Aloe vera

Download Word document Print all related Information Sheets

Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f.

Scan to open this Information Sheet
planteducationproject.com/aloe-vera/

A healthy mature Aloe vera plant growing outdoors — Healthy Aloe vera. Photograph: madhu, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Plant typeSucculent perennial

LightBright light; gentle direct sun

WaterSoak, then let soil dry fully

EdibilityConditionally edible; latex is unsafe

Native to United StatesNo

Native to Lafayette areaNo

InvasiveNot considered invasive in Indiana

Self-seedingLimited indoors; offsets are common

Identification

Aloe vera forms a low rosette of thick, tapering, gray-green to green leaves with small teeth along their edges. Healthy color varies with light and water. Strong sun or drought may produce bronze or reddish tones; a pale, soft, or translucent plant usually signals trouble.

Care

Light

Give it the brightest indoor location available. Introduce stronger direct sun gradually to prevent scorching.

Water

Water thoroughly, allow excess water to drain, and wait until the mix is dry before watering again. Constant dampness is the main road to root rot.

Temperature

Ordinary indoor temperatures are suitable. Protect the plant from frost and cold windows.

Standard soil mix

Use a fast-draining succulent mix in a pot with an open drainage hole. A practical standard blend is two parts potting soil, one part coarse mineral aggregate, and one part perlite or pumice.

Feeding and flowering

Tall yellow flower stalks rising from an Aloe vera plant — Yellow flowers of Aloe vera. Photograph: LEE 003, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

Feed lightly during active spring and summer growth. A half-strength balanced houseplant fertilizer once in spring is usually enough; do not fertilize a stressed or newly repotted plant.

Mature plants may send up tall spikes of tubular yellow flowers when light and growing conditions are favorable.

Propagation

Separate rooted offsets when they are large enough to handle. Let damaged surfaces dry before potting. Leaf cuttings are unreliable and often rot.

Environment, climate, and ecology

Dry, rocky slopes in Oman's Hajar Mountains — Rocky terrain in the Hajar Mountains, Oman. Photograph: Toppazz, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.

Deep rocky canyon and exposed mountain slopes at Jebel Shams, Oman — Jebel Shams in the Hajar Mountains. Photograph: Andries Oudshoorn, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, identifies northern Oman's Hajar Mountains as the native range and desert or dry shrubland as the principal biome. Its water-storing leaves and conservative growth explain why a dry interval between waterings is essential.

Environmental Information Sheet →Climate Information Sheet →Ecology Information Sheet →