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| My Precious Aloe |
Light: As much as you can give it. This means have it right up next to the window. If you do not give your Aloe enough light, it will begin to lean. To correct this, give your plant more light and rotate your plant to even the plant out and straighten it.
Water: I water once a week most of the year and then every other week in the winter. Let the soil completely dry out between waterings and then water thoroughly.
Soil: A well-draining soil. A cactus and succulent potting soil mix from the store work fine.
If you want to harvest the Aloe, take the stems from the bottom. Once you remove the stem, remove the sap within it. Removing stems can also help keep your Aloe smaller if you are working with a small space. Make sure to rotate which side you harvest your Aloe from to keep your plant balanced.
If you notice that the bottom stems of aloe seem to be rotting from the base, that's okay. The bottom ones may rot off as the plant grows to make room for the bigger stems above it.
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| Aloe Pup |
Pot: Use a terracotta pot as it allows the roots to breathe. A ceramic pot will trap in moisture which may lead to root rot. Also, use a pot that is more wide than tall. Aloe roots will grow out more than down. Only re-pot if you see roots coming out the bottom of the pot.
Issues: If watered too much, aloe can get root rot and die. To prevent this make sure to use a well-draining soil and water only when the soil is dry. If you suspect your plant has root rot, cut back on watering immediately. If it seems like your plant is continuing to die, take it out of the pot to help the roots dry. If this is also not working, carefully remove all soil around the roots of your Aloe plant and repot it with new soil.
Propagation: Once the aloe gets big enough it will start growing pups. After the pups get big enough you can separate them from the mother plant.
Aloe is generally a fast-growing plant if given the right conditions. Once it gets big, try not to move it around very much as you could accidentally break or bend a stem
Aloe will thrive in any space as long as it gets enough light. Be careful with your aloe plant around pets. The sap from Aloe is poisonous to cats and dogs so make sure your plant is out of reach. I would also not recommend eating any of your Aloe plants. Some varieties of Aloe are poisonous to ingest. So unless you are sure that you have an edible variety, don't eat it. It is better to use your Aloe for burns and on your skin which is perfectly safe.
Good Luck!
Lily's Indoor Jungle
