How to Care for Aloe Vera Plants?

Aloe vera is a wonderful succulent that makes an awesome houseplant. They look extremely captivating when grown indoors or outdoors. Apart from its beauty, the aloe vera plant benefits are another reason behind its popularity among gardeners. Its gel can be used on the skin to treat burns, cuts, and other skin problems.

Additionally, there are many types of aloe vera plants to pick from! The best thing about this succulent is that it’s too easy to grow and care for. Therefore, beginners will find it appropriate to start their gardening journey.

In this blog, you will know about how to care for aloe vera plants along with some famous aloe varieties.

A Guide for Aloe Vera Plant Care

Coming to the Aloe vera care, it is easy and simple to maintain. Below are some factors that you need to look after to make your aloe vera bloom nicely and happily.

1. Light

Do aloe plants need sun? Yes, the Aloe vera light requirements are a minimum of 6 to 8 hours of full sunlight. However, you need to be careful while moving it from a shady spot to a sunny area as it can turn aloe plants brown or yellow. Therefore, put it in an area with bright and indirect sunlight. Bring your aloe plant indoors or in a shaded area during the afternoon, when sunlight is at its maximum level.

For indoor care of any species of aloe vera like Climbing Aloe Ciliaris or Aloe Hybrid, place it near the west or south-facing window for adequate sun exposure. Additionally, you can use artificial grow lights in cloudier weather or in dim interiors.

2. Soil

As aloe vera is a desert plant, a well-draining, loamy, sandy soil mix is the best soil for aloe vera. Make sure the soil that you use has a neutral pH to avoid root rot. You can modify the aloe vera potting mix with perlite or coarse sand to enhance drainage and acidity level.

3. Water

How often to water aloe vera plants? These houseplants have a drought-tolerant nature so they don’t require water as often as other succulents. It is recommended to water the aloe vera plants once every 3 weeks during the active growth period that is from the spring to early fall months. Even during its dormant months, from the late fall season to winter season, water it sparingly.

Make sure you use a single-hole watering bottle or can. Wait until the aloe vera potting mix is completely dry prior to watering it. Avoid watering its leaves, as it can lead to fungus growth if left untreated.

4. Temperature

Now coming to the aloe vera temperature tolerance, it grows best in temperatures ranging from 55°F to 80°F (13°C to 27°C). Their USDA hardiness zone is 10-12 which indicates that indoor temperatures are ideal for these houseplants. You can bring your aloe plants out from May to September without any issue, but ensure to keep them indoors during cold evenings and nights.

5. Fertilizer

Aloe vera is a beautiful desert plant, it finds no challenge to thrive in a nutrient-poor soil mix. There is no need to add fertilizer to the soil for aloe vera’s optimal growth. However, if you still want to fertilize it, you can add a few drops of water-soluble cactus fertilizer to the soil once a month during its active growing period.

6. Potting & Repotting

Consider repotting the aloe vera plant at the starting of the growing season, from the spring to summer months. It will avoid transplant shock triggered by roots or leaves damage while repotting a plant. During this season, your aloe plant will have ample time and ability to recover from any damage and easily adapt to its new atmosphere. For aloe vera repotting, take a wider pot than the previous one for optimal growth.

Types of Aloe Plants

1. Aloe Ciliaris

Aloe Ciliaris is a beautiful aloe plant that is commonly famous as the “Climbing aloe”. It has white-colored hair-like teeth on the borders of the stem. When it comes to Aloe Ciliaris care, offer it deep sunlight and gravelly soil. At the end of the fall season, you will enjoy its orange-red flowers.

2. Aloe Distans

Aloe Distans or Jewel aloe is an appealing aloe plant that produces charming red, yellow, and orange-colored flowers from March to May. Anyone can plant Jeweled Aloe Distans owing to its easy-to-maintain nature; just offer full sunlight & loamy soil to it. Plant them in attractive small pots and containers to enhance their overall look.

3. Aloe Variegata

Aloe variegata, or Tiger aloe, is a perfect aloe species to add to your garden. This boat-hull-shaped aloe vera plant can be up to 9 inches tall. The orange-pink Aloe variegata flowers are adorable and will immediately improve the area’s look & feel. Follow the Tiger aloe care tips that indicate full to partial sun light, well-drained aloe vera potting soil, and regular water for good growth.

4. Aloe Crosby's Prolific

Aloe Crosby's Prolific is an attractive and evergreen aloe variety that forms beautiful stemless rosettes of deep green lance-shaped leaves with long teeth along their borders. Grow them in rock gardens or backyard to beautify the space. It is a nice combination of Aloe humilis var. echinatum and Aloe nobilis. Use cuttings for Aloe crosby's prolific propagation.

5. Aloe Hybrid

Aloe Hybrid is a popular type of aloe vera plant that is used to amp up the look of offices, homes, and gardens. It forms a nice-looking single stemless rosette of yellow-dotted and light-green leaves. If you follow the Aloe hybrid care tips, the plant will produce attractive pink or red-colored flowers. 

All these types of aloe plants are great for novice as well as experienced gardeners. You can check out these species of aloe plants for sale and you can shop for the best pots for aloe plants at Planet Desert.

So that is how you care for aloe vera plants. With these instructions, we guarantee you that you will not just be able to maintain your aloe plants ideally but also expand your houseplant collection with different aloe varieties.