Aloe Vera is only one of the 250 species of aloe plants in the world. It is a semi-tropical plant that can either be grown outdoors or in pots.
It’s quite a popular plant and can be found sold in many garden shops and plant nurseries.
We’ll go over a few steps and some tips on how to grow Aloe Vera.
Materials
Here’s what you need on how to grow Aloe Vera. You can buy young plants from many nurseries or grow them from seeds.
You’ll also need large wide pots since these plants will eventually develop wide shallow root systems. Purchase fertilizer to be used for your soil.
Select Your Garden Site
The first step in how to grow Aloe Vera is to choose your garden site. Look for a spot in your garden where there is well-drained soil if you plan to grow the plant outdoors.
Make sure to place your plants in an area where there is a full amount of sunlight. Aloe plants are native to the continent of Africa. You can tell that these plants will grow well where there is a lot of sunlight.
Where Does Aloe Vera Grow
There are only a few select areas in the United States where Aloe Vera can be grown outdoors. Those would be areas where there can never be any amount of freezing or USDA zones 10 to 11.
Areas in these zones would include those in Florida, California, and Hawaii.
Growing Aloe Vera Indoors
Aloe Vera is an excellent and popular indoor plant. You won’t get much trouble if you do plan to grow them indoors. You only have to place them near or at the window where there is a lot of sun to get them to grow well.
You will basically need wide pots to plant them in. During summer, take the plants out under the sun to help facilitate their growth.
Preparing the Site
The next step in how to grow Aloe Vera is to prepare your site. You can add compost, pebbles, and sand to your soil to facilitate additional drainage.
If you intend to grow them in pots then you should make sure to get drainage at the pot’s base.
Watering
When the soil is dry you should water your plants at least once a week. This is an important detail on how to grow Aloe Vera.
Only two cups of water will be quite enough. If you don’t have good drainage too much water will rot the Aloe’s roots.
Growing and Harvesting
Tending to your plants is an important part of how to grow Aloe Vera. Uproot any weeds that come up near or around your plants. Add fertilizer to your soil annually to act as a supplement.
You can pick off lower leaves from the plant when you need to use them but only do so when your plants have grown taller than a couple of inches.
