Growing Aloe Vera

How to Care for Aloe Vera Plants

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The aloe vera plant is an easy, attractive succulent that makes for a great indoor companion. Aloe vera plants are useful, too, as the juice from their leaves can be used to relieve pain from scrapes and burns when applied topically. Here’s how to grow and care for aloe vera plants in your home!

Aloe vera plants have thick, variegated leaves that fan out from the plant’s central stem. Keep the aloe vera plant in a pot near a kitchen window for everyday use.

Please note: Aloe vera leaves should not be ingested by humans or pets. They can cause unpleasant symptoms and may be toxic in larger quantities.

Planting

Before Planting

Select a container that’s about as wide as it is deep. If your aloe plant has a stem, choose a container that is deep enough for you to plant the entire stem under the soil.
A pot made from terra-cotta or a similarly porous material is recommended, as it will allow the soil to dry thoroughly between waterings and will also be heavy enough to keep the plant from tipping over. A plastic or glazed pot may also be used, though these will hold more moisture.
When choosing a container, be sure to pick one that has at least one drainage hole in the bottom. This is key, as the hole will allow excess water to drain out.
Use a well-draining potting mix, such as those made for cacti and succulents. A good mix should contain perlite, lava rock, coarse sand, or all three. Aloe vera plants are hardy, but a lack of proper drainage can cause rot and wilting, which is easily the most common cause of death for this plant.
A layer of gravel, clay balls, or any other “drainage” material in the bottom of the pot is not necessary. This only takes up space that the roots could otherwise be using. A drainage hole is drainage enough!
(Optional) To encourage your aloe to put out new roots after planting, dust the stem of the plant with a rooting hormone powder. Rooting hormone can be found at a local garden or hardware store, or online.

How to Plant (or Repot) an Aloe Vera Plant

If your aloe plant has grown leggy, has gotten too large, or simply needs an upgrade, it’s time to repot it. Here’s how:

Prepare your pot. After giving the new pot a quick rinse (or a good scrub, if it’s a pot you’ve used before) and letting it dry thoroughly, place a small piece of screen over the drainage hole; this will keep the soil from falling out the bottom and will allow water to drain properly. A doubled-up piece of paper towel or newspaper can also work in a pinch, though these will break down over time.
Prepare your plant. Remove the aloe vera plant from its current pot and brush away any excess dirt from the roots, being careful not to damage the roots.
- If your plant has any pups, remove them now. (See the “Care” section of this page for instructions on removing and potting pups.)
- If your plant has a very long, spindly stem that won’t fit in the pot, it is possible to trim the stem off partially. Note that this is risky and could kill the plant. To trim the stem: Cut off part of the stem, leaving as much as possible on the plant. Next, take the bare plant and place it in a warm area that gets indirect light. After several days, a callous will form over the wound. At this point, continue with the repotting instructions below.
Plant your plant. Fill the pot about a third of the way with a well-draining potting mix, then place your plant in the soil. Continue filling in soil around the plant, bearing in mind that you should leave at least ¾ of an inch of space between the top of the soil and the rim of the pot. The bottom leaves of the aloe plant should rest just above the soil, too. Do not water after planting.
Ignore your plant (temporarily). After you’ve placed your aloe in its new pot, don’t water it for at least a week. This will decrease the chance of inducing rot and give the plant time to put out new roots. Until the plant seems to be rooted and happy, keep it in a warm place that receives bright but indirect light.

Care

How to Care for an Aloe Vera Plant

Place in bright, indirect sunlight or artificial light. A western or southern window is ideal.
Aloe vera do best in temperatures between 55 and 80°F (13 and 27°C).
Water aloe vera plants deeply, but infrequently. To discourage rot, allow the soil to dry at least 1 to 2 inches deep between waterings. Don’t let your plant sit in water.
Water about every 3 weeks and even more sparingly during the winter. Use your finger to test dryness before watering. If the potting mix stays wet, the plants’ roots can begin to rot.
Fertilize sparingly (no more than once a month), and only in the spring and summer with a balanced houseplant formula mixed at ½ strength.
Repot when root bound, following the instructions given in “Planting,” above.

