Aloe vera plant needs no introduction. I am sure most of us have an aloe vera plant in their homes, either indoors or outdoors in the garden. Aloe vera is one of the NASA recommended air purifying plant, which has been proven to remove the harmful benzene and formaldehyde from indoor spaces.
Now, let us look into 3 simple and useful tips on how to grow thick and fleshy Aloe Vera leaves.
- SUNLIGHT: This is one of the most important factors that decides the thickness of your aloe vera leaves. The common reason for thin, long or leggy aloe vera leaves is keeping them indoors in spaces with not enough light. No doubt, it’s a hardy plant that survives low light conditions, but it won’t grow to its full potential if you do not keep in in direct sunlight. Remember to get a thick and fleshy aloe vera plant, you must provide direct sunlight of at least 6 to 8 hours. Like starting from early morning sun till noon sun. Try to avoid the harsh noon sun, which can sometimes burn the leaf tips and edges, especially in summer season. If you prefer to keep it all day in direct sunlight, you can install a 50% green shade net to protect it from harsh sun and let it enjoy the pleasant sun for the entire day. If you are growing indoors, you need to keep it in full direct sun light at least 2 to 3 times in a week or you can grow it under a good quality LED grow light.
- ROTATION TECHNIQUE: This is another useful trick to keep your plant healthy and get those thick and fleshy aloe vera leaves. To keep your plant growing evenly, rotate the container at least a couple of times every week so that all of its leaves get an equal amount of sun light for photosynthesis.
- WATERING: This watering trick for aloe vera is the most important tip to get thicker and fleshy aloe vera plant. You know, aloe vera is a drought-resistant succulent plant which stores most of its moisture in its leaves in the form of gel. We all know the medicinal and various other uses of this aloe vera gel. We will not discuss about that in this video. To understand this trick, you need to know what happens to aloe vera when you deprive it of water. If you let the soil go very much dry for too long, your plant will begin to use the water reserves in its leaves, causing them to shrivel and shrink. Of course, we do not want this to happen. So, the right technique to water aloe vera plant is, Yes! Deprive it of water, but not too long. Make it a lot thirsty first and then provide it will lots of water to drink. Practically, this is done by allowing the top 2 inches of soil to dry out completely. You can check this using the finger dip method or a moisture meter if you have. Water it only if the top soil is completely dry. And Watering should be thorough and deep till the water flows out of the drainage holes. This simple hack helps to grow aloe vera leaves thicker and fleshy.
If you want to know the complete care tips for aloe vera plant like fertilizer, pot selection and other useful points, you can check my detailed post on aloe vera care tips.
Whether you are growing succulents & cacti indoors or outdoors, it’s really important to learn how to care for succulents and some very important Do’s and Don’ts. Let us find out how not to kill your succulents and how to keep them healthy and happy.
- MEANING OF SUCCULENT: Succulent means full of juice : juicy. So these are plants with fleshy tissues adapted to water storage. Some random examples of succulents are: Echeverias, Haworthias, Aeoniums, Gasteria, Sedums, donkey’s tail, All varieties of Kalanchoes, Jades and Crassulas, Aloe vera, All types of cactus like fairy castle cactus, Bunny ears cactus, Pincushion cactus, christmas cactus, and, the most beautiful Adeniums or Desert roses.
- SUNLIGHT: Most people think succulents are indoor plants. No doubt they can be grown indoors with proper care or that extra or special care. But succulents love full sunlight and do well with at least five or six hours of direct sun per day. This again depends on the type of succulent. And also, immature succulents or seedlings need lesser sun and have to be gradually introduced to sunlight like the Hardening Off procedure we follow for vegetable seedlings like 1-hour sun exposure for day 1, 2 hours for day, 3 hours for day 3 and so on. We will discuss more useful tips and tricks like how to avoid elongating and ugly growing succulents in the later part of this episode.
