Where Do Aloe Vera Plants Like To Grow?

Aloe Vera plants originated from Africa; they are mostly found in dry climates and can be as small as 1 inch or fully grown like 2 feet in diameter. Aloe vera plant is one of the widely used plants for medicines, namely heals burns, improves the digestive system, enhances skin tone, removes pimples, and so on.

Aloe vera plants came from Africa and they like dry climates, they grow well in bright indirect sunlight, without water for a longer time. It can sustain growth in water for a longer time also. They like to grow in a hot temperature kind of atmosphere where there is less availability of water for plants.

How to care for Aloe vera plants?

1. Sunlight

Keep the plant in bright, indirect sunlight or other artificial lights. If you put in low light plant stem will grow long (it will grow in search of light).

If you keep plants in high sun rays such as afternoon sun rays, you can observe that plant leaves may turn brown or pink, or red.

2. Temperature

Aloe vera plants will grow best between 55 to 80 F (13 to 27 degrees C). The temperature of most houses or apartments is ideal. Just to consider it is not too cold climate or not too hot climate.

If you are keeping plant outside, and feel its very cold outside in winter or rainy season. you need to keep aloe vera plant inside.

Aloe vera don’t like sudden change of temperature, intensity of sunlight.

3. Watering Aloe vera plant

You need to water Aloe vera every 3 weeks once, you need to check the moisture level of soil before watering by putting your finger in soil. Aloe vera doesn’t like overwatering. Don’t let your plant sit in water.

If you water more you may face the following problems in the Aloe vera plant. Brown leaves, droopy leaves, white soft spots on leaves, Root rot, soft rot, fungal stem rot, leaves rot.

4. Fertilizing Aloe vera plant

Aloe vera plant doesn’t require much fertilizer. You can fertilize at most once every month only in spring and summer.

You can choose home fertilizer or organic fertilizer from nursery or online.

5. Repotting (soil, plant, pot size)

Repotting is needed when you feel the plant is grown more, and there is not enough space left in the pot.

Steps To Grow Aloe Vera Plant at home (water, pot, land)

1. By following below procedure, separate the aloe vera pup from the mother plant.
2. Brush out and clean the pup roots, water the plant, and remove the small root which you feel rotted.
3. clean the water container and fill with 70% of water.
4. place the pup inside the water container. if you feel it is not stable use two straws and tape to keep it in middle.
5. Keep it under the bright , indirect sunlight to perform it better.
6. last but important one, You need to change the water frequently (atleast daily once) other wise your plant wont survive.
7. If you are planting in pot choose the pot wisely respect to size of the plant.
8. water every two weeks deeply and keep it in sunny area.

Don’t forget to change the water daily, if you forget your plant may die.

To separate the aloe vera pup/baby from the mother plant, here is how

Propagating Aloe vera plant: Separating Aloe pups from mother plant

1. Check the size of the Aloe vera pup

Once aloe pup is right size like 4-5 leaves its the correct time to separate it from mother, if you leave it for more leaves. It will start affecting the mother plant.

If now it’s the time to separate pup, get ready, and lets your magic hands starts to loosen up the dirt (soil).

2. Use proper tools to cut pup from the mother plant

Now you will be seeing roots of pup and mother plant, need a sharp, clean knife. Clean tools are a must to prevent contamination from being spread by pests, or by tools used by the previous plant.

You can see and cut the root connection between mother plant and pup. You should have some roots in pup to propagate.

3. Plant the pup in a new pot container .

Before planting your pup in a new pot, you can put the pup in water for 1-1.5 months if you want to see results early. Because of this, roots will grow faster, and later you can change it to the pot.

Later once pups roots are sufficiently grown, Plant the pup with the dry cactus soil mix or make your own mix of dirt(soil) with one part of the potting mix and one part of sand and make it sit for a week before you water it.

To help the Aloe vera plant to sustain you need to properly mix the ratios of sand, potting mix, stones (not mandatory). Here is how

How to plant (pot or repot) Aloe vera plants?

If your Aloe vera plant has grown very large, you may need to report with the next bigger size pot. Here’s how:

1. Purchase / DIY pot

Basically, if you are repoting your old plant, needs to take the next size of the pot. Please don’t pot in the same size as the old pot, it will not help the plant to spread the root and growth of leaves. You can buy the pots online or from a nearby nursery. (whichever is cheaper).

2. Prepare your pot

Make drainage holes if the pot didn’t have one this is a must as aloe vera did not like the water too much it should go through drainage holes, if not aloe vera plant roots start to rot eventually plant will die.

Prepare your pot by giving a good rinse and scrub the pot if you used it for other plants. Dry it thoroughly and put the stone mesh to keep the dirt (soil) falling apart from drainage holes. Some people also use a double folded paper towel, news paper eventually through the time it will break apart.

3. Prepare proper dirt (soil)

Now it’s time to make your hand dirty with dirt. Use the cactus potting mix or mix one part of the potting soil and build sand to help the aloe vera plant not withstand stagnant water.

4. prepare the plant for a new pot and plant your plant

Remove the aloe vera from its current pot, brush away the dirt, clean the roots, and be careful not to damage the roots.

Carefully remove the pups if you have any and if you observe that its big plant comapared to pot , you can trim stem, but this could kill the plant be cautious.

If you prune or cut your stem you need to keep the plant in indirect sunlight for few days, to heal the plant. Now you have plant and soil is ready to go into the pot.

Fill the pot with mixed soil about a third of the pot and put the plant into the pot; continue filling the pot around the plant until you leave at least 2.5-inch space, and plant bottom leaves will sit above the soil, Don’t water soil after planting.

5. Forget your plant temporarily.

Once the repotting is finished, normally people will water the plants but that is myth, don’t water the plants for at least one week, give some time to plant to adjust new environment.

If you water the plant just after repotting or potting there will be high chances of inducing rot. until 1-week don’t water the plant and let give roots to put new roots in this time and heal up. Until the first week keep plants in a warm place, bright but indirect sunlight.

Finally, after one week, you take care of your aloe vera as a normal plant.

Final Thoughts:

I love to grow more and more aloe vera plants as they are low maintenance plants.