Aloe Vera plants are not only attractive houseplants but also have a long history of possessing wonderful healing properties. People use Aloe Vera to help soothe minor burns, cuts, scrapes and abrasions. Aloe Vera’s healing sap is added to creams, lotions and first-aid salves. People take aloe orally in the hopes of helping to treat many diseases including diabetes, asthma and arthritis. You don’t need to buy Aloe Vera to enjoy the soothing benefits; you can easily grow your own.
What is an Aloe Vera Plant?
Aloe Vera plants are semi-tropical succulent perennials that are often mistaken for cacti, but are actually members of the lily family. The plant originated in Northern Africa. Today, the Aloe plant can be found growing in the most southern states such as Texas and Arizona. The Aloe plant is also known by the common names of “burn plant” and “Lilly of the desert,” among others.
Aloe plants have the physical characteristics of very thick, tapered, spiny or serrated leaves. It can be found in many sizes, including miniature varieties (one inch!) and larger ones where the individual leaves extend up to 4 feet. When used topically, it is the inside of the aloe leaves, or the sap, that is used in ointment and salves.
Growing Conditions for Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera plants are semi-tropical plants and can only be planted outside in areas of the country where there is no threat of frost, or in USDA zones 10-11. If you live in an area in this zone, place your Aloe Vera plant in full sun or light shade. It will need to be placed in soil that drains well. If you live in a cooler area, you can still place your Aloe Vera plant outside during the warm summer months. It will need full sun and semi-frequent watering. You can let the soil dry out completely between watering.
Buying Aloe from a Garden Center
Because they are so popular, you can find aloe Vera plants at many garden centers, nurseries, big lot centers and even grocery stores. There are some things to keep in mind when choosing a plant from an indoor garden center. Always buy plants that look healthy and avoid the following:
- Do not buy plants that have brown, yellow or spotty leaves.
- Check the bottom of the plant and pot carefully; if roots are growing out of the bottom, it is a sign that the plant has been in the pot too long and is root- bound. It is best to choose another plant.
- Check the plant leaves and soil carefully for pest and insect damage. Do not buy plants that have obvious insect damage.
- Avoid buying plants that are dropping leaves.
Caring for Aloe Plants
Aloe Vera plants are easy to care for: they need lots of sun, warmth and a minimal amount of watering.
- Place your plant in a sunny, consistently warm location away from drafts.
- Do not over-water your plant. Give it a good watering every couple of weeks. Let the soil dry out completely before watering again. Overwatering is probably the number one reason people are not successful growing Aloe Vera plants. Using soil that drains quickly (sandy, gritty soil) will help ensure your plant does not sit in overly moist conditions.
- Look closely at stems and leaves for any signs of insects or disease.
- Finally, look at the pot and soil. If roots are growing through the drainage holes or are seen at the soil surface, the plant has probably outgrown its pot. If you choose this plant, special care will be needed when transplanting into a larger pot.
Other considerations for Aloe Plants
- Aloe Vera plants can be toxic if ingested by small animals. If you have a cat or dog be cautious and aware of plant placement.
- When you bring your plant home from the garden center keep it away from other houseplants for a couple of weeks until you are sure it does not have any diseases or pest infestations.
- Fertilize your plant on a yearly basis, in the spring, with a 10-40-10 fertilizer.
Using Aloe
One of the benefits of growing Aloe Vera plants is that you have immediate access to its wonderful soothing benefits. If you receive a mild burn or abrasion simply break off a plump outer leaf from the plant, cut it lengthwise and scoop out the contents inside. You can crush the contents of the leaf and apply this “paste” to your burn or abrasion for relief.
Learn how to make your own aloe vera gel with this useful video.
Hi, I’m April.
I need to know what it means when you have had an aloe vera plant for a long time, and it’s leaves are curling up, turning orangeish, and are falling off. Also, what does it mean when the aloe vera plant grows a long stalk with somthing that looks like miniature bananas?Is it flowering? I have to know, I mean I’ve had these aloe veras for about 10 years now, on April 7 2010 it’ll have been 10 years. I’m pretty worried, please reply.
