Aloe Vera Plant Care: How to Take Care of Aloe Vera Plants
Before Planting Aloe Vera
- It’s important to choose the right type of container. A pot made from terra-cotta or similar porous material is recommended, as it will allow the soil to dry thoroughly between waterings and will also be heavy enough to keep the plant from tipping over. A plastic or glazed pot may also be used, though these will hold more moisture.
- When choosing a container, pick one with at least one drainage hole in the bottom. This is key, as the hole will allow excess water to drain out. Aloe vera plants are hardy, but a lack of proper drainage can cause rot and wilting, which is easily the most common cause of death for this plant.
- Select a container that’s about as wide as it is deep. If your aloe plant has a stem, choose a container deep enough to plant the entire stem under the soil.
- Aloe vera plants are succulents, so use a well-draining potting mix, such as those made for cacti and succulents. Do not use gardening soil. A good mix should contain perlite, lava rock, chunks of bark, or all three.
- A layer of gravel, clay balls, or any other “drainage” material in the bottom of the pot is not necessary. This only takes up space that the roots could otherwise be using. A drainage hole is drainage enough!
- (Optional) To encourage your aloe to put out new roots after planting, dust the stem of the plant with a rooting hormone powder. Rooting hormone can be found at a local garden center or hardware store or bought online.
How to Plant (or Repot) an Aloe Vera Plant
If your aloe plant has grown leggy, has gotten too large, or simply needs an upgrade, it’s time to repot it. Here’s how:
- Prepare your pot. After giving the new pot a quick rinse (or a good scrub if it’s a pot you’ve used before) and letting it dry thoroughly, place a small piece of screen over the drainage hole; this will keep the soil from falling out the bottom and will allow water to drain properly. A doubled-up piece of paper towel or newspaper can also work in a pinch, though these will break down over time.
- Prepare your plant. Remove the aloe vera plant from its current pot and brush away any excess dirt from the roots, being careful not to damage the roots.
- If your plant has any pups, remove them now. (See this page’s “Care” section for instructions on removing and potting pups.)
- If your plant has a very long, spindly stem that won’t fit in the pot, it is possible to trim the stem off partially. Note that this is risky and could kill the plant. To trim the stem: Cut off part of the stem, leaving as much as possible on the plant. Next, place the bare plant in a warm area that gets indirect light. After several days, a callous will form over the wound. At this point, continue with the repotting instructions below.
- Plant your plant. Fill the pot about a third of the way with a well-draining potting mix, then place your plant in the soil. Continue filling in the soil around the plant, bearing in mind that you should leave at least 3/4 of an inch of space between the top of the soil and the rim of the pot. The bottom leaves of the aloe plant should rest just above the soil, too. Do not water after planting.
- Ignore your plant (temporarily). After you’ve placed your aloe in its new pot, don’t water it for at least a week. This will decrease the chance of inducing rot and give the plant time to put out new roots. Until the plant seems to be rooted and happy, please keep it in a warm place that receives bright but indirect light.
How to Care for an Aloe Vera Plant
- Lighting: Place in bright, indirect sunlight or artificial light. A western or southern window is ideal. Aloe that are kept in low light often grow leggy.
- Temperature: Aloe vera does best in temperatures between 55 and 80°F (13 and 27°C). The temperatures of most homes and apartments are ideal. From May to September, you can bring your plant outdoors without any problems, but do bring it back inside in the evening if nights are cold.
- Fertilizing: Fertilize sparingly (no more than once a month), and only in the spring and summer, with a balanced houseplant formula mixed at 1/2 strength.
- Repotting: Repot when root bound, following the instructions given in “Planting” above.
Watering Aloe Vera
Watering is the most challenging part of keeping aloe vera healthy, but it’s certainly not rocket science! The aloe is a succulent plant accustomed to arid environments, but its thick leaves still need sufficient water.
- Water aloe vera plants deeply but infrequently. In other words, the soil should feel moist after watering but should be allowed to dry out to some extent before you water again. If the soil stays overly wet, the plant’s roots can rot.
- To ensure that you’re not overwatering your plant, allow the top third of potting soil to dry out between waterings. For example, if your plant is kept in 6 inches of potting soil, allow the top 2 inches to dry out before watering again. (Use your finger to test the dryness of the soil.)
- Generally speaking, plan to water your aloe plant about every 2-3 weeks in the spring and summer and even more sparingly during the fall and winter. One rule of thumb for fall and winter watering is to roughly double the time between waterings (compared to your summer watering schedule). In other words, if you water every two weeks in summer, water every four weeks in winter.
- When watering, some excess water may run out of the bottom of the pot. Let the pot sit in this water so the soil absorbs as much as possible. Wait 10-15 minutes, then dump any remaining water.
Removing & Replanting Aloe Vera Offsets (Pups)
Mature aloe vera plants often produce offsets— plantlets, pups, or “babies”—that can be removed to produce an entirely new plant (a clone of the mother plant, technically).
- Find where the offsets are attached to the mother plant and separate them using pruning shears, scissors, or a sharp knife. Leave at least an inch of stem on the offset.
- Allow the offsets to sit out of the soil for several days; this lets the offset form a callous over the cut, which helps to protect it from rot. Keep the offsets in a warm location with indirect light during this time.
