Growing Aloe Vera – 3 Essential Tips
Because Aloe plants are made up of 95% water, they are really frost sensitive. If they are grown outdoors in temperate climates, they ought to stay planted in extensive sun, or else light shade. The dirt they are grown in should be moderately fertile, and fast draining. Established plants will endure a lack of water quite well, but for the gain of the plant, H2O ought to be provided.
Because of their popularity, Aloe vera plants are available at just about all garden stores or garden centers. Unless you dwell in a district with a very mild climate, it’s best to leave your Aloe plant in the planter and put it near a window that gets a lot of sun. You can move the container out-of-doors all through the summer months.
Aloe vera is a succulent, and as such, retains a considerable amount of water within its foliage and root system. At some stage in the winter months, the plant will become dormant, as a consequence will require very little moisture.
Throughout this cycle watering must be nominal. Permit the container to become fully dry prior to giving the plant a cup or two of water. Through the summer months, the container ought to be entirely soaked, but after that be allowed to dry out again before re-watering.
With a shallow, spreading root structure, when it comes time to re-pot your Aloe select a wide window box, rather than a deep one. Make sure you use a container with a drainage hole, or else provide a 1-2 inch tier of gravel in the bottom of the planter box to guarantee adequate drainage.
Utilize a first-rate commercial potting mixture with plenty of perlite, granite grit, or coarse sand added. You might also find it useful to use a packaged ‘cacti mix’ soil. Fertilize yearly, during the spring with a weak (lower strength), bloom type fertilizer (10-40-10).
Aloes are propagated by re-potting the pups which are formed at the base of older plants, when they are a couple inches tall (or higher). They may also be grown from Aloe seeds.
As to the claims of the medicinal properties of the Aloe plant, I can merely talk from my personal experience. I have made it a practice of keeping an Aloe plant around for years, mostly for burns. Whenever I have burnt myself in the kitchen, an immediate application of gel from a freshly picked leaf has instantly removed most of the pain, and stopped blistering, many times over.
I also found Aloe Gel successfully reduced itching from stings, bites in addition to a variety of ‘stinging’ flora, such as poison ivy. It is also excellent for the same problems, when they are encountered by your family pet.
When you need to benefit from it medicinally, just detach a lower leaf from the plant, slice it wide open, then put on the gel on top of the affected region.
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