Thanks,
April *R*
i am not completely sure. but i have read that is rotten away. but why dont you try googling it, you might be able to find out
old aloe that is distressed needs first a good flushing. then repot, cutting away some of the end of the big root. feeding and watering and sun but not too much will help it recover.
i kind of farm aloe and they are resilient, but i do not use the wands from distressed ones they do seem toxic. i use healthy ones after a good watering. my dogs love them like candy.
please don’t let your dogs eat aloe, it can be poisonous to them. call your vet to verify.
I thought dogs and cats can get sick from aloe? Elaine Freimuth
Normally when the leaves curl up like that it is because it is not getting enough water. The stalk you are talking about is indeed the plant flowering.
Mine got too much rain–plus too much sun & looks “not so good” what to do??
I ‘m not sure if it’s dieing and flowering at the same time your gonna have to do some research.
hey my aloe vera plant is dieing, and i think its because of a inscet, their is lil wholes in the plant n the plant is really lumpy now n i am wondering how the get rid of the pest or even what type of pest is it?
thanx for ur time
i got told not to buy them if they have insects and that so id throw it. or google it
I got this aloe from a lady on my block the leaves seen to be thining out and curling up I just wonder what that is or why it seems to be happenening if you can answer that I would be appreciate it thanks DEAN BILLINGS
what do you do if there are baby plants in the same pot. do you cut them and put in new pot or just let the grow
Hi’ Unless the baby’s are crowding the mother plant, i leave them. I have mine indoor’s and I think it look’s nice with the pot full, but when the babies get large, I do cut them off and trans plant them, I put them right into the new dirt, they seem to grow root’s rapidly. I keep a close eye on them for a few week’s I hope this help’s you. good gardening M
I would let them get two or three inches tall and then remove them. Just brush away the soil until you can see where the roots attach…then just twist or cut the pup plant away from the mother plant and repot. Should grow great in some fresh soil!!
Curling leaves may be too much water or too cold temperatures….
I’ve had mine for over 10 years now, it does this in the winter if it’s near a window (drafty)
As for the baby offshoots, you can split the plant when re-potting, but it’s difficult to maintain the baby plants… you can keep everything together and put it in a bigger pot…
After 10years+ my alovera started to flowering from beginning to end,about 20days,now it’s almost done because all the flowers below drops off after blooming-beautiful yellowish & pink collours the top still have blubs waiting to be flower.after all is done what will happen to the long stem,when the flowers drop it leaves behind a tiny stalk attach to the stem.what will happen next?can anyone tell me
how much water can an Aloe Vera have per week
ive been having trouble w/the aloe roots falling off.ive done nothing different.recently,i transplanted to a gravel base w/ potting soil on top.-no help
help..joel
Hello,
Ive bought an aloe plant just today because I want access to the gel inside the leaves. I’ve been told that if you rub this gel onto your scalp you get healthy thick hair growth and hair fill diminishes (I hope so anyway!). What I want to know is – if I cut off the tip of a leaf and squeeze out the gel, will the leaf [a] die or [b] regrow its tip or [c] just stay as is but not die? I dont want to pull the entire leaf off, just a little bit at a time to scoop out just enough gel for my scalp (e.g. 3x a week). Does anyone know the answer to this?
The leaf it self if left on the plant still will grow. But any part that is cut off will not grow back.
i have had a n oloa plant for some 15 yrs very big in the bathroom not a lot of light and only wtered every 3 mths. this summer it leaves got saggy looking and the roots just disolved in the soil. would something have eaten the roots off as it just fell over on its side it has never bloomed and always been in bathroom on top of a cupboard has some light I tried to tramsplant it it new soil but nothing just finally died and leaves fell off and turned a brownish green
Hi
I have an Aloe Vera plant and i also had it in the bathroom for awhile and it wasn’t doing so well so i put it somewhere that had more sunlight and i watered it once a week and its doing quite well so if you have an Aloe Vera plant water once a week and sunlight. The more that you get to see your plant grow the more you love it. Have a happy hoiladay
I have heard of using Aloe Vera for Arthritis, how do you prepare it and use it?
I haven’t seen any reputable information about that subject.
