Aloe Plant Basics
July 3, 2007 by Rebecca
Filed under How to Grow Stuff
I don’t claim to be an aloe plant expert, but I have learned a few things since getting this aloe plant that you might find useful as well!
Aloe plants are succulents, not cacti. This being said, they need more water than cacti, but still less than normal plants. What I’ve found works best is to let the soil dry out completely. The aloe will start giving you a few signs when it needs water. If you notice the leaf closest to you in the picture is lower than all the rest. It’s starting to wilt. Although you can’t see it in the picture, there are pockets on this leaf and a few others. By pockets, I mean that if you ran your fingers along the leaf, there would be dips or indentations that can very obviously be felt and seen. This is completely normal for aloe, but it is a sign that it will need water soon. When it is time to water your aloe, don’t go crazy and drown it. It’s a succulent, and will search out water, so a little goes a long way. My aloe is planted in a large pot in the hopes that it will grow very large. The pot is about 18″ in diameter and about a foot high. For this size pot I’ve found that a normal size pitcher filled half way is enough water to last for three to four weeks. If you are watering your aloe correctly, you’ll notice a slight growth spurt when you water it. This is your aloe plant saying “Hey! I found some water. I can afford to be a little bigger.” In addition to watering signs, it’s normal for aloe’s leaves to have a few brown tips, but not excessively so. If one or two leaves start turning completely brown and shriveling up, it could be a sign that there is not enough water and it can only sustain a portion of itself. Check the soil. If the soil is moist, than it might be the other way around and it’s receiving too much water. If more start dying off, then it could disease or other causes.
my grandmother used to have a large aloe plant in this pot back when I was growing up… I remember if I got stung by a bee or sunburned or various other things that would happen to a kid, she would tell me to go cut a leaf off the aloe and squeeze the Aloe Vera juice out. Sometimes, between my uncle and I, we were pretty hard on the old aloe, but it would keep on surviving.
I recently put my fairly mature aloe plant outside (in the direct sun) and was I surprised. Even though it’s a succulent, it got fried and the lower leaves quickly turned brown (in less than two days of direct sun).
I moved it back insdie and it turned green again within a week.
A word to the wise.
It’s a great plant to keep indoors. Aside from being a balm, it’s also supposed to do wonders for one’s hair. My mom used to keep a number of them around the house.
I am always burning my fingers, or scratching myself on something. I’m probably one of the biggest clutz’s that I know. So having an aloe plant around my house is especially helpful. Thanks everyone for sharing how you use your aloe plants. Feel free to share more tips and uses!
Could anyone take a picture of their aloe when it needs watering and after it has been watered? It is not clear to me when I should water my aloe. The tips are going papery and drying out.
Perhaps I watered too much. It also depends very much on the soil – mine was received in turf.
I have a very big Aloe plant this plant has given me alot of baby Aloe plant. I repotted six of them and placed them outside and they turned brown. The ALOE plant keep them inside. They will turn out beautiful. I water it every other two days.