Aloe vera is a hardy succulent native to Africa that’s easy to grow. It thrives in poor soil and requires very little water. The gel that comes from its thick leaves is often used to cool minor burns and sunburns. The aloe has long, thick, spiny leaves that fan out from the center.
When grown outdoors, Aloe vera produces showy yellow or red flowers on stalks that emerge from the center of the plant in late winter or spring. Plants grown indoors will rarely bloom. Aloe vera grown indoors can be moved outside during the summer; plants can be grown outside year-round in zones 8-11.
Understanding Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is a succulent with thick, tapering leaves that are usually arranged in a rosette form. These plants are called century plants because they have been used for medicinal purposes in several cultures: Greece, Egypt, India, Mexico, Japan, and China. The Egyptian Queens Nefertiti and Cleopatra would use it as part of their regular beauty routines.
Aloe vera mainly grows in the dry regions of Africa, Asia, Europe, and America. Now that you know what Aloe vera is let's talk about how you care for these amazing houseplants.
Caring for Aloe Vera
Aloe vera or True Aloe is fairly easy to care for if you just give it the right light and water.
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Watering Your Aloe Vera
Aloe is a succulent, so you need to make sure that you allow the soil to dry completely between waterings before you water again. It's really that simple. These plants store water in their leaves, so you will be able to kinda tell when they need a good watering.
It's also important to have good draining soil or a cactus mix. This will give your plant aeration and allow the soil to dry out quicker. This is important because you don't want your Aloe sitting in wet soil for long periods of time. If you notice that your plant is taking a while to dry out between waterings, switch your soil.
Light and Temperature
Aloe plants need intense, bright light. They can withstand full summer sun once acclimated. In the winter, provide bright light. It prefers warmer temperatures of 70°F to 80°F (21°C to 27°C) but will survive down to 40°F (4.5°C).
Soil and Repotting
Aloe can be grown in any well-drained quality potting media and should be repotted as needed to refresh the media or to give the plant room to grow. The size of your aloe plant will depend on the amount of room you provide for root growth. To keep your aloe plant small, keep it in a smaller pot; to promote growth, move your aloe to a larger pot to give it room to grow.
Aloes are very forgiving plants. These succulents are not particularly fast-growing and will only rarely need repotting. However, in the spring, repot Aloes that tip over their pots or have ceased growing. Use a fast-draining potting mix with one-third sand or pebbles. When repotting a larger plant, it is possible to divide the root ball carefully.
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Fertilizing
Feed with a succulent fertilizer in the summer only. Can be fed all-purpose all year. I would suggest not feeding new plants for the first two years.
Having an Aloe vera plant in your house not only looks beautiful but also serves a purpose. I love a plant that can do both ;)!
Propagating Aloe Vera
Aloe vera have offsets, which can be taken from the base of the plant. These guys basically shoot out babies from their base where you can trim them off and plant them up. Because rooting these babies is kinda hard, you should wait until they have roots and have the rosette pattern.
Hot Tip: Allow them to get a bit root-bound. They like to be in a smaller pot. This will make them shoot out new plant babies like it's their job.
Quick Care Tips for Aloe Vera
- Light: Bright light. Ideally in a sunny East, South, or West window. Can survive in a North facing window.
- Temperature: Average house temperatures in winter. They will suffer below 55° degrees.
- Watering: Like most succulents, it's best to allow the soil to completely dry out...like bone dry before watering again. Water more liberally during active months (Spring and Summer) and less during the winter months!
- Fertilizer: Can be fed all-purpose all year. I would suggest not feeding new plants for the first two years.
Exploring Aloe Africana
Aloe perfoliata var. Aloe africana is native to South Africa (Eastern Cape). Aloe africana is a tree-like succulent with a usually simple stem topped with a dense rosette of dull green to somewhat glaucous leaves and covered with persistent old dried leaf remains. The stem can grow up to 13.1 feet (4 m) tall, sometimes branched near the base or higher.
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The leaves are thick, fleshy, spreading to recurved, shallowly channeled, measuring up to 26 inches (65 cm) in length and 4.8 inches (12 cm) in width. The upper surface of the leaves is with or without a few scattered spines. The flowers are cylindrical, dull red in bud, and yellow-orange at maturity, spreading downwards with the upper half markedly upcurved. They can reach a length of 2.2 inches (5.5 cm) and appear in inflorescences, each with 2 to 4 racemes, from winter to early spring. The inflorescences can grow up to 32 inches (80 cm) tall.
