Winter Lighting

With the days now growing shorter and shorter, it may be a good time to buy a plant light to help plant growth. Last winter I did not have a light and my plants did just fine, but this year I bought a plant light bulb at Target for about 4 dollars and it seems to be helping. I just put the bulb in a regular lamp and set it next to the aloes. The plants do go into a semi-dormant phase in winter but extra light wont hurt. I have heard about 14 hours of artificial light a day is a good time, but with the plant next to a window, which I recommend because a light bulb can't replace true sun, you can just have it on when it is dark.

The Aloe World

Help and Information of Growing Aloe Vera Plants

Brown or dead leaves

If the tip of a leave, or a whole leaf becomes thin and brown, it is wasting the plants food and energy. The only thing to do is cut off the dead area so that the plant has energy to grow the living parts, not try and repair the brown parts.

Black Spots

With my own plants, and others, there sometimes are black spots that appear on the leaves. These spots are a sign that you are over watering, there is no way to remove them, but you can prevent them. Just pull back a little on the watering and you should not get them in the future. These spots are when there is to much water in the roots, which causes the plant to get to much water it burst the tissue in the leave.

Be careful of temps

I was at my friends house today, his mother also grows aloe plants. She has had one of hers outside for a few weeks now, the cold got to it and today it was all brown and soft. Just be careful of the temps, aloe plants should not be outside under 40 degrees. I also do not put all of my plants outside, I like to keep one or two inside just in case something happends, they should be just fine outside though.

Time to place plants outside

I put one of my Aloe plants outside last night to see if it was warm enough for it to live. Over night it dropped down to 37 degrees and the plant did just fine. I live in Minnesota so I'm sure almost anyone can put them outside now. When putting them outside I recommend a covered location so that it does not get watered to much by rain. It like full to partly sheltered lit, so I place it under an overhang.

Re-potting

Re-potting is very simple, all you need is a pot, cactus or other well draining soil, marbles or rocks and water. First, put the marbles on the bottom of the pot, then add your soil. Then, dig a little hole in the soil to place the roots, you may want to then add some more soil around the plant to give it support. Some people like to put gravel on top of the soil to prevent evaporation, I find that this makes it harder to tell the dampness of the soil. Finally, give the plant a good soaking, you will want to wait about three weeks after this to water again, so that the roots will grow out, looking for water.

Where to find an aloe plant

Aloe Vera plants have become very popular due to the amount of use in beauty produces. They are now available at almost any garden store. You can also buy the aloe seeds, but those are harder to come by. Your best bet for seeds are over the internet or mail order. The best way is to ask around, to see if anyone you know has one, most likely they have many extra plants they would be willing to give you.

How to use

The part of the Aloe Vera plant that is of medical use is the juice/gel that is inside the leaves. It is very easy to get to, just cut off as much of the leaf as you need, then cut the leaf open and apply where needed. The leafs do not grow back, but don't worry, as the plant keeps growing it makes new leaves. The leaf will heal itself and continue to hold juice for the plant or further use by you. A small part of a leaf will supply a lot of juice, so use it sparingly, because it may take some time to grow new leaves.

Uses for aloe

Aloe has many medical uses, and has been used for thousands of years. It can help heal cuts, burns and rashes. I use it very often to heal my dry hands, it works better then any lotion I have tried. Some people even add it to drinks or smoothes to help a stomach ack. You can also put it on your lips if they are capped.

Offshoots

It is recomended to let the offshoots grow until they are about three or more inches long, I've found that they can live if they are as little as and inch long. I do not recomend this but my friends were very excited to get there own plant.

The Basics

Aloe Vera are one of the easiest plants to grow. There is almost no room for error, execpt for over-watering. In the winter months they become almost dormant, so only water when the soil becomes completely dry. In the summer, they can be watered a little more, but not too much. I water in the summer when the top inch or two of soil is completely dry. The soil must be well draining, so I use a cactus soil, and place marbles on the bottom for even better draining. They grow well outdoors in the soil or pots, but only above 40 degrees F, or they will freeze and die. When it drops below 40 degrees, bring it inside and place infront of a well lite window. Every spring they produce offshoots, which are separate plants, growing from the roots. When these shoots become three or more inches tall, you can cut them off and repot them. You can leave them attached, but sometimes they will suffocate the mother plant and kill her.

My Information

Hi, I'm Eric and live in Minnesota. I have started this web site because I have had trouble finding information on Aloe Vera in the past. I welcome any questions or comments about my site. I am not an expert, but I have successfully grown them for sometime, along with my grandfather who has for more than 30 years. I got my first Aloe from my grandfather, who got them in Texas growing wild.