You can bring all of the health benefits of aloe vera into your home by raising your own aloe vera plant. A lot of garden centers and local stores sell these plants, but you have to know how to properly care for them so they grow large and full of that healing aloe gel. Below are some aloe plant care tips to help you raise your plant as efficiently as possible.
Aloe Plant Care Tip #1 – Make Sure Your Plant Receives Adequate Sunlight
If you are growing your plant outdoors, the first aloe plant care tip is to make sure it is placed in full sunlight. Partial sunlight can work in some climates, but make sure that it receives at least five or six hours of direct sunlight each day. If you are growing your plant indoors, make sure it sits close to a window where direct sunlight shines through. Make sure the light is not blocked by window treatments at the sunniest time of day.
Aloe Plant Care Tip #2 – Do Not Overwater Your Plant
Aloe plant care tip #2 may dispel a myth. Aloe vera plants need water, but they do not need very moist soil. They hold a lot of their water in the body of the plant, so it has more moisture in it than you may think from the feel of the soil. It is good to let the soil dry out, and then completely soak it through. Wait for the soil to become fairly dry again before watering again.
Drainage is very important, whether planted indoors or outdoors. Indoor pots should contain gravel in the bottom to help with drainage. Outdoor plants do not need as much watering and some are virtually carefree much of the year.
An aloe vera plant doesn’t need as much water during the winter months, as it goes into a semi dormant state.
Aloe Plant Care Tip #3 – An Indoor Plant Enjoys Being Outdoors Sometimes
Your children are indoor living creatures, but you do not shut them up all the time when the sun is shining and the warm breezes are blowing. Treat your aloe plants the same way. Protect them indoors when it is freezing outside, and then take them out to a porch when it is warmer. If you have a screened porch with a lot of sunlight, then that may be a good protective environment during the spring and early fall.
Aloe Plant Care Tip #4 – Choose Wider Pots as Opposed To Deeper Pots
Many plants need to be repotted into deeper pots as they grow, but aloe vera plants are a bit different. Their roots are shallow and grow outward, rather than downward. This means they need to be placed in wider pots, rather than deeper pots. If you do not give them larger pots, you can stunt their growth so you don’t get nearly as much out of them.
Aloe Plant Care Tip #5 – Make Sure You are Growing Aloe Vera
There are many different aloe plants, but they don’t all have the benefits that come with aloe vera. Make sure the plant you are raising is aloe vera and not one of these other options. They may look very similar, since they are all in the same family of subtropical succulent plants.
Growing an aloe vera plant is not difficult. Once it becomes established in its soil, it won’t take a lot of your time to give it some water from time to time. You will find many different uses for the gel inside the leaves!