HOUSE PLANT WEEK - Meet Aloe
- louise coome
- Jan 11, 2021
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 12, 2021
Houseplants have been a growing thing recently. Get it. They are simple to look after and depending on which one you decide to care for depends on what other multiuse it has. Over the course of the week (11.01-17.01) I am going to research 7 different houseplants and check out some of the health benefits these house companions can offer and bring them all to you.
Aloe vera
Aloe vera is from the succulent family. It grows with hard sword like leaves and offers a soothing gel as a reward for tackling its temperamental care routine (Do not let that put you off, they are super easy to care for). They originate from Arabian Peninsula but grows in tropical, semi-tropical and Arid climates. There are three different variants of the plant.
1. Tiger or Partridge breast Aloe characterized by short, smooth leaves with uneven white stripes.
2. Lace aloe characterised by white spots and finely saw-toothed leaves.
3. Blue Aloe which is a larger species with silver-blue leaves.
Before taking on the care of an Aloe here is a quick what you need for it to thrive.
· Plenty of light, indirect is the best. It does enjoy the sun, but too much direct sunlight can dry it out and turn the leaves yellow. A kitchen windowsill is ideal, although I keep mine in the bathroom meaning I water it less that I should (as it absorbs the steam from the shower and gets loads of indirect sunlight).
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You will need a well-draining pot mix consisting of Perlite, Lava rock or chunks of bark (or all 3). Most garden center's will sell a ‘cactus and succulent potting mix’ which is perfect. A layer of stones or gravel will not be necessary with this mix and will only prevent the roots from grounding.
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You will also need a pot with good draining, this will help prevent root rot. You could use any pot but ideally, you will want something that is heavy to stop it tipping over with its heavy leaves (I made this mistake, lucky I managed to save good ol’ Aloe), to prevent this it would also be a good idea to have a pot as tall as wide. Prep this by ensuring the pot is clean and popping some folded tissue over the whole to stop your potting mix falling out.
Planting or repotting
1. Take your clean pot and fill it 1/3 of the way with soil (do not water)
2. Remove your Aloe from its pot and carefully dust off the roots & remove any babies.
BABIES: Aloe is a rejuvenating plant and will sprout what some people call babies, pups or more formally plantlets. If you locate and remove these with shears, Sharpe knife or scissors leaving as much of the stem as possible then. Leave them in warm indirect sunlight and allow a callous to form where the roots come from, this make take a few days. Then carry on with the process of planting 😊 If your stem is too long, it can be trimmed. Its is important to note that it could kill the plant. Once trimmed repeat the same process as you would with babies.
3. Place your plant into the pot and fill with the remaining soil leaving around ¾ at the top. (Do not water) the leaves should sit nicely on top of the soil.
4. Do not water your aloe for roughly a week. Keep them in bright, indirect or artificial light and allow them to root. TIP: if kept in low light it grows leggy.
So now you know how to get it in that pot, what makes it temperamental?
Watering
This is when you will experience the most problems.
Although Aloe needs plenty of water to survive you can also kill it with the same source. Aloe if too wet will suffer from root rot therefore, it needs watering sparingly. In the spring/ summer roughly every 2 weeks is plenty and, in the autumn/winter months every 4 weeks would be sufficient. Although, every plant is different depending on where you put yours (E.g., the fact I keep mine in the bathroom means even less watering).
TIP: To test if your Aloe needs watering the soil should be dry roughly 1/3 of the way down (you can test with your finger). You will get excess water flow to the bottom, let your Aloe sit in the water for roughly 10-15minutes and then remove any excess.
Light, Temperature and outdoors?
Aloe thrives in bright, indirect or artificial light. It sits comfortable with a temperature from 13-27 degrees. Therefore, it can be kept outside during May to September. However, do so gradually. A drastic change in temperatures can shock the aloe and cause it to become stubborn when growing. you will have to bring the Aloe in if it rains or if the evening/nights get cold.
Using fertilizers?
It is not necessary with the Aloe however, if you do decide to use boosters and fertilizers then you could always use a ‘rooting powder’. When fertilizing your aloe, dilute the boosters at ½ the strength recommended and only spray your Aloe once or twice a month (most affective during spring and summer).
DID YOU KNOW… Aloe’s Flower
Yep, I did not know until a few days ago. It produces a tall flower nicknamed ‘Safari sunrise’ due to its bright orange and yellow flowers symbolling… that’s right, a sunrise. Its original name is inflorescence.
It is difficult to get an Aloe vera to naturally flower when being kept indoors. This is due to not having enough light, sufficient water and the right temperature but looking on The Old Farmer’s Almanac https://www.almanac.com/plant/aloe-vera they have a give it your best shot guide this is what they suggest.
Lots of light, they recommend getting it outdoors during the summer time with temps above 21 degrees but, if it drops below 16 degrees ensure bring it back in doors, (remember to bring it in and out gradually).
Ensure you are giving it just enough water (remember the finger test).
Give it a rest period!! Aloes bloom late winter/early spring so leading up to this period ensure you water less frequently. However, remember Aloes are temperamental and stubborn so do not get disheartened if they do not sprout.
Harvesting and medical properties
Aloe has been used medically for 6,000 years in ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece, Persia, India and throughout Asia and Africa and can help with.
· Pain
· Healing and burns
· Abrasions
· Bruises
· Boils
· Canker sores
· Mouth sore
· Minor frostbite
· Herpes (both cold sores and shingles)
· Haemorrhoids
· Psoriasis
· Acne
· Dandruff
IMPORTANT: this is for tropical use only. Do not eat and do not feed to animals or other people, it can give you a seriously unsettled stomach, toxic waste from both ends and in if taken in large quantity can become toxic to a human’s existence. It is also still possible to have an allergic reaction therefore patch test prior use.
To harvest: cut mature sword like leaves off, cut length ways and squeeze gel out. That easy.
You can store this in an airtight container and save for later use or you could apply directly to the body, hair and cut/burn.
So that’s good old Aloe! A multipurpose, low maintenance house plant everyone can enjoy! I would love to see your Aloes tag me on Instagram @loopyloushomemade and drop me some comments with your hints and tips. Spread love, not the virus and keep safe <3
The first Aloe you'll see in the gallery is my little beast and as you can see he has been harvested a fair bit. When I first got him, he was so small and consisted of only 3 leaves, I love growing them super wild but my housemates said it looks messy and untidy so I keep him short now but make sure I keep all of his jelly for those just in case moments (which happens a lot when I'm cooking). The other images are ones I found on google just to show you what pups would look like, the different variants and the beautiful flowers it blossoms when it climate is just right. :)
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