- WATERING: This is another very important factor for successful and healthy growth of succulents and cacti. The watering frequency depends on the season of the year. In spring to summer, the succulents grow to their full potential, like any other plant. And in winter season the growth is slowed down and many succulents go into a state of dormancy or inactivity, just like other plants. So, the watering requirement is drastically reduced in winter season. Now, lets talk about how to water, how much to water and how frequently to water. This is very important because overwatering can result in mold and rot and can kill the plant. Succulent and cacti are different from other plants with thick fleshy tissues like leaves or stems are adapted to water storage. So, a lot of water is already stored in these tissues and hence, the water requirement of these plants is very less compared to other plants.
While watering a succulent or a cactus, you need to stick to two rules to prevent over watering and rot. The first rule to follow is the Finger Dip method: Insert your finger to at least one inch into the soil to check the moisture. Water them only if soil is completely dry. You can also dip a moisture meter if you have. And second rule is to avoid water spillage over the fleshy leaves to prevent rot. For this you can use a watering can with a long nozzle to water over the soil and avoid water spillage over the leaves. Then thirdly water it thoroughly and deeply till the water flows out of the drain holes. Generally, in most tropical climates, watering weekly once or max twice a week is sufficient if kept in direct sun. - POTTING SOIL: This is another important factor for healthy succulent growth. Succulents and cacti need a soil mix that drains very quickly, so regular potting soil is not recommended to grow succulents. So, you need to add stuff that helps drain out water very quickly. One such succulent potting mix formula is:
30 to 40% of Garden Soil, 30 to 40% Sand, 10% to 20% pebbles or some small coarse rocks or pumice or perlite if available, 10 to 20% Compost like cowdung or vermicompost, Optionally you can add some 10% Charcoal – small pieces. Do not use cocopeat for succulents especially if you grow them indoors or keep them under indirect sunlight, because it can retain water and might result in mold and rot due to water retention.
- POT SIZE: Choosing the right sized container is also important for healthy growth of succuelnts and again this depends on the type of succulents you are growing. Most succulents have a shallow and delicate root system which do not need too deep containers and it can increase the risk of rot. For most succulents we recommend a wider shallow container for best results, because a wider container with enough space will help in propagation of succulents which produce offsets or babies from sides, which can be separated and grown as independent plants. Also make sure there are multiple drainage holes in the container you choose. You can also grow multiple succulents in a wide container. Make sure you give some spacing between each plant.
- FERTILIZERS: Succulents do not need much fertilizers, but you can give them light feedings like a teaspoon of vermicompost or decomposed cowdung once in 3 months and increase this during the active season – that’s the spring and summer season.
- PEST CONTROL: Mostly affected by mealybugs and the soil by the fungus gnats. You can spray neem oil once in about 15 days as preventive measure or weekly once to get rid of these if already infested. You can even water the succulent once with the same neem oil solution to get rid of fungus gnats. The dose os 5 to 10 ml neem oil per litre of water. The best alternative to kill fungus gnats is 250 ml hydrogen peroxide 3% per litre of water and water the soil.
- CLEANING SUCCULENTS: Wipe off the leaves and spines gently with a damp cloth to get rid of dust and this helps in better photosynthesis.
- REPOTTING: You have to take special care while repotting a succulent, because they are more prone to mold and rot after repotting. To avoid problems, always mix some antifungal powder or some neem cake powder into the potting mix during repotting.
- PROPAGATION: There are several, simple ways to propagate succulents. First method is: Growing from Cuttings: This is best applied in case the succulents have grown too leggy with elongated stems. This elongation of stem happens when there is little sunlight or if kept in indirect light. They elongate their stems for seeking sunlight. As a result they look ugly and take bad bends and turns. So, as discussed – keep them in full direct sun and make it a habit to rotate the containers once in a while to avoid bends and provide uniform sunlight. Well, coming back to propagation, Take the cuttings and leave it in air to dry for 2 days for callous formation – that’s something like wound healing and sealing to prevent rot. Then insert the cutting into a loose draining soil. Just keep the soil moist, do not water it too much. It should start rooting in 2 weeks.
The Second method is Propagating from Leaves: Yes, you can grow succulents from a single leaf. Just remove an actively growing healthy leaf from a mature succulent plant. Make sure you strip from the base, taking out the entire leaf. Leave this to air dry for 2 days and then just place it superficially over the soil. You should see a tiny plant popping out of this leaf with formation of tiny roots.
