Aloe Vera , advice needed....

Andrew Kenneth

Hello All,
Bought this Aloe Vera yesterday and just need a few tips on how to care for it.
For the size of the plant is the pot  too small? It's in a 7" pot at the moment.

The compost/soil is very dry. Is that normal as I don't want to overdo the water and if it needs watering, is it best to let the plant soak up it's own in the sink for example?

The small shoots that are visible, can they be pricked out and potted on?

Thanks for any help.

Andrew

purplerallim

Just before you do anything with the plant, do a skin test on yourself ( a small amount of sap on your wrist would do) as I am allergic to it and like to give a heads up to others as its an unusual one to react to. Hope you don't have my problem, and can enjoy you plant.😀

Andrew Kenneth

Ahh, forgot to mention that. I am not allergic nor is my wife. We bought the plant specifically for it's medicinal properties.

purplerallim

Funny that both aloe vera and tea tree oil are both natural antiseptic and help healing, but I react to both.🙄😀 . Glad to hear you are both ok with it, hope someone will give you tips on care soon.😀

Lizzie27

It's great for that. I keep it by the cooker ready for accidental burns. You just cut about an inch off, split it open and gently press it on the burned skin and leave for a few moments, it works a treat.  I keep mine fairly dry in a sandy/gritty compost mix and yes I would repot yours into a bigger pot, perhaps with a small stick to support it.  You can detach the "babies" any time and pot them up. Some do well but others just don't take - I'm sure the OPs will have more advice.

Nollie

Agree with Lizzie, they do best in gritty compost and don’t over-water it or let it sit with wet feet. Yes, repot it, and as it get bigger, the outer leaves will naturally dry up and drop off. You can tell when it needs more water when the leaves start to lose their plumpness. The babies can be peeled off with a bit of root attached and repotted. If it’s happy it will produce loads of offspring and you will soon have more than you know what to do with!

Big Blue Sky

 Bought one about a year ago, it was enjoying the hot summer (which supposed to be good for this kind of plants), I didn’t overwatered it  - it didn’t die, but it didn’t grow much either. And not a single baby shoot. I’m a bit dissapointed with it - I had one years ago, and it was growing like crazy, producing babies and growing huge flashy leaves. 
Is this kind of a slow grower normal? Or did I make mistakes taking care of it?

Dovefromabove

Some plants , even ones you’d think would like the heat, went into a sort of stasis this summer ... maybe it was just taking a rest and will grow more next spring

arneil

I have one on my kitchen window sill , it had been left behind at our old house a year ago , I rescued it and have watered it once in a month ! They do not like wet compost and mine is crowded in a small pot with teenagers(as opposed to babies ! ) hanging over the edge . I don't pot mine on till there is no more compost left in the pot

madpenguin

I have had this one for 2 years.It started as a small offshoot of 2 small thin leaves (purple in colour) and stayed that way for 18 months,then all of a sudden it grew to this in less than 6 months!
It is in a 7cm pot.

Andrew Kenneth

Many thanks for all your advice.