Removing & Replanting Aloe Vera Offsets (Pups)

Mature aloe vera plants often produce offsets—also known as plantlets, pups, or “babies”—that can be removed to produce an entirely new plant (a clone of the mother plant, technically).

Find where the offsets are attached to the mother plant and separate them using pruning shears, scissors, or a sharp knife. Leave at least an inch of stem on the offset.
Allow the offsets to sit out of soil for several days; this lets the offset form a callous over the cut, which helps to protect it from rot. Keep the offsets in a warm location with indirect light during this time.
Once the offsets have formed callouses, pot them in a standard succulent potting mix. The soil should be well-draining.
Put the newly-potted pups in a sunny location. Wait at least a week to water and keep the soil on the dry side.

Pests/Diseases

Aloe vera plants are susceptible to common garden pests, such as mealybugs and scale.

Common diseases include:

Root rot
Soft rot
Fungal stem rot
Leaf rot

Avoid overwatering to keep these conditions from developing.

Harvest/Storage

Aloe Vera Gel

To make use of the aloe vera plant’s soothing properties, remove a mature leaf from the plant and cut it lengthwise. Squeeze the gel out of the leaf and apply it to your burn, or simply lay the opened leaf gel-side–down on top of the affected area. Learn more about aloe vera’s healing properties.

Aloe vera gel

Recommended Varieties

Especially attractive Aloe include:

Tiger or Partridge-Breasted Aloe (Aloe variegata) – A compact aloe characterized by short, spikey leaves with white stripes.
Lace Aloe (Aloe aristata) – A small plant with white-spotted, finely sawtoothed leaves.
Blue Aloe (Aloe glauca) – A larger aloe species with silver-blue leaves.

Wit & Wisdom

Aloe vera will decorate a kitchen shelf with quiet grace while doing double duty as a self-regenerating first-aid kit. Read more about the natural health benefits of aloe vera.
One of aloe’s most famous uses is to soothe sunburnt skin, and it can be also used for cold sores.

Reader Comments

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aloa vera

Aloa vera is used a great deal for medicinal purposes. Cuts, grazes stomach problems, sunburn etc.. (it is almost considered as a cure all even used as a hair conditioner). Even my rabbit would, if feeling poorly, would go and nibble some. Other animals also use if they are sick. Animals have more sense than humans and do not overeat the plants! I throw many pups away as they sprout constantly. A hardy, I think an attractive, plant that most bugs avoid. 50 cm is a good height

Aloe vera plants stopped growing

I have about 12 aloe vera plants that I repotted because last year they sprouted as pups from the mature mother aloe. I have had the mother aloe for about eight years and it always grew and sprouted pups, now it looks terrible and the grown pups have stopped growing too and the some of the leaves fall off by themselves (since December growth has been super slow). They are on the porch balcony, and receive indirect sunlight. Help!

Aloe Vera

Old leaves naturally die back, but the plants should be showing new growth at the same time. When the leaves fall off, are they shriveling up or do they look more like they’re melting/rotting? Dry, shriveled leaves can indicate too little water; rotting leaves, too much.

Were they left outside on a cold night (less than 50F)? Depending on how cold it got, this could have affected them.

Giving them more light might do the trick as well.

UnPotted plant

I have a nun potted aloe vera plant. At least I think it's an aloe vera plant. It's spotted, in a tiny pot, which is not in soil. How should I water this plant? Is it an aloe vera plant? I can send a pic if needed.

Unpotted Plant

If the plant is not in soil or any other type of media, then it’s likely an air plant. These should be sprayed with water every once in a while and soaked in room-temperature water every few weeks. After a ten-minute soak, turn the air plant upside-down and let it dry completely before putting it back in its spot.

