The aloe vera plant is an easy, attractive succulent that makes for a great indoor companion. Aloe vera plants are useful, too, as the juice from their leaves can be used to relieve pain from scrapes and burns when applied topically. Here’s how to grow and care for aloe vera plants in your home!
About Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is a succulent plant species of the genus Aloe. Having some 500 species, Aloe is widely distributed and is considered an invasive species in many world regions. An evergreen perennial, it originates from the Arabian Peninsula but grows wild in tropical, semi-tropical, and arid climates around the world.
The plant is stemless or very short-stemmed with thick, greenish, fleshy leaves that fan out from the plant’s central stem. The margin of the leaf is serrated with small teeth.
Before you buy an aloe, note that you’ll need a location that offers bright, indirect sunlight (or artificial sunlight). Direct sunlight can dry out the plant too much and turn its fleshy leaves yellow, so you may need to water more often if your aloe lives in an especially sunny spot.
Keep the aloe vera plant in a pot near a kitchen window for periodic use.
WARNING: The gel from aloe vera leaves can be used topically, but should NOT be eaten by people or pets. It can cause unpleasant symptoms such as nausea or indigestion and may even be toxic in larger quantities.
How To Care For An Aloe Plant
Make sure that the pot you put your aloe plant in has plenty of drainage holes. Aloe vera plants cannot tolerate standing water. One important thing in the care of aloe vera houseplants is that they have proper light as well. Aloe vera plants need bright light, so they do best in the south or west-facing windows.
Another important aspect of how to grow an aloe plant is to water the plant properly. The soil of the aloe vera plant should be allowed to go completely dry before being watered. When the aloe plant is watered, the soil should be thoroughly drenched, but the water should be allowed to drain freely from the soil. The most common reason an aloe plant dies is that the owner's water too often, or does not allow the water to drain. Do not make this mistake when taking care of aloe houseplants.
You can fertilize your aloe vera plant, but aloes generally don’t need to be fertilized. If you decide to add fertilizing to part of your aloe vera plant care routine, aloe vera plants should be fertilized once a year in the spring. You can use a phosphorus-heavy, water-based fertilizer at half strength.
Aloe is an excellent indoor plant in Calgary to give as a gift. It is easy to manage and beneficial to those who own them. It looks nice, grows well, and doesn’t require much maintenance to keep it healthy and thriving. This is one of the reasons we’ve chosen it as a plant to send as a gift.
