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 is a succulent plant species of the genus Aloe. The plant is stemless or very short-stemmed with thick, greenish, fleshy leaves that fan out from the plant’s central stem. The margin of the leaf is serrated with small teeth.

Before you buy an aloe, note that you’ll need a location that offers bright, indirect sunlight (or, artificial sunlight). However, the plant doesn’t appreciate sustained direct sunlight, as this tends to dry out the plant too much and turn its leaves yellow, rendering them subpar for use.

Keep the aloe vera plant in a pot near a kitchen window for periodic use but avoid having the sun’s rays hit it directly.

Please note: The gel from aloe vera leaves can be used topically, but should not be ingested by people or pets. It can cause unpleasant symptoms such as nausea or indigestion and may even be toxic in larger quantities.

Planting

Before Planting

It’s important to chose the right type of container. 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. 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.
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.
Aloe vera plants are succulents, so use a well-draining potting mix, such as those made for cacti and succulents. Do not use gardening soil. A good mix should contain perlite, lava rock, chunks of bark, or all three.
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 center or hardware store, or bought online.

Aloe vera. Image by cgdeaw/Shutterstock. — Photo by cgdeaw/Shutterstock

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.

Aloe vera plant

Care

How to Care for an Aloe Vera Plant

Lighting: Place in bright, indirect sunlight or artificial light. A western or southern window is ideal. Aloe that are kept in low light often grow leggy.
Temperature: Aloe vera do best in temperatures between 55 and 80°F (13 and 27°C). The temperatures of most homes and apartments are ideal. From May to September, you can bring your plant outdoors without any problems, but do bring it back inside in the evening if nights are cold.
Fertilizing: Fertilize sparingly (no more than once a month), and only in the spring and summer with a balanced houseplant formula mixed at ½ strength.
Repotting: Repot when root bound, following the instructions given in “Planting,” above.

Watering Aloe Vera

Watering is the most difficult part of keeping aloe vera healthy, but it’s certainly not rocket science! The aloe is a succulent plant that’s accustomed to arid environments, but its thick leaves still need sufficient water nonetheless.

Water aloe vera plants deeply, but infrequently. In other words, the soil should feel moist after watering, but should be allowed to dry out to some extent before you water again. If the soil stays overly wet, the plant’s roots can rot.
To ensure that you’re not overwatering your plant, allow the top third of potting soil to dry out between waterings. For example, if your plant is kept in 6 inches of potting soil, allow the top 2 inches to dry out before watering again. (Use your finger to test the dryness of the soil.)
Generally speaking, plan to water your aloe plant about every 2-3 weeks in the spring and summer and even more sparingly during the fall and winter. One rule of thumb for fall and winter watering is to roughly double the amount of time between waterings (as compared to your summer watering schedule). In other words, if you water every two weeks in summer, water every four weeks in winter.
When watering, some excess water may run out the bottom of the pot. Let the pot sit in this water so that the soil absorbs as much as possible. Wait 10-15 minutes, then dump any remaining water.

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.

Aloe vera flowers

How to Get Your Aloe Vera to Flower

Mature aloe vera plants occasionally produce a tall flower spike—called an inflorescence—from which dozens of tubular yellow or red blossoms appear. This certainly adds another level of interest to the already lovely aloe!

Unfortunately, a bloom is rarely achievable with aloes that are kept as houseplants, since the plant requires nearly ideal conditions to produce flowers: lots of light, sufficient water, and the right temperature range. Due to these requirements (mainly lighting), aloe flowers are usually only seen on plants grown outdoors year-round in warm climates.

To give your aloe the best shot at flowering:

Provide it with as much light as possible, especially during spring and summer. Aloes can be kept outdoors in full sun during the summer, when temperatures are above 70°F (21°C). If nighttime temps threaten to drop below 60°F (16°C), bring the aloe inside.
- Note: Don’t move your aloe from indoors to full sun right away; it needs time to adjust to the intense light or it may sunburn. Allow it to sit in partial shade for about a week before moving it to a brighter location.
Make sure the plant is getting the right amount of water—enough to keep it from drying out completely, but not enough to drown it! If the plant’s being kept outdoors, make sure that it’s not getting consistently soaked by summer rains.
Give your aloe a proper dormancy period in the fall and winter. Aloe tend to bloom in late winter or early spring, so giving them a period of rest consisting of less frequent watering and cooler temperatures may encourage them to flower.
Don’t be surprised if it still doesn’t flower. Despite our best efforts, indoor conditions just aren’t ideal for most aloes, so don’t be surprised if yours simply refuses to bloom!

Pests/Diseases

Aloe vera plants are most susceptible to the usual indoor plant 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 or worsening.

