How to Grow Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is easy to learn how to grow in your own home or garden, and aloe vera is useful for more than one home use or remedy. Learning how to grow aloe vera can be a rewarding and educational pursuit, compared to purchasing plants and vegetables from the store.

Of course, Aloe vera plants are of higher quality and freshness than store bought plants and vegetables, but that’s just one of the reasons to grow your own aloe vera plants. Integrate your aloe vera growing into a family activity, to teach your children how plants grow and how to nurture and harvest life. Consider plant care and gardening as essential to your child’s appreciation of the cycle of life as owning their own pet. Sure, they won’t love aloe vera like they would a cuddly dog, but your kids can take pride in harvesting their own useful household goods.

In discussing how to grow aloe vera, we’ll go over frequently asked questions and general information. We’ll also cover the methods for growth, upkeep and harvesting of the plant.

Let’s begin with everything you need to know about getting your own basic aloe vera plant growth setup started, including the materials needed to do so. Once you’re familiar with these facts and you’ve obtained the requisite supplies, we’ll move on to methods for planting and growing aloe vera.

Once you’ve grown aloe vera plants, you’ll need tips and suggestions for harvesting aloe vera, as well as suggested uses and popular applications for aloe vera plants.

Preparing to Grow Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is a popular plant, thought to have originated in Northern Africa. It thrives in arid climates and produces budded, succulent leaves full of slimy gel. This inner gel, obtained by breaking the leaves, is medicinal in nature and popular in herbal medicine circles.

Why Grow Aloe Vera?

Many companies sell aloe leaf extract in liquid bottle form in drugstores, grocery stores and Wal-Marts across America. Aloe is good for soothing sunburns and other types of topical skin ailments, since the inner product provides a cool feeling to the touch.

While not a suitable substitute for sun block, aloe is effective as a minor medicine and is suggested by medical professionals.

Planting Aloe Vera

To plant aloe vera, you’ll need a few things. First, you need a place to plant your crop. An outdoor garden works well, though if you live in an inhospitable climate or are currently in a season not friendly to gardening, planting inside is also acceptable.

A plant holder or simple pot with room enough for soil works. Other useful tools or ingredients you need for growing aloe vera include the following:

How to Grow Aloe Vera

How to Grow Aloe Vera

How to Grow Aloe Vera

The best climate for aloe vera is a dry and arid one. Aloe vera doesn’t require much watering, even though the fruitful leaves they bare are moist. This makes them a low-maintenance option for those looking to keep a timid house plant. Coupled with aloe’s medicinal benefits, this gives most homeowners a reason to keep aloe vera plants around in some form or another.

Watering Aloe Vera Plants

During the summer months, it’s best to water the aloe plant as soon as you notice that the soil is dry. An average size plant will take about 1 to 2 cups of water. Adjust this amount if your plant is larger or smaller than average.

In the winter, the aloe vera plant requires even less water, so you should let it dry out often, as aloe vera has evolved to maintain itself without water. Developed aloe vera plants are survivors of drought.

Growing Aloe Vera Plants

The planting and growing process is easy. First, establish the bottom of your soil system. You want the base to have 1 to 2 inches of gravel to allow for proper water drainage, a process that’s essential to the growth and prosperity of your plant.

Next, put in about 1 to 2 more inches of soil, followed by the seeds for the aloe plant. Cover the seeds with 2 to 3 more inches of soil, but not much more, since they tend to have shallow root systems. This method should work for both outdoor and indoor planting methods, but it should be noted that control over soil and gravel content/depth is much easier when you can manipulate the amounts of soil and gravel in a container.

Additionally, cacti-mix soil pre-packages tend to work well with aloe vera plants, since cactus and aloe vera tend to have similar properties and habits.

How Long Does It Take Aloe Vera to Grow?

Aloe vera plant grows within 2 to 3 weeks of initial planting, enough that you begin to see the growth. In the early stages of aloe vera plant growth, use your watering can to keep the soil moist, but be sure to be moderate. Over-watering or under-watering an aloe plant can be fatal to, or at least stunt, the progress of the plant.

After you begin to see the plant growing, wait a few more weeks and continue to care for the plant. After these few weeks pass, you should have some nice aloe vera leaves to harvest. Harvesting the aloe vera plant is as simple as using a pair of shears, or even your bare hands, to remove a leaf.

Aloe Vera Tips

Remember, over-pruning leads to plant decline. Aloe vera is a low-maintenance plant, so watering too much or pruning too much is a mistake new aloe vera growers make.

Also, a little aloe per leaf tends to go a long way in practical usage. So once you know how to grow aloe vera, a small amount of aloe should suffice for the entire family.

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