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.
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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 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 ;)
*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.
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.
Aloe plant
Can u just plese describe the way to cut the leaves as i want to use it.
bugs
Hi. We have 2 aloe vera plants which, although healthy looking, both have tiny 'fruit flies' coming from them. Is this a sign of root rotting or something else? How do I get rid? I have had to put them outside but it is starting to get cold now and I want to bring them in..... :=(
Flies in Houseplants
The flies are most likely fungus gnats, which are attracted to decaying plant material in the soil. To get rid of them, remove any old leaves or plant matter from the surface of the soil, and allow the top inch or two of soil to dry out completely before watering again (as is recommended for aloe plants anyway). Place a bowl of apple cider vinegar near the plants and add a few drops of dish soap to the vinegar to break the surface tension. The gnats will be attracted to the vinegar and become trapped. Refresh this bowl every couple of days until you no longer see flies.
My large aloe plant
Hi I was given a aloe plant in the spring . It was a good size plant but over the summer it became huge . I had to re pot it . It did that about a month or so ago and now some of my leafs are turning brown . I used the rite soil and only water it about twice a week . My aloe. Plant is about 3 to 4 feet wide and 2 to 3 feet tall I removed the small pubs. When I repotted it . It has been outside all summer . Please tell me I didn't kill it lol
brown leaves
This is a common outcome, and rather than repeat the advice we have given again, pls search this page for “brown” and you will see several responses from us, including the one immediately below.
Brown leaves on my aloe vera what does that mean and how can i f
Please help
Hi this is Elisa again. I saw
Hi this is Elisa again. I saw that my neighbor had an aloe vera plant. Healthy looking, plump, green. But I also noticed that there were egg scraps on top of it? Can I do the same thing cause my aloe vera plant is very small and brown. The tips are drying up as well. Also I planted my aloe in my garden under some plants. It is no longer in a pot and I found some bugs in the soil.
Aloe Outside
Hi Elisa,
Once you plant something outside, it’s open to all of the pests and diseases in the soil. Did the drying happen after you transplanted? It could be caused by stress from the move. Yes, egg scraps are good for keeping insect pests away: Crumble the shells into small pieces and sprinkle them around the base of the aloe plant in the soil.
Wilting Leaves?
Hi I have 4 Aloe Vera plants and I thought I was taking good care of them. But recently a lead on 2 of my plants are wilted and dried up? I have been cautious to not over water only once a week for fear of root rot but is that not enough? The rest of the plant is bright green and full looking and the leaves that have turned brown on me and wilted are small ones at the base. All 4 plants appear healthy and green and very plump looking. Just want to keep them healthy and could use some advice on their care such as should I feed them plant food also?
Wilting Leaves
Hi Tim,
Since the leaves that wilted were ones on the outside, it sounds like they could just be old ones. As long as the rest of the plants look healthy, it would be better to not change how you care for them.
Cut the tip off a leaf
I bought an aloe plant today because I burned my finger and wanted some aloe gel to put on it, and because I liked the idea of being able to have access to aloe going into the future. I was in a hurry to bandage my burn and use the aloe so I didn't do research on how to harvest the gel first. I just cut the tip off one of the leaves and squeezed out the gel like it was a tube of toothpaste. Will this sort of treatment harm the plant? The leaves are pretty big so there's no way I would need a full one to treat my small burn. So doing it this way works better for me, but I don't want to hurt the plant.
Also, it seems a lot of the soil fell out of the pot prior to my buying it. When I pick up the pot and move it (like from one surface to another) the whole plant wobbles because there is so much empty space in the pot. I will not be able to get to the store for more soil for about another week. Do you think the plant can survive as-is that long?
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