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.

Do not ingest the gel, as it can cause nausea and other unpleasant symptoms.

Aloe vera gel

Recommended Varieties

Especially attractive Aloe include:

Tiger or Partridge-Breasted Aloe (Aloe variegata) – A compact aloe characterized by short, smooth leaves with uneven 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.

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Reader Comments

pup aloe's

Are you still looking for pup aloe

I have2 very large aloe vera

I have2 very large aloe vera plants with lots of pups extending from both. I put them outside in April but we had an unexpected frost day. My plants caught a chill and the appearance of both totally changed, to a point where I thought I had lost them. I went to throw them out so I could re-use the pots today and I find they are not completely gone .There seem to be some healthy leaves everywhere so I tore off the bad ones so I can re-pot them. I also notice that the root of the mother plant is extremely long and thick. Can I cut the root so I can re-pot it?

I am so glad i found this

I am so glad i found this forum! I bought a growing kit from hobby lobby exactly a week ago, today. it came with four seeds, a soil disk and a dome-like plastic container to grow it in. the instructions weren't very in depth. they left me hanging at "put the lid on and it should sprout in about 4-6 weeks"

..until i found this website and a few youtube videos later i learned that i should take the lid off as soon as they sprout, have fast draining soil and should water every few weeks or so.

The thing is *Here's my problem* I looked at my container today, exactly 1 week in and they have already sprouted from the soil, also it is very wet. I'm afraid this plant was doomed from the start.. I don't know what to do.

Remove the lid and put the

Remove the lid and put the container in a sunny spot so that the soil will dry up. Hopefully the seedlings will survive. When the seedlings are 3 to 4 inches long transplant in small pots with well-draining potting soil.

Thank you.

I bought the same planting

I bought the same planting kit, and i kept the lid on until they touched the top. Then i took it off, and left them in the window. I actually grew these at work! I now have 4 beautiful aloe plants that i only have repotted once, but keep getting new leaves all the time. I am sure they are fine!

Hello everyone, I've got a

Hello everyone,
I've got a large aloe, leaves about 20 inches or so long. I noticed the roots rotted. I cut off the mushy part of the root, which left just a stump. I had it sitting in a large container of water for a week or so hoping to see some roots. But after reading some posts from this forum I figured sitting it in water might not be a good idea. Its been drying out for about a week now. Should I stick it back in some fresh succulent or cactus potting mix now? Its a beautiful big old plant that I want to save. Any help would be appreciated. The.

Dip the bottom of the plant

Dip the bottom of the plant in rooting hormone before planting it in good potting soil. Just water enough to keep the soil moist.

hello i have one of those

hello i have one of those plants and its seem to be doing quite well. it looks healthy and after seeming the other people post i haven't seen anyone with the issues have maybe you can help.... my plant is growing but are the leaves suppose to grow upward? my are leaves are fat and pretty growing outward and low....is that ok or is it suppose to grow and standing upward or does it matter? after seeing the others post it may need to be in a larger container would that help

thanks
donna

If the leaves of your aloe

If the leaves of your aloe vera plant are growing horizontally, usually the reason is overwatering; they are succulents and getting heavy with water. Another reason can be not enough light.
Finally, as you guessed, it could be a sign that the plant is root-bound. It may be sending up new "pups" which need to be removed (and replanted if you wish). You may wish to transplant into a slightly bigger container.

Hi, I bought myself an

Hi, I bought myself an aloevera and unknowingly over watered it with tge result that the leaves are now turning yellowish. After reading some of your posts, I suapwct it needs a bigger pot also, can you advise me please if you think I can save it now by letting it dry out..can the leaves come back to health green colour?

I accidentally left some of

I accidentally left some of my pups in a rainstorm and immediately uprooted the plants. I left them out to dry and then repotted. Any leaves that browned I trimmed with a sharp knife. They are thriving! Aloe can survive without soil for a while.

I got my aloe vera plant

I got my aloe vera plant today. It is in a pot and 6'' tall. It is summer and i've put it under sunlight in my kitchen window. My question is, how many times a day or week should I water it. I don't understand the 2'' deep mentionded before by assessing it on a pot. Thanks!

When you water, it is not

When you water, it is not always based on a set number of times. An aloe plant is a desert plant. Stick your finger in the soil. If it is dry 1 to 2 inches down, water it well. Then wait for it to dry out again to avoid overwatering.

When I read on the site about

When I read on the site about the 2 inches down, I was a bit perplexed..Since I was testing for moisture I used a toothpick like with a cake..When it came up dry I knew water was needed..Its working well for me..

