Aloe Vera plant is an easy to care succulent plant. Aloe has been known to have excellent medicinal qualities and makes a great addition to your garden. If you live in the colder climate, Aloe Vera Plants are excellent houseplants. The Aloe foliage is zen-like and contemporary, making it a great addition in your office or house. Here are tips and advice on how to take care of Aloe Vera Plants.
About Aloe Vera Plants
Most Aloe Vera Plants are from South Africa. Aloe Vera stemless or short stemmed succulent plants. The leaves are thick, lanceolate and serrated. Aloe Vera blooms are 1 inch tubular yellow on a 90 cm tall spike. Some species bloom every month between midwinter through summer. Aloe Vera plant foliage can be green or gray green
Classifications of Aloe Vera
A. arborescens / tree aloe: May reach 18 feet when old. Gray-green, spiny edge leaves. Blooms early to mid winter with spiky, bright vermilion to clear yellow flowers.
Barbadensis / A. vera / medicinal aloe: Narrow, fleshy, stiffy, upright, spiky, 1-2 feet long foliage, yellow flowers atop 3 foot stalk. Aloe vera makes good plants for boarder line areas.
Saponaria broad: Thick, 8 inch long foliage with white spot. Orange-red to shrimp-pink blooms on 1.5 to 2.5 feet stem.
A. variegata / partridge-breast aloe / tiger aloe
Aloe Vera Facts
How Big are Aloe Vera Plants?
Aloe Vera Plants varies in size depending on the type of Aloe Vera plant. Small Aloe Vera plants are small potted plants as small as 5 inches tall. While the Aloe Vera tree varieties can reach 18 feet tall.
What Kind of Light is Best for Aloe Vera Plants?
The best light for growing Aloe Vera plant is filtered sunlight. During the hot summer, your Aloe Vera plant is happiest with light shade.
When is the Best Time to Plant Aloe Vera Plants?
There is no optimal time to plant Aloe Vera plants. You can plant Aloe Vera anytime.
Colors of Aloe Vera Plants
Aloe Vera plants come in a variety of colors- green, orange, yellow, cream or red.
What’s the Best Soil for Aloe Vera Plants?
The best soil for Aloe Vera plants are well-drained soil. It can’t grow in the cold so it has to be planted in a frost free area.
How Deep to Plant Aloe Vera Plants?
You don’t have to plant Aloe Vera plants very deep. Ideal depth for Aloe Vera Plants is to have just enough soil to cover the roots.
Hardiness for Aloe Vera Plants
Aloe Vera is best in Zones 8-11. For colder climate, you can plant Aloe Vera indoors.
How to Take Care of Aloe Vera Plants
Aloe Vera plants are showy and easy to grow. Aloe Vera plants grows best in warm and dry climates. It doesn’t need a lot of water to thrive. It is best planted in well-drained soil. Depending on where you live and how cold it gets, Aloe Vera plants can be grown in the garden, as a houseplant indoors or as a container plant outdoors where it is frost free. Most kinds of aloe makes excellent container plants, where winters are too cold, grow them in pots and shelter them from frost. When planted indoors as a houseplant, Aloe Vera can be grown beside the window or in very bright, indirect light. Make sure to water your Aloe thoroughly when dry.
Medicinal Uses of Aloe Vera
Traditionally, for centuries, aloe vera was used to treat external cuts, bites, burns, eczema and various other skin conditions. Aloe Vera is also used as a pain reliever, anti-inflammatory ointment and in cosmetic skin care beauty products. Aloe Vera leaves sap or gel that is obtained from the inner core of the spiky aloe vera leaves contain over 70 known ingredients. Scientist are now turning to traditional natural plant and herbal remedies for health care, skin care and other therapeutic use, for this reason, aloe vera has been attracting a lot of interest among scientists in the medical fields.
How to Propagate Aloe Vera Plants
Division of clump can easily propagate aloe, dig up the over crowded clump from either the garden or pot, carefully separating each aloe from the clump and immediately replanting it in pots or in garden. This replanted aloe will in no time produce several new growth which can soon over crowd the pot.