The Third Method is from Offsets or Babies, which are produced from the mother plant like aloe versa, haworthias and echeverias. Most of the succulents produce these babies which can be separated from the mother plant and planted independently.
The Fourth Method is growing from seeds: This is the slowest method to grow succulents. But if you have the time and patience, give it a try! Seeds of mature plants are located in the seed pod produced after flowering. The seeds can be collected from the pods and planted in a clean seed sowing mix or sand.
This video is a complete guide to aloe vera plant care and covers:
- Basic Information On Aloe Vera Plant
- Aloe Vera Plant Benefits
- Important Tips For Growing Aloe Vera Plant
- How Often To Water Aloe Vera
- How Much Sun Does An Aloe Vera Plant Need
- Best Potting Soil For Aloe Vera Plants
- Best Fertilizer For Aloe Vera
- Propagating Aloe Vera Plants
- BASIC INFORMATION ON ALOE VERA: Aloe vera is basically a cactus like succulent plant and this is just one of hundreds of different types of aloe plants and the most common type and commonly called medicinal aloe vera. Aloe vera is a stemless or very short-stemmed plant and can grow upto 100 cm tall. Its either grown as an ornamental plant for it beautiful look or as a medicinal plant to extract aloe vera gel from its fleshy leaves.
- ALOE VERA PLANT BENEFITS: Will not go into details of this topic. To mention a few, Most people are already very familiar with the medicinal and healing properties of aloe vera plants. These days you’ll find aloe vera gel in everything from skin and haircare products, to drinks, supplements, and food products. Another great benefit of growing aloe vera as a houseplant is that it helps to purify the air in our homes. I have discussed about NASA recommended Air purifier plants in a detailed post.
- ALOE VERA PLANT CARE TIPS: There’s really not much to it, and guess what – your aloe vera might just do better if you ignore it, Yes! they thrive on neglect. But, still there are a few things you need to do to keep your aloe vera growing and multiplying at its best. The two most important parts of aloe vera plant care are proper watering and lighting.
- HOW OFTEN TO WATER ALOE VERA? The most common mistake people make when it comes to aloe vera plant care is overwatering. In nature, aloes grow in desert climates where they hardly get any rain. Aloe vera succulent plants hold water in their leaves, so they can go a very long time without water. Overwatering will cause root rot, and eventually cause the stem of the plant to rot, eventually killing the whole plant from the bottom up. Aloe vera plants like to be watered more during the summer than the winter months. It’s best to allow the soil to dry out completely between waterings. The best method to water aloe vera is using the Finger Dip method. Dip one inch of finger into the soil to check moisture. Water it if its completely Dry. And when you water it, do it thoroughly, allowing all of the excess water to run out the bottom drainage holes. So, The Point to remember is Thorough and Infrequent watering is the Rule for Aloe vera and all succulents and cacti.
- HOW MUCH SUN DOES AN ALOE PLANT NEED? The second most important thing about aloe vera plant care is proper lighting. Aloe vera plants will grow their best when given lots of light. Outdoors, aloe vera can be grown anywhere from full sun to partial shade. They tolerate any amount of light. But its better to avoid direct noon sunlight. When it comes to shade and indoors, they generally tend to get leggy if they do not receive adequate light. They also do well under LED grow lights if grown indoors. If you don’t have enough sunlight in your home, then you should definitely get a grow light for your aloe vera. You can check details on these topics on Indoor plants here.
- BEST POTTING MIX FOR ALOE VERA PLANTS: The best soil or potting mix for aloe vera is one that drains very quickly, and doesn’t hold water. You can either use commercially available succulent and cacti mixes or you can prepare your own DIY succulent soil mix. One such recipe I use is:
- Any Good quality Garden Soil – roughly about 30 to 40 Percent.
- Sand: You can use River sand / Construction Sand and not the sea or beach sand for this which is high in sodium chloride that’s salt. The proportion to use is about 30 to 40 Percent. You can also use Coco peat or Peat moss instead of sand for aloe vera but it’s not recommended specially for succulents, because it retains moisture and some succulents have a risk of Rot.