Look up pictures of air plants to see if that’s what yours is. If it’s not an air plant and is in fact a succulent, doing the above will kill it!

Leaves going soggy

Hi there,
I have two plants that I have been growing for almost a year now, they have both been re-potted a few months back as there were 3 large pups and 7 small pups. I potted the 7 small pups in one pot and potted the 3 larger pups in 1 pot. All was going well until a few weeks back where I noticed some of the leaves going soggy on all of the pup plants... I cut the leaves off but it's still happening. Now the two larger adult plants have been suffering from this to with 3 of the largest leaves going soggy... I keep to the recommended 2-3 week watering cycle and all pots are placed in indirect sunlight. Please help as I love the plants and uses them for madisinal purposes.
PS
I cut some of the leaves every other month and bleed the gell into a plastic container and store in the fridge however the gell seems to be going a brownish colour, is it still usable or has it gone off and if so is there a way of storing the gell to get a longer shelf life.
Many Thanks
Iain

Soggy Leaves

It sounds like your aloe plant may be succumbing to rot. When you water, is the soil still moist? The soil should be almost entirely dry when you water again. Make sure that you’re also watering deeply, and not just getting the top layer of soil wet.

It’s best to use freshly harvested gel, if possible. We would discard the gel if it turns brown or has an unappealing odor to it.

Repotting because of long stem

I have a very mature aloe. It now has a veryyyyy long stem. There is probably about 12 inches between the dirt and the bottom green leaves. I have read online that I need to cut it, let it callus over then re pot. At the same time I will separate a pup off as well. Somebody reassure me because I am so afraid I will kill it. :(

Aloe

I know, mine also has a long stem except with dead leaves between the healthy leaves and the dirt. I also read about trimming the whole thing and letting it dry out. The stem needs a trim so bad but I keep procrastinating bc I don’t want to kill mine either. She’s huge and she was a gift and I’m scared lol I need an aloe expert.

Risky Repotting

Cutting and replanting an aloe vera stem is not without risk, but it can be done. Here’s how:

Remove any old leaves and leaf “skins” left on the stem before making the cut.
Cut the stem, leaving about two inches attached to the leaves.
Place the cut plant in a warm area that gets indirect light until a callous forms over the wound. Direct sunlight can be too intense and may dehydrate the aloe.
After a callous has formed, dust the entire stem with rooting hormone (this can be bought at a local garden center or online). Rooting hormone encourages plants to put out new roots.
Plant the aloe vera in a well-draining succulent mix, putting the entire stem in the soil, so the leaves are just above ground. Water sparingly, letting the top 1–2 inches of soil dry out before watering again.
The plant should root within 1–2 months. Keep it in a warm area and out of direct sunlight until it has rooted.

Again, this process is not guaranteed to work, so keep that in mind before you make the cut. Be sure to let us know how it goes!

aloe vera plants

as my aloe vera plants get bigger do I need to put them in a bigger pot or are they okay where they are?

growing plants...

yes, I would like to know the answer to this as well. Do plants continue to grow to the size of the pot?

aloe repotting

We suggest that if the plant is looking tight in its pot (or there are too many pups), to repot the mother plant into a container only slightly larger than it is currently in (so that the plant takes up about ⅔ of the new pot). Plant any pups (with their roots) in their own containers. A healthy plant will continue to grow during its lifetime; some species grow faster than others.

aloe vera plants

I actually water my aloe vera plants every day or when their soil is dry and keep them in direct sunlight and they thrive very well. they also stay at room temperatures and I play them Mozart when I'm home. I've been doing this for a couple months now. maybe that means some plants are different? I'm not sure.

Pampered Plants

If your plants are thriving, that’s all that matters!

Because they’re in direct sunlight, their soil likely dries out faster than it would otherwise. In any case, keep doing what you’re doing if it works!

Aloe Vera plant

My Aloe plant has been knocked off the plant stand 2x -- Is there anyway to fix this? (can you start the plant from a portion of the leaf?) Any other information would be helpful as I have this plant for about 20 years!