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/supplement-guide-aloe-vera
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20679979 (no details)
Question for anyone with aloe plants and live in the mid Atlantic states (NJ). Every late spring/early summer when the temperatures start warming up in my area, I try to bring my aloe plant outside, but it seems to “wilt”. The leaves feel softer and develop a tan appearance, and I did not water them/over water them. Then I bring them back inside and put them on the windowsill where they were located and the plant seems to heal itself. Does anyone know what is going on? Some people have said they may be burning in the sunlight, and I don’t want it to die, any suggestions on getting it to acclimate to outdoor conditions.
good luck on that one mine died and never healed and it was over 10 yrs old big one
It is getting sunburned. I have never been able to have mine in direct sunlight. They turn brown and will eventually die. Indirect sun is the way to go.
I’ve been growing Aloe Vera for 30 years, outside in Canary Isles and as indoor plant in UK. They occur in the wild, in shady places where they grow tall and strong with enormous broad grey-green leaves and they also grow in the wild in the open (with no shade at all) in full sun when the plants stay small and pink-leaved. I’ve noticed that when indoors they become tender and when taken out to full sun, they do burn. They need to be taken out gradually. I’ve also noticed that when indoors in UK, unless they get lots of sunlight and warmth, the leaves tend to splay out and sometimes become lumpy. I think this may be to do with lack of daylight hours also.. Hope this is helpful xx
This past spring we vacationed in Arizona, friends/family dug up large aloe plants for us to take back to Michigan. Had in bucket for approx. 3 weeks and then repotted in clay pot with dirt. I have them outside to acclimate to climate changes. Plant got sick? plant turned brown/gray then began to heal itself??!!? not all has recovered and some brown/black sp0ting (dead?). what should be done for my plant??? we do not want to loose this gift…
My aloe vera plant is turning brown And I tried to cut the brown part off and the parts that I cut off has a foul smelling odor. I’ve been putting coffee grounds in my planned one of our water it so I’m not sure if I’m over watering it or the coffee grounds are killing it or what’s going on or the plant has root rot it just started doing this. I had it in my window and it was directly in the sunlight And there were a few times where I left the window open and got chilly so I don’t know if that’s affected it or what’s going on but I cut all the brown part off that I could
One question I heard people saying that Aloe Vera is a medecine good to drink it’s a cure is that correct or wrong?
I cured stomach ulcers with aloe liquid bought at a health food store! Must be kept in refrig. It tasted awful but it worked!
I love Aloe! My husband, 5 year old son & I drink the stabilised Aloe drinking gel everyday.. a great elixir. Would highly recommend it
Aloe Vera grows best in full sun or LIGHT shade. It doesn’t like being overwatered (the leaves will grow long and slender with a very pale yellow green color). I’ve never seen Aloe Vera succumb to sunburn if it is watered properly. It can handle drought pretty well, but don’t let the soil dry out for a long time. It prefers warmer climates so northeastern US may not be best. It also prefers drier climates, high humidity will cause more wilting.
To use Aloe Vera for burns or in a drink, you want to use the GEL, not the sap. The sap is yellowish and does have a very strong and disgusting smell. Note also that contact with the sap can irritate your skin, or if ingested, can make you sick. Use gloves when cutting Aloe and wash your hands WITH SOAP if you end up touching any of the sap.
When cutting Aloe leaves, use a clean, sharp knife or pruning shears, and cut the whole leaf off the plant. Don’t cut just a piece of a leaf because although the leaf will seal itself back up, the leaf will most likely not last much longer anyway. Always cut leaves from the BASE of the plant, never new growth. They’re bigger at the bottom, easier to separate the skin and sap from the gel, and it will not stunt the growth from the top.
When harvesting the Aloe GEL (not sap!!!!), slice the leaves down the sides first to get rid of the sharp, pointed edges. The cross-section of the leaf should now look like a layered cake with the skin on top, then sap, then the translucent/transparent gel, then sap, then the skin again on the bottom. Slice the top layer of skin off, then the bottom, taking as much of that disgusting smelling yellow sap with it as you can. Any remaining sap or skin should be cut from the gel as well. Rise the sap off the gel thouroughly (do NOT use soap) and pat dry with a paper towel. It may be wise to cut the leaf in half to make it shorter and easier to handle with a knife as well.