- Gravel chips or pebbles or even Small Marble or granite Chips. This can be roughly about 10 percent.
- Compost: This is actually not required for succulents, because the natural habitats of most succulents and cacti is a desert. But still adding 10 percent of compost like vermicompost/leaf compost/cowdung powder. Also consider adding about 5 – 10 percent of Neem Cake Powder, that really effective in preventing rot from fungus and other harmful pathogens.
- Perlite + charcoal like Wood Charcoal pieces or biochar pieces: These ingredients keep the soil very loose and well aerated. Charcoal also has some antifungal properties as well to prevent root rot. All these mixed to about 10 percent can be added to the recipe.
7. FERTILIZER FOR ALOE VERA: Aloe vera plants don’t really need to be fertilized. But like most plants, they will certainly benefit from being fed once in a while, specially during their active growing season like spring through summer. I recommend using organic plant fertilizer on your aloe vera, rather than the chemical stuff – especially if you plan to harvest and use the gel. Compost like vermicompost or decomposed cow dung – a handful of it once in a month is more than sufficient for aloe vera plants. And this can also help to encourage flowers in aloe vera plants.
8. PROPAGATING ALOE VERA PLANTS: The mother Aloe vera plant will grow
offsets (a.k.a aloe vera pups) around the base of the plant, and these babies
can be carefully removed from the mother plant and potted up on their own to
create a new plant. It’s as easy as that! But how do you encourage production
of more babies or offsets from mother plant? Simple trick or solution to this
is using a wide container for growing the future mother plant. Plant this at
the center of this containers and you should see a lot of offsets coming soon. Aloe
vera roots do not grow too deep and hence shallow wider containers are
preferred when you are repotting.
You can also grow aloe vera from seeds. The mature aloe plant produces
flowering once in a while. This mother plant produces once in a year. But your
need to provide full sunlight to induce flowering. You can collect its seeds
pods and grow new aloe plants from these seeds.
Can you grow aloe vera from a single leaf or leaf cuttings? I have tried this many times but was completely unsuccessful. Let me know in the comment box below if you have rooted an aloe vera from a leaf.
Now in this Video, am gonna show you How to grow Aloe vera plant indoors and how to take care of it. These are the same Aloe vera babies also called as Offsets, that we separated from mother plant a month ago. You can watch the previous videos and the link is given in the description.
Well Coming back to its Indoor care!
Aloe vera is easy to grow indoors as a potted plant, and makes a wonder houseplant. Given the proper care, these amazing plants can live for many, many years.
The good news is that aloe vera plants are super easy to grow plants whether indoors or outdoors, and they do very well in pots – of any size.
The Secret here is : There’s really not much to it, and guess what – your aloe vera might just do better if you ignore it, they thrive on neglect.
But, there are certain things you need to do to keep your aloe vera plant growing to it’s best. The two most important parts of aloe vera plant care are proper – watering and lighting.
The most common mistake people make when it comes to aloe vera plant care is overwatering. They donot require so much water as you think, they are succulents and already have lot of water and moisture stored in their leaves.
In nature, aloes grow in desert climates where they hardly get any rain. Aloe vera succulent plants hold water in their leaves, so they can go a very long time without water.
Overwatering will eventually cause the stem and roots of the plant to rot, eventually killing the whole plant. Obviously we definitely don’t want that to happen!
Remember one thing, Depending on the season you need to water them, like in summer you may need to water them frequently. Firstly check the soil for moisture – not just the upper layer of the soil, but a little below an inch. If its moist then donot water them. That’s it about watering.
The second most important thing about aloe vera plant care is proper lighting. Aloe vera plants will grow their best indoors when given good amount of light.
A south facing window would be the ideal spot, but they also grow well under artificial lights. If you don’t have enough sunlight in your home, then you should definitely use a grow light for your aloe vera.
Alternately, you can move your aloe vera plant twice a week into sunlight – preferably indirect sunlight, only if its not thriving indoors.
Lastly ! the Best Potting Soil For Aloe Vera Plants is one that drains very quickly, and doesn’t hold water – like cocopeat or a mix of cocopeat and soil or sand in any proportion to make it a well drained potting soil. Also, it does not require any fertilizer – whether organic or inorganic.