Sir, we want to grow aloe

Sir,
we want to grow aloe vera for commercial purpose so please help me out where we got aloevera small plant for planting purpose & tell me about in which type soil they are grow. with full detail. waiting for your response.

I just bought an aloe vera

I just bought an aloe vera plant one of the little ones say 4 inches it was in a small pot so i transferred it to the larger pot with cactus or succulent plant soil but i didnt water it has been four days i bought seems going good but dont know when to water it or fertilize it or if its going to be ok last one i bought died the leaves would get mushy within a month that plant dead now i am afraid to water it...could you suggest me what to do?

Water aloe deeply but then

Water aloe deeply but then allow the soil to dry at least 1 to 2 inches deep between waterings, in order to discourage rot; water even less in winter. In spring, you could give the Aloe Vera some fertilizer--a diluted solution of bloom type fertilizer (10-40-10).

Somebody helppp! I got an

Somebody helppp! I got an aloe Vera plant a couple of weeks ago, and it seemed healthy, but now leaves started falling every now and then. It is a tiny aloe plant and the roots seem healthy, it gets sun and all, but the leaves just... Fall off. I water it when it seems dry and I think I treat it okay, and I really don't want to lose it so somebody please help!

Oh, also, I MIGHT actually be

Oh, also, I MIGHT actually be under watering it! That is possible, I have done my research on the plant, and when I see people watering aloe, I notice that they don't too often, but when they do, it is lots of water. I mist it, but it is getting hit now days, soon going to be summer. Is this the problem?

Hot**

A common cause of aloe leaves

A common cause of aloe leaves dropping is overwatering--make sure that the soil is dry down to an inch below the surface before watering, usually once every week or two; in winter, even less. When you do water in summer, give it a good soaking each time, so that water drains out the bottom of the pot; be sure to let the soil dry out between waterings. Also check that there is a drainage hole at the bottom of the pot, and that it is not sitting in water. Be sure that the soil is a cactus mix or one that has plenty of sand for good drainage. Dropping leaves can also occur if it gets too little light; in this case, the leaves will be pale green or yellow, rather than bright green. The leaves may drop also if the plant gets too hot or too cold; if you suspect it is getting too hot, move it to a shadier location (but where it still gets indirect light). Or, it could be just that the plant is adjusting to its new space, and going through shock; if you think this might be the case, check all conditions (light, temperature, water, etc.) and adjust as best you can.

Well, I don't think it is

Well, I don't think it is pale green or yellow, and it has been in it's current pot for a while... I will leave it alone and not water it or anything for a while and see what happens. Thank you!

I have a huge Aloe Vera plant

I have a huge Aloe Vera plant which has always been very healthy and the shoots were 'fat'. Now the shoots have become really thin and others are dying off entirely. It hasn't been moved or changed in a while so I don't understand why this is happening now. Any ideas?

Check your aloe plant on the

Check your aloe plant on the bottom, are the roots protrusion from the pot or are at the very bottom? It could be possible you just need to change to a bigger pot so that your plant has more room to grow.

Ok, I've had similar

Ok, I've had similar problems, I have about 10 Aloe Veras. Make sure there is enough space for the Aloe to grow, should have 3 inches space from the edges of the pot. Depending on how hot it is and the sunshine climate be careful about watering. If you get about 6 hours of good sunlight and the Aloe is next to a window, then you should water it every week and depending on how tall the plant is. If the plant is still a baby which is 1-4 inches long, water it at about 1/4 cup. if it is taller just increase the amount. If you are in a place where you barely get any sunshine, for example I live in Seattle and in winter there is maybe 30 minutes sun, put it under a high lumen light for at least 4 hours a day. You won't need to water in winter that much, once every 2-3 weeks. Thanks for reading and if you have any other question feel free to contact me :).

So normally I don't garden,

So normally I don't garden, but a friend of mine has an aloe plant and it had a small 'pup' growing on it. I asked if I could have it and they said yes. However, they cut it when it was really small. It is only like an inch or so big. My issue is I don't know if it will be able to survive being as small as it is. It is warm where I live and such, but is there anything I can do to help it's chances of survival? I really want it to grow to become a mother plant with its own pups.

Hi, I am new to the aloe vera

Hi, I am new to the aloe vera plant and need some advice. I have a aloe leaf that was cut from the mother plant. I just wanted to know if I could start growing a plant from that

Well actually, I don't know

Well actually, I don't know for sure if this works, but I have seen websites and YouTube videos showing that if you cut a piece of an aloe vera leaf at an angle, let it heal, dip it in honey and give it time in soil, it will grow roots. Once again, I am not sure but am putting it to the test currently. And if you are wondering why honey is used, it has the same effect of a rooting hormone.