Only use a small amount of this gel (crushed, minced, cubed, etc) if you are going to ingest it. Too much can upset your stomach and make you sick. Try mixing it with water, coconut water, or in a smoothie instead of eating it straight. To use on a burn, it can be applied directly as long as there is no sap in the mix. Do not use Aloe on anything more than a first degree burn (simple sunburn or if you accidentally touched a hot pan or something). If you have boils on your skin, you need to go to a hospital. Lol.
The tall stalks on the Aloe Vera plant that have little yellow or light pinkish pods that look like little bananas are indeed the flowers. They don’t provide much to the plant but are aesthetic nonetheless. Leave them on the plant until all the flowers have bloomed (they start at the bottom of the stalk and bloom one by one to the top) and have fallen off or dried out. You can then cut this stalk off as it serves no purpose anymore. There is no gel in this part of the plant.
Aloe Vera is a succulent plant and will most likely sprout suckers or “pups” from the base of the mother (main) plant. You can leave them but note that they will compete for water and sun. I choose to pull them. Pull back some of the dirt until you can see the roots, grab the entire pup (not just a leaf) and pull firmly. Recover the area with dirt. If you pull a pup from the mother successfully, with roots of its own that is, you can plant these and they will become another self-sustaining plant. Pups can sprout from the mother from the first year, all the way to a plant’s death and may even overtake the mother if it is old enough that it can’t compete anymore.
Try not to plant an Aloe Vera in an area that receives high winds, has loose soils, freezing temperatures, is prone to flooding, or is heavily overshadowed. They like bright light and warm temperatures. You can grow them indoors so long as you can provide that. Again, do not overwater. Their roots are small (being a succulent and all) but they’re built to tolerate a desert-like environment. If the leaves begin to brown, curl, or fall off, it’s an obvious sign of stress and it needs attending. Brown leaves probably mean it isn’t getting enough water and too much sunlight, or too much water and not enough sunlight. If they begin to curl, it’s probably just too low of a temperature. Warm it up and give it more sun. If the leaves are falling off, it has been watered too much. If there is a smell when you pull off dying leaves, the plant probably has root rot. An easy (and free) remedy I’ve found is drying out the soil. Pull back some soil to expose as much of the base of the plant as possible without showing the roots. Do not mulch the plant. This will keep moisture in the soil, you want to dry it out. Leave it exposed for a few days. Make sure all affected leaves are removed and only healthy leaves remain. Do not water the plant and cover it from rain if possible. Once the plant has sealed its cuts from the leaves and the trunk has dried out, replace the soil. If it happens again, the soil mixture is probably not correct (add sand) or it is not receiving enough sun to evaporate excess water. See if there is a leak in irrigation (if you have that) and seal it. Proper drainage is imperative. The plant will naturally shed leaves but only from the base and they will dry out naturally. They will turn brown and crispy. These should be pulled right off when there is no moisture left in the leaf to avoid creating a habitat for pests or standing water in the leaf crevasses. If the leaves in the crown of the plant are dying, your plant will not likely recover and it’s probably best to start over.
I hope this info helps. Aloe Vera is not difficult to grow and the problems some of you are experiencing don’t seem like life or death situations for the plant. It can grow rapidly at first, then seem to stall a few years in, but it’s normal. Aloe plants rarely get more than 3 or 4 feet tall and wide and rarely live more than 10-12 years without care. Aloe plants make wonderful landscape additions and their health benefits are some of the best out there. Good luck growing!
Would appreciate knowing more about how Aloe Vera can be used for arthritis pain.
Thanks ever so much !
Claudette
A friend gave me a healthy aloe plant and I left it in the trunk of my car for a few days before bringing it inside. Some of the leaves have turned brown and the brown is slowly going down the leaf towards the base of the leaf. I don’t want to cut them off but I think I’ going to have to. Will the rest of the plant be okay or will I lose the whole thing? Did those leaves get overheated? The trunk of the car was very hot for those few days that I forgot the plant was in there. Thanks.
My alo is dying dont know why. I have never seen this happen to alos before. I have had alot of them in the past so im lost. Its all drupe over and the ends look good but from the root to about 3/4 down it looks almost transparent and watery. Not sure how to discrib it. Please if anyone knows help befor i lose it.
Thanks in advance for any help.