- Once the offsets have formed callouses, pot them in a standard succulent potting mix. The soil should be well-draining.
- Put the newly potted pups in a sunny location. Wait at least a week to water and keep the soil on the dry side.
How to Get Your Aloe Vera to Flower
Mature aloe vera plants occasionally produce a tall flower spike—called an inflorescence—from which dozens of tubular yellow or red blossoms appear. This certainly adds another level of interest to the already lovely aloe!
Unfortunately, a bloom is rarely achievable with aloes that are kept as houseplants, since the plant requires nearly ideal conditions to produce flowers: lots of light, sufficient water, and the right temperature range. Due to these requirements (mainly lighting), aloe flowers are usually only seen on plants grown outdoors year-round in warm climates.
To give your aloe the best shot at flowering:
- Provide it with as much light as possible, especially during spring and summer. Aloes can be kept outdoors in full sun during the summer when temperatures are above 70°F (21°C). Bring the aloe inside if nighttime temps threaten to drop below 60°F (16°C).
- Note: Don’t move your aloe from indoors to full sun right away; it needs time to adjust to the intense light, or it may cause sunburn. Allow it to sit in partial shade for about a week before moving it to a brighter location.
- Ensure the plant is getting the right amount of water—enough to keep it from drying out completely, but not enough to drown it! If the plant’s being kept outdoors, make sure that it’s not getting consistently soaked by summer rains.
- Give your aloe a proper dormancy period in the fall and winter. Aloe tends to bloom in late winter or early spring, so giving them a period of rest consisting of less frequent watering and cooler temperatures may encourage them to flower.
- Don’t be surprised if it still doesn’t flower. Despite our best efforts, indoor conditions just aren’t ideal for most aloes, so don’t be surprised if yours simply refuses to bloom!
Aloe Vera Gel
To make use of the aloe vera plant’s soothing properties, remove a mature leaf from the plant and cut it lengthwise. Squeeze the gel out of the leaf and apply it to your burn, or lay the opened leaf gel side–down on the affected area. Learn more about aloe vera’s healing properties.
Do not ingest the gel, as it can cause nausea and other unpleasant symptoms.
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The tap root on my aloe is huge! Can't find a deep enough pot for it. So the plant itself sits tilted, in the pot. What can I do? I live in zone 6, so I can't plant it outside.
Can I cut back some of the tap root so the plant will sit even when I transplant it into a bigger pot?
Before transplanting, you can cut back both the large taproot and the smaller horizontal roots; especially focus on removing any dead or rotting roots. Although aloe is quite resilient about pruning, trim only up to about 1/3 of the rootball at a time (leaving 2/3 intact). Aloe likes to be snug in its pot and should fill the new pot about 2/3 full. After the roots are cut, some people allow the roots to air dry for a day or two, so that the wound starts to heals over a bit before placing the plant in new growing medium; this can help to prevent diseases, etc., from entering through the cuts. If you transplant immediately after pruning the roots, hold off on watering for a few days, to discourage rot. Hope this helps!
Aloes usually have a shallow, wide root system, so a deep taproot is a mystery! Have you tried online sources for indoor plant pots? Although local stores may not have just the right size for your plant, perhaps online might offer a wider selection. Try to find one in which the roots will take up about 2 inches beyond the deepest root, and about 1 to 2 inches between the plant and the container edge. Some people have fun making their own pots, or repurposing items, such as buckets, etc., to use as planters. If you’d like to try that, be sure to add a drainage hole to the container, if needed.
I have two aloe Vera plants, one of them grows thicker but not wide how can I make it so that it grows wide and thick, it sorta looks spiral from the main stem. My second aloe Vera is tiny and won’t thicken, and one of the stems is yellow at the tip. Any advice?
My aloe plant completely fell apart. Whole healthy leaves fell off from the soil. Sad face! Is there anything I can do to save what’s in the soil and get a new plant to rise?
Aloes drop leaves when they are overwatered. Succulents need very little water. Let it dry out. Repot in lightly dampened soil. Don’t water it until it dries out.
Good article! I just brought an aloe vera home from the supermarket and in only a couple of days it stretched out towards the light, which was unexpected for a succulent!?
Its a fairly bright westward window. I wanted to say that I learned not to use aloe directly from the plant, but let the cut off leaf "bleedcin a glass of water a few hours first. It will turn milky as the Aloe releases latex which is naturally generated in the leaves and can cause irritation.
Once the latex is depleted the pulp or gel can be used to treat skin, or a piece of cut leaf can be taped to a wound with a bandaid or bandage. Removingnthe latex (over night to be sure) also makes it edible without real risk of nausea etc. Just don't overdo it, a half teaspoonspoon of gel in a smoothy is enough.
You don't want to ingest latex. Or pour it on a wound.
I live in a nordic climate so they get leggy in winter, but I shall try out a supplememtary led light and see if that helps.
Question: do I need to repot my plant? It's still as it came from the store a few days ago.
Thank you!
Hi Jo-
There is no need to repot your aloe, yet (unless you really want to).
I hope you are well. I read your article about aloe vera. This is very informative and helpful for using aloe vera. I appreciate your article. I have also written an article about aloe vera. Please check my article and give me feedback.
Best way to Grow and Care Aloe Vera
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