Aloe africana is an elegant and practical succulent, perfect for adding a touch of the exotic to dry, sunny landscapes. Aloe africana, a distinct member of the Aloe genus, is a tall, evergreen succulent plant that offers both aesthetic and ecological benefits. It is known for its tall, slender stem and rosette of long, spiky leaves.
Key Characteristics of Aloe Africana
- Native: This species is native to South Africa, particularly thriving in the Eastern Cape province.
- Plant Type and Habit: As a perennial succulent, African Aloe typically grows with a single main stem and forms a rosette of leaves at the top. While it is usually unbranched, it may sometimes be multi-stemmed.
- Flowers: Aloe africana produces tall spikes of striking yellow to orange tubular flowers arranged in a branched inflorescence. Deep orange in bud, they ripen to orange then turn more yellow. The flowers add a vibrant splash of color to the landscape.
- Foliage: The thick, blue-green leaves are long (about 2 feet / 60 cm), tapered, and adorned with sharp red spines along the edges, giving the plant a dramatic and spiky appearance. Extending outward before gracefully curving down towards their tapered ends, the leaves display a vibrant green hue in shadier spots, while in dry conditions, they adopt a purplish or pinkish tint.
- Uses: Aloe africana is ideal for xeriscaping, rock gardens, and as a focal point in dry garden landscapes.
- Hardiness: It’s hardy in USDA zones 9-11 and is well-suited to warm, dry climates.
- Toxicity: Like many aloes, Aloe africana can be toxic if ingested, particularly for pets.
- Benefits: Apart from its ornamental value, Aloe africana is low maintenance and attracts beneficial wildlife.
Caring for Aloe Africana
- Light: Prefer bright, indirect sunlight; can tolerate direct sunlight.
- Soil: Require well-draining, sandy or gravelly soil.
- Water: Water deeply but infrequently, allowing the soil to dry out completely between waterings.
- Fertilizer: Feed with a diluted, balanced fertilizer once in the spring and again in the summer.
- Pruning: Remove dead or damaged leaves at the base to keep the plant healthy.
- Propagation: Easily propagated by removing offsets (pups) that grow around the base of the plant.
- Pests and Diseases: Watch for pests like mealybugs or scale insects.
While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.
Discovering Aloe Barberae (Aloidendron Barberae)
On a recent trip to Santa Barbara, I was surprised to learn how easy it is to grow Aloe barbarae, perhaps the best-known tree aloe. If you have room in your garden and your climate is mild with a maritime influence, consider adding a tree aloe or two. Aloe barberae (aka Aloe bainesii, Aloidendron barberae), Africa's largest aloe, is sculptural, intriguing and dramatic.
At Aloes in Wonderland I descended into a forest of mature Aloe barbarae. It was a surreal experience: South Africa in Southern CA.
Jeff explained that when a wildfire destroyed his previous home in 2008, it also damaged a large Aloe barberae. When he removed the tree to make way for new construction, he salvaged its intact limbs. "I dug holes and stuck them in the ground," he recalls. Jeff admits it was an experiment. He had no idea what would happen. "The rains came, and the cuttings rooted and started to grow," he says.
Tips for Growing Aloe Barberae:
- Give lots of room. Trunks and bases get massive over time, so don't plant close to buildings, pipes or pools.
- Plant in fast-draining, loamy, sandy soil. The ideal pH is neutral or slightly acidic.
- Don't irrigate during cold, wet months.
- In summer, apply a cactus-and-succulent fertilizer high in nitrogen, ideally with trace elements and micronutrients.
- Although some people prefer to let cuttings or truncheons dry several weeks, then root them in coarse sand (such as decomposed granite), Jeff plants them immediately.
Jeff's home nursery is a landscaped, 4.5-acre botanic garden in which every plant is for sale. Yes, earth-moving equipment is sometimes needed. In addition to aloes, Jeff specializes in cacti, euphorbias, agaves and other large succulents; bromeliads (notably dyckias and hechtias), and cycads (which resemble stiff-leaved, upright palms).
