Aside from being known for its medicinal properties, aloe vera’s juice can also be taken internally to boost our digestion and immunity. With its wonderful benefits, it has become a popular houseplant that many gardeners tend to share with their friends and families, leading them to wonder how they can grow their own aloe vera at home to reap a hundred percent of its benefits as well. Wanting to learn how to regrow aloe is very understandable as the commercially-prepared products contain preservatives which anyone might not want in their system. The fact that aloe veras are easy to care for and even regrow with just a little know-how gives it more edge to be an ideal addition in your home garden. It is a succulent plant species like cacti. But does that mean aloe veras can easily be propagated with cuttings just like cacti? Read on to find out.
Propagating Aloe from Cuttings
Before exploring this method, it is important to understand that a leaf may not form roots and grow. Even though it is possible to grow an aloe vera plant from a leaf, because the leaves have a lot of moisture, it tends to rot before it can take root. Here are the steps on propagating aloe from cuttings:
- Dry the broken leaf until a thin film forms over the moist sap. If you’re in a hurry, drying it for a few hours will do but if you are not, what’s best is to leave it to dry for up to 3 days. This film will help the broken part from being infected by the soil as you can’t expect an infected aloe vera leaf to survive longer.
- Find the perfect pot with drainage holes at the bottom since aloe vera won’t survive if sitting in a wet soil. Their roots can easily be damaged and get rotten if this happens.
- Fill the pot with cactus soil and stick the leaf with its cut side down, making sure that one-third of it is planted into the soil.
- Place the pot in a sunny area and for its first 4 weeks, maintain soil moisture by watering it with care. Once the aloe vera has developed roots, cut back the watering to only once a month.
Propagating Aloe from Aloe Pups
Gardeners prefer propagating aloe from aloe pups as this can result in more successful plants almost immediately. Here’s how you can do it:
- Offsets, also known as pups and sometimes offshoots, are a part of the main plant. Look for them along the base, they are usually like smaller versions of the mother plant. Choose a pup that has at least four leaves and a few inches tall.
- Using a clean and sharp knife, cut the pup away from its mother plant with its root systems still attached. Clean tools are important in this process to avoid contamination and pests.
- Plant the pup in a pot that has drainage holes at the bottom. This is important as you do not want the soil to become waterlogged. Fill the same pot with cactus soil, make a small hole, and stick at least one-fourth of the pup into it.
- Tamp the soil around the plant and water the plant enough to maintain soil moisture, but not to the point that it will get soaked.
- Place the plant in a sunny spot and leave it for one week before watering again. After that, you can care for it as you would a normal aloe vera plant.
Growing Aloe Vera Without Soil
Many beginner gardeners like to try their luck at growing aloe in water. Unfortunately, it is not one of the ways on how to regrow aloe. Like what’s stated in the earlier methods, aloe vera likes water; however, it does not prefer to sit in it for long. This is why putting them in water will cause their roots to rot.
However, growing aloe vera without soil is a good alternative to this, especially if you want to maximize your space by adding indoor plants to it. First, take one long leaf from an aloe vera plant, or you can also ask one from a friend, as long as it’s done with consent. Next, split it open and then prepare the other necessary materials such as pebbles or sand for the plants to grow in. But no plant can survive without the necessities the soil provides. So, this indoor plant would still need a little water and a sunny spot.
Top Tip: How to Encourage Your Aloe Vera to Grow Pups
Missing pups on aloe? Don’t worry, it happens! One factor might be its age. How old is your aloe? Sometimes, it won’t have pups as it is still too young. Aloe vera pups often show up when the plant is around five to six years old.
Like people, aloes do not thrive in stressful environments as well. Make sure it is happy and stress-free by feeding it with diluted fertilizer every four to six weeks. You also have to remember the golden rule with aloe veras: do not overwater them.
So next time you think of what could be a wonderful companion whether outdoors or indoors, the choice is obvious! Aloe vera is an easy, stylish succulent that has wonderful topical benefits. The juice from its leaves serves as a pain reliever for scrapes and burns. It can also help purify the air around your house as it can get rid of formaldehyde and benzene. These are the two chemicals most commonly found on household cleaning products. Aloe vera is generally popular among gardeners because it thrives on neglect. Not much attention is needed by this plant; that is, provided that you’ll keep in mind the level of water necessary for it. If you have friends who have their own home gardens, now is the time to ask them for a leaf or pup and begin learning how to regrow aloe!
Attractive, with healing properties, and very easy to regrow. Need I say more?
