How To Grow Aloe Vera Plants

Aloe vera is a succulent plant known for its medicinal properties. It can easily be grown indoors and outdoors.

Growing an aloe vera plant is a walk in the park. It is one the easiest succulents to grow, and it requires very minimal maintenance. You just need to know some basic information to guarantee its successful growth.

The location that is best for aloes to grow is outdoors where they can be exposed to full sun or light shade. These plants consist of 95% water, which is why they prefer to grow in warm climates. It is nearly impossible for aloe vera plants to grow in very cold climates; if you attempt to do so, you can plant them in pots and grow them indoors. These plants can endure the rainy season provided that they have the opportunity to dry out for a couple of days. If you want to grow your aloes indoors, make sure you position them where they can receive a great amount of sun to ensure healthy growth.

In terms of the type of soil requirement for a succulent plant like aloe vera, the only thing you need to remember is fast-draining soil. If you want, you can mix it with rocks. This will aid in the draining process, especially if they are planted in pots. When used in landscapes, make sure to add some sand to the soil. The key is providing good drainage to avoid moisture build up.

Being succulent plants, aloe vera plants thrive well in the tropics, in hot and dry climates. They store water within their leaves and roots, therefore they require very minimal watering requirement. During the winter season, you will notice that these plants will become dormant. Throughout this season, make sure the soil is completely dry before watering. Give them only about a cup or two of water to make sure that they do not drown themselves. In the summer months, you may need to water your plants more frequently, allowing the soil to be fully dry before watering again.

Like most succulent plants, aloe vera plants require minimal fertilizing. If necessary, you can give fertilizer once a year, ideally during spring. You may choose a slow release fertilizer.

Repotting your aloe vera is simple. The root system of these plants is very shallow, hence choose a wide pot and ensure that it has holes for proper drainage. You can even propagate these plants from the offshoots of the mother plant. Just remove the baby plants and repot them.

Aloe vera plants do not grow much in height, at most between 1 to 3 feet tall depending on where they are grown. If they stay indoors, their growth will most likely be shorter compared to those planted outdoors. The fleshy gray-green leaves of these plants can grow up to 18 inches long and 2 inches wide.  With the proper climate, they can even produce little offset rosettes. Most of the medicinal aloe vera plants bear tubular yellow orange flowers.

Now that you have some information in growing aloe vera plants, you can confidently plant them in your own garden.