How To Grow Aloe Vera

Want to find out how to grow aloe vera? Then this is for you. We’re going to focus on Aloe Vera barbadensis, which is the most common kind of Aloe, specially because research has shown it to be the most effective for therapeutic purposes.

Watering Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera doesn’t need a lot of water – in fact, it’s one of the most common ways how people “kill” their Aloe: too much water. It can cause the plant to rot. If a plant has already matured, it can survive without water for many weeks – however, it’s better to provide a bit of water regularly for optimum plant health and growth.

Now you might be wondering: “what exactly does he mean by a bit of water regularly?”. That’s a good question to ask, so let’s put it this way. If you’ve chosen the right soil, then the best way to describe how much you should water your aloe is this: give it a bit of water and then don’t water it again until the soil is dry again. When the soil is dry, water it again.

Some people recommend giving an Aloe Vera plant about one cup of water (around 300 ml) per week, but that’s really just a very general rule of thumb. If you live in a kind of humid climate, once every two weeks can often be sufficient. As a general rule of thumb, it’s almost never necessary (or even good) to water your Aloe more than twice a week.

Aloe Vera Soil

Choosing the right soil is an important first step for your Aloe Vera plant. An easy way to go is to just buy some cacti soil. The soil should be sandy (coarse sand) or mixed with granite grid. Pebbles are also good, because the roots of Aloe Vera like an airy environment, which will prevent root rot.

Aloe Vera Pots And Planters

If you grow Aloe Vera in a pot (and that’s why I suggest you do), then make sure that the pot has big holes in the bottom so excess water can drain quickly.

It’s best to choose a wide planter/pot rather than a deep one.

Temperatures

Aloe Vera can deal very well with heat, but not at all with cold climates. It’s leaves are made up of around 95% water – so frost will just kill the plant.

Light

Aloe Vera barbadensis likes light – but direct strong sunlight can be harmful too. It can burn the plant. Because of it’s high water-content, if the plant is exposed to direct sunlight for too long, it can almost “cook” the plant in a way.

Fertilizer

Adding ammonium nitrate every year can be a good idea. Best time to fertilize the soil is during spring season.

Other than that – Aloe Vera barbadensis is a very easy plant to grow. It’s not picky at all if the general conditions are right, and there are hardly any plant diseases that can affect the plant growth or health. The most common problems are really rotten roots or too much direct strong sunlight.