Curling stem

Hello! A few months ago, I inherited an aloe plant from my grandfather. His plant was large and mature, with several offsets, each having a long, curling sort of "stem" before the start of the green leaves. I planted my piece, the stem being a good 10 inches long, with a u-curve in the middle, so that the green portion of the plant almost hangs over the side of the pot. It seems to be doing okay, and has had some new growth that reaches toward the sun. My only other experience, with a much smaller and less mature aloe plant, did not end well. It developed root-rot. I read that it may be good for the plant to cut them stem a few inches under the green leaves, let it callous over, and replant it. Do you have any recommendations? Thank you!

Hi there, again. I read

Hi there, again. I read through some of the other comments and responses and found one that seems to apply. It seems like it would be a good idea to cut the stem and plant the top (green) portion, and that the remaining stem, if trimmed, may also produce some new growth. I will pick up some succulent potting soil and a new pot and try this! My plant lives on a windowsill, and it does get drafty over the winter months. I could move it, but in that case it would receive mostly artificial light. Unless you recommend otherwise I will leave it on the windowsill. Should I wait for the weather to warm up before making the cut? Thanks!

Aloe Vera

We would recommend waiting until late winter or early spring to make the cut, as many succulents go into a sort of dormancy in the cooler part of the year, which slows down growth. Waiting for warmer weather and sunnier days will give your aloe the best chance at thriving!

Strange growth on aloe vera plant

My plant has a tall stem with a cone shaped pod. The plant is root bound probably.

Aloe Vera

I had a plant outside on the north side of the house . It had a very pretty bloom , the humming birds really liked it.

Outside temps

I live in a climate that get below freezing at night in the winter time. In the past, I have brought my Aloe Vera plant inside during the winter months. It is bringing little flying bugs along with it! I do not want it in my house. Do you have any recommendations on keeping it warm enough outside? Anything I can get from Lowes or Home Depot? I have reported it and done sprays to get rid of pests. They keep coming back :( Thank you!!

*repotted not reported ;)

Green house

You can get a metal shelf thing with a plastic zip up covering. They sell them at most gardening places (i got mine at Walmart) and the keep the plant warmer and the bugs away.

Flying bugs (Gnats)

Gnats lay eggs in the soil. I use ground up Mosquito Dunks, sprinkle them on the top of the soil. As you water it dissolves and the larvae feed on it. Takes a month or so to work. You can find them at most garden centers.

Gnats flies

I simply changed the soil and covered the top soil with a layer of beach sand and gnats died didnt lay any eggs.

Hi! I just recently got my

Hi! I just recently got my very first Aloe Vera pup from a friend who- immediately after receiving it- was going to throw it away. I took it in but noticed that two tips of the leaves are browning, and there is what appears to be a cut, like someone dragged a pencil or a sharp something down the center of one of the leaves. The leaves seem otherwise very healthy and thick. Should I cut off the brown bits? Is it safe to cut just under this strange “mark” on the leaf, or should I quit worrying and leave it be? Thank you!

Aloe Pup

You can cut off the brown leaf tips for purely aesthetic purposes, though they will not grow back. Regarding the other damaged leave, it would be best to just leave it alone!

Smelly gel in my aloe leaves

We've got a couple of aloes that have stinky gel. We'd like to use it for burns, but the smell is horrible. What is causing that smell? Is the plant rotting?

Smelly Aloe Vera

Do the smelly leaves have any discoloration or soft spots on the outside? Or a yellowish liquid on the inside? If so, these are likely the sources of the smell. Sometimes older leaves will smell when they naturally start to die off, or if the plant is getting too much or too little water. A healthy aloe vera plant will have thick, rigid leaves with clear gel on the inside. Try taking part of a leaf from higher up on the plant to see if there’s a smell there, too. To use the smelly leaves, rinse the yellow liquid off of the leaves and let them “air out” for a couple days. The clear gel shouldn’t smell.