When I first began growing aloe, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It's a wonderful plant that looks great and has some medicinal properties, but it also reproduces like bunnies. A family member had an aloe plant that had "babies" and had given me one. That is, aloe has this notorious habit of sprouting new aloe plants from its roots. You can break the "baby" off once it has enough root of its own and it will grow by itself into a new baby-producing plant. I'm not kidding here - we started with one aloe plant, and at last count I had 126. I give them away as gifts to anyone who will take them. We recently had a very happy plumber and electrician leave with more than payment for their work, they each had their pick of aloe plants. We just had to be sure to warn them not to plant them in the ground unless they didn't mind the aloe taking over.
It's simple to grow, and you can use the gel to make homeopathic products. I've known people who not only use it for personal reasons, but also make soaps and lotions to sell online.
I buy those cheap terra cotta pots at the local craft store and plant into them. I make sure to put a few rocks in the bottom for drainage, and the plants don't need to be watered too often - they don't like "wet feet." They also want plenty of sun. Of the ones I have, the most green plants have a half day of full sun and a half day of just bright light (they're under a patio cover.) They will also do well in all-day sun, but you will need to determine if they need to be watered a little more often. It's better to let the soil dry out just a little bit - not bone dry. I also recommend giving your plant rainwater when possible instead of tap water. For some reason (probably the chemicals added to tap) the aloe just looks healthier when it's had pure rain water. I often will throw a plastic bin outside to catch the rain when I know there's a storm headed this way, since my aloe is in pots under a covered area and wouldn't have the chance of being rained on.
Aloe is great, especially if you have kids, because it helps soothe burns, but it can also be used in many other things. (I'll be adding some aloe recipes at some point.) Aloe does well outdoors if you live in a warm climate. If it freezes, it tends to turn to mush so if you live in a colder area or about to freeze, you'll want to take it inside or at least cover it with a blanket. It will not survive outdoors if it is left in a snowy area. My family members who live up north keep their aloe plants indoors near a sunny window.
Every so often aloe plants will bloom. They make a tapered cluster of small pink flowers that sit atop a very long stem. This stem will break if the pot is moved too much, just be aware of that.
It is possible that your aloe plants might eventually have brown spots on their leaves. This is caused by a fungus and has everything to do with the soil being too moist. You can purchase a fungicide, and if you do so, speak to someone at your local garden center to help you determine exactly what you need. You can also create a home remedy for your aloe with a some fresh garlic and water. I have done this with surprising results so far, but it takes a while to see the results and you have to do this more than once.
Garlic Water recipe:
Depending on how many plants you need to treat will depend on how much of this you need to make. I used a large stew pot and a single head of garlic.
- Break all the garlic toes apart and removed their outer wrapping.
- Chop them a little bit just to break them up a little more, but you can also just smash them and add them to the water.
- Bring the water to a boil, turn off the heat and let the water sit for a day or so.
It takes a while for all that water to cool down. Once it's cool enough, you'll water your aloe plants with it. It will make your pots smell like garlic for a little while, but if you're like me, that isn't a problem! (I like the smell of garlic.) Garlic has anti fungal properties and seems to kill off whatever is afflicting the aloe plants. The brown spots will not go away overnight. In fact, they might never go away on the leaves that currently have them. However, new growth should be more clear.
