional) – Use suitable fertilizers that are rich in potassium while low in nitrogen and phosphorus. Late spring is the ideal time for applying fertilizers.
- Remove weeds – For maintaining optimum health of the aloe vera plant, keep its soil free from all sorts of weeds. Do it cautiously to avoid damaging plant roots.
- Increase sunlight exposure if the leaves are growing flat and low – Aloe vera leaves are supposed to grow upward or outward in the direction of the sunlight. In case they are growing flat and low, it indicates that the plant isn’t receiving ample sunlight. In that case, keep the plant near the window or sunnier place.
- Decrease sunlight exposure if the leaves turn brown – If the leaves start to turn brown, this means that they are getting burnt due to extreme sun exposure. In such as case, shift the plant to a less sunny place, which receives shade when the sun is overhead.
- Thin and curled leaves indicate low water content – Aloe vera plant has thick fleshy leaves, which contain ample water to survive through harsh dry conditions. So, if the leaves of your aloe vera plant looked thin and curled up, then give it more water. However, don’t water a lot at a time or you may rot the roots.
- Stop watering if the leaves are turning yellow or falling apart – Excess water can cause melting of aloe vera, which can eventually lead to the leaves falling apart. In such cases, stop watering the plant for at least one or two weeks depending on the season. Remove yellow leaves by using a disinfected knife to protect the plant from further damage.
4Transplanting Young Pups
- Wait till your aloe vera plants grow enough – Once the aloe vera reaches its optimum growth, it starts producing younger plants, also known as pups.
- Let the young pups emerge – Most of these pups produced by the aloe vera plant share some of their mother’s root system and are even attached to their base. In general, they emerge out of the surface of the soil, but sometimes they may grow out from the trash hole of the pot.
- Let the young plants grow sufficient enough – Wait until young plants have matured enough to have their roots. This is could be judged by their sizes, which should be ideal between 7.5 cm to 12.5 cm.
- Remove the young plant using a sharp disinfected knife – Before cutting off young pups clear the dirt at their base to inspect if they are connected to the root system of the mother plant. In case it is, carefully cut the pups while ensuring that some part of the roots is attached to them. The presence of roots increases the odds of survival for these young plants.
- Don’t plant right away – Instead of planting the young pups right away, allow the cut plants to dry in air or a couple of days. Meanwhile, the pup plant will cure its wounds by forming a layer of callus over the cuts. But if they are planted directly, the cut surface could have cause infections when it contacts the soil.
- Care for it as an adult plant – The young pups should be planted and taken care of like an adult plant i.e. plant the roots such that the leaves don’t touch the soil, water sparingly for the first few days, cover the soil with gravels, etc.
So, get your tools ready and plant an Aloe Vera! And still have any queries on how to plant aloe vera comment in below box.