I bought an aloe plant today because I burned my finger and wanted some aloe gel to put on it, and because I liked the idea of being able to have access to aloe going into the future. I was in a hurry to bandage my burn and use the aloe so I didn't do research on how to harvest the gel first. I just cut the tip off one of the leaves and squeezed out the gel like it was a tube of toothpaste. Will this sort of treatment harm the plant? The leaves are pretty big so there's no way I would need a full one to treat my small burn. So doing it this way works better for me, but I don't want to hurt the plant.
Also, it seems a lot of the soil fell out of the pot prior to my buying it. When I pick up the pot and move it (like from one surface to another) the whole plant wobbles because there is so much empty space in the pot. I will not be able to get to the store for more soil for about another week. Do you think the plant can survive as-is that long?
I bought an aloe plant today because I burned my finger and wanted some aloe gel to put on it, and because I liked the idea of being able to have access to aloe going into the future. I was in a hurry to bandage my burn and use the aloe so I didn't do research on how to harvest the gel first. I just cut the tip off one of the leaves and squeezed out the gel like it was a tube of toothpaste. Will this sort of treatment harm the plant? The leaves are pretty big so there's no way I would need a full one to treat my small burn. So doing it this way works better for me, but I don't want to hurt the plant.
Also, it seems a lot of the soil fell out of the pot prior to my buying it. When I pick up the pot and move it (like from one surface to another) the whole plant wobbles because there is so much empty space in the pot. I will not be able to get to the store for more soil for about another week. Do you think the plant can survive as-is that long?