Aloe vera

By Tools for Gardeners

Planting aloe vera

Aloe vera is a potted plant almost everywhere, though it lives outdoors year-round in frost-free zones 8 to 11. Pot it any time into a clay container with drainage holes and a gritty cactus mix; ordinary potting soil stays wet too long around succulent roots. Go up no more than one or two pot sizes at a time, since a big pot of damp mix is how aloes rot. New plants come free: the pups that crowd around the base separate with their own roots and pot straight up. If a plant moves outdoors for summer, shade it for the first days, because indoor-grown leaves sunburn fast.

Planting details

• Clay pot with drainage holes, one or two sizes up at most
• Gritty cactus or succulent mix, not plain potting soil
• Separate the basal pups for easy new plants
• Outdoors year-round in zones 8 to 11; summer vacation anywhere
• Acclimate to outdoor sun gradually or the leaves scorch

Growing requirements

Bright light with some direct sun, a south or west window, keeps the rosette compact and upright; dim spots make weak, drooping leaves. Water thoroughly, then let the mix dry completely before watering again, and cut back in winter while the plant rests. It wants no extra humidity and no routine fertilizer; a light feed once or twice in spring is plenty. Normal room temperatures suit it, roughly 55 to 85 F, and frost kills it outright.

Harvesting and care

A mature plant throws offsets steadily; slice pups free with roots attached when they reach a few inches and the mother clump stays tidy. For burn gel, cut an older outer leaf near the base, split it, and use only the inner gel, testing a small patch of skin first. Rotate the pot occasionally so the rosette grows evenly. Watch for mealybugs tucked at the leaf bases, which rub off with alcohol on a swab.

Common mistakes

• Overwatering or a pot without drainage, which causes root rot, the main way aloes die
• Jumping several pot sizes at once, which leaves roots sitting in wet mix
• Moving it straight from indoors to full sun, which sunburns the leaves
• Too little light, which produces pale, leggy, drooping growth
• Letting it sit in a saucer of drained water

Companion plants

Aloe sits naturally with jade plant, haworthia, and echeveria on the same sunny sill, since all want the same gritty mix and long dry-downs. Keep it out of mixed planters with thirsty plants like ferns, which need water on a schedule that rots succulents. The practical companion placement is a kitchen sill, where the burn gel is within reach.

Varieties worth growing

• Aloe vera: the standard medicinal plant; the source of burn gel
• Aloe arborescens: candelabra aloe; tree-like stems with coral winter blooms
• Tiger aloe: Gonialoe variegata; striped white and green, stays compact
• Aloe brevifolia: short blue-green leaves in tight rosettes for small pots

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox: Aloe vera
• University of Florida IFAS Gardening Solutions: Aloe Vera