Fortunately, Aloe Vera plants are very resilient. They don’t mind the bumblings of a beginner, I mean rough handling!
I recommend repotting your Aloe Vera outside. It’s going to get messy. Perhaps open up a big trash bag to work over. Also, you might want to wear gardening gloves if you have sensitive skin.
First of all, Pull your Aloe plants out of its pot. You can be rough with your plant. It’s not the end of the world if a leaf breaks off – You can put it to good use, like gel extraction.
So, You might have to do a lil circus here, like shake the pot, tap the sides of the pot to loosen the soil. So that you can easily pluck the plants without damaging the root much.
Meanwhile!
How does an aloe vera plant reproduce or propagate?
Answer: They produce small “offsets” or baby plants at the base of the original plant. If left in place, they will grow and expand the entire plant size. Or, you can gently pull them apart and pot them as separate plants. This is what I am doing here. I am separating all the smaller offsets from the mother plant and repotting them individually.
Aloe vera is a tough plant, so don’t worry about hurting it.
If you have a root stimulant, Treat the roots of the Aloe plant with it. You don’t have to do this, but it will insure a higher likelihood of a successful transplant.
Fill up the new pots with potting soil. You need not be much choosy about this point. You can plant them in any soil, like, plain soil, coco-peat or peat moss, sand, or a mixture of these.
I usually mix plain soil, cocopeat, compost and sand and make the potting mix. Need not worry about proportions. If you need sturdy soil for plant anchoring, put more of plain soil and if you want more drainage add more of sand or coco-peat.
So, keeping the Aloe plants with the roots intact, start planting them one by one. Depending on how big the pot is, you can plant up to three plants, and more if it’s a really huge pot. If you are planting a lot of plants in one, you will probably have to repot all over again sooner rather than later.
After doing this, thoroughly water the pots and, that’s it!
It is found in many consumer products including beverages, skin lotion, cosmetics, or ointments for minor burns and sunburns.
Aloe vera is a stemless, or very short-stemmed plant growing to 60 to 100 centimeter tall, spreading by offsets.
The leaves are thick and fleshy, green to grey-green, with some varieties showing white flecks on their upper and lower stem surfaces. The margin of the leaf is serrated, and has small white teeth. The flowers are produced in summer on a spike up to 90 centimeter tall, each flower being pendulous, with a yellow tubular corolla 2 to 3 centimeter long.
Now coming to the uses of Aloe Vera:
Aloe vera is used in traditional medicine, mainly in treatment of skin disorders, that is, cosmetics.
Aloe vera is used on facial tissues, where it is promoted as a moisturiser , and anti-irritant to reduce chafing of the nose. Cosmetic companies , commonly add sap or other derivatives from Aloe vera to products such as makeup, tissues, moisturizers, soaps, sunscreens, incense, shaving cream, or shampoos. A review of academic literature notes that its inclusion in many hygiene products is due to its “moisturizing emollient effect”.
Use of topical aloe vera is not associated with significant side effects. One important Point to note:
Some people recommend eating aloe vera leaf. But please note that, Oral ingestion of aloe vera, however, may cause abdominal cramps and diarrhea which in turn can decrease the absorption of drugs. IARC studies have found ingested non-decolorized liquid aloe vera to be carcinogenic in animals, and state that it is a possible carcinogen in humans as well.
Now coming to Aloe Vera Plant Growth:
In pots, the species requires well-drained, sandy potting soil and bright, sunny conditions. Aloe plants can burn under too much sun or shrivel when the pot does not drain water. The use of a good-quality commercial propagation mix or packaged “cacti and succulent mix” is recommended, as they allow good drainage.
Potted plants should be allowed to completely dry before rewatering – that means overwatering can kill these plants.
When potted, aloes can become crowded with “pups” or babies, growing from the sides of the “mother plant”.
Plants that have become crowded should be divided and repotted to allow room for further growth and help prevent pest infestations.
During winter, Aloe vera may become dormant, during which little moisture is required. In areas that receive frost or snow, the species is best kept indoors or in heated glasshouses.