How to grow and care for Aloe Plants

If you are like most people who grow plants, the Aloe Vera is one in your collection. Aloe Plants are a favorite because they are medicinal.

If you burn your finger, simply cut a piece off the leaf and squeeze the inside gel onto the burn. There will be instant relief from burning and the burn will not blister. Aloe have been around for thousands of years.

This plant has been recorded as being used as far back as Biblical times. For cuts, scrapes, burns and general skin problems there seems to be nothing more versatile than the gel from the Aloe Vera plant.

It can be grown outdoors or indoors. The outside climate should be basically a tropical type of climate. Aloe Vera is a warm plant and they like sunshine. They are not hard to grow and the mistake most people make is over watering.

If the leaves of your aloe plants become soft and start limping over or the color becomes much different, you are giving them too much water. Let them dry out completely and they should make a come back.

Aloe Vera like a sandy soil that drains easily.

The ones that grow outdoors will often have yellow or orange flowers shoot up from the middle of the plant.

This plant is often mistaken for a member of the cactus family, probably because of the long leaves and the spiky growths on the side of them. However, it is a lily family member.

If you have a question, suggestion, growing tip or feedback and would like to Share Your Story With Other Gardeners: …you may do so today. Feel free to leave your comment or vote on any post left by other members.

The plant is especially good in dry climates because the leaves hold water and they can go for long periods of time without being watered.

The Aloe Vera will also put out baby aloe plants (pups) around the base. They should be removed when they get to be about four inches tall and planted in their own pot.

The popularity of Aloe is widespread and is grown indoors in areas where it is too cold for it to be out.

Many people find a sunny windowsill for the aloe and keep it for many years. They can be fertilized yearly with a fertilizer that is 10-40-10 and of a bloom type.

If you are planning on growing many aloe plants or not you will still need to repot occasionally.

The Aloe Vera has more of a spreading root than one that grows deep. This is why they should be planted in a pot or planter that is wide rather than deep.

Make sure the pot has a drainage hole or holes in the bottom and use gravel in the bottom of the pot as well.

Winter months are the dormant time for Aloe Vera. They do not need watered very often at all during this season. The typical aloe plants varieties grown as Indoor Plants grow to about 12 to 16 inches tall.

However, the ones grown for harvesting for medicinal purposes can get much larger. They may get 2 to 3 feet tall and have leaves that are 3 inches wide.

Since they normally grow about 25 leaves per plant, only about 10 to 15 leaves are removed for manufacturing.

The Aloe Vera is one of the most popular plants for the medicinal properties it contains. From topical solutions to ingested, this plant has shown miraculous healing properties .