How to Transplant Aloe Vera Plants
The dark green, fleshy leaves of aloe vera make an attractive houseplant that requires little care. Many people keep aloe vera in the house to treat burns and abrasions. The cool, slightly sticky sap in the aloe vera leaves has been shown to help heal minor burns and cuts, according to the National Institutes for Health. Mature aloe vera plants produce small offshoots known as pups or suckers. Transplanting these is easy.
Allow the soil of the aloe vera to dry out. Fill your transplant pot almost all the way full of potting mix and allow this to dry out.
- The dark green, fleshy leaves of aloe vera make an attractive houseplant that requires little care.
Loosen the soil at the base of the aloe vera plant with your fingers. Dig down and locate the base of the aloe vera sucker you want to transplant. Gently lift the plant from the soil. Smooth the soil back around the original parent plant.
Poke a hole in the dry soil of the transplant pot. The hole should be deep enough to accommodate the roots of the aloe vera pup. Insert the transplant into the hole and gently pack the soil around the pup.
- Loosen the soil at the base of the aloe vera plant with your fingers.
Wait one week before watering the transplant. Water lightly, allowing excess water to drain away.
Transplant Aloe
Aloe plants (Aloe spp. ), generally hardy in USDA zones 7b through 12, depending on the species, are succulents that thrive in hot, dry conditions, which means they're ideal when grown as indoor plants or potted patio plants. Select a clean pot with a drainage hole in the bottom. Cover the hole with a loose-fitting flat stone or a small piece of screen and place it over the hole. The trick is to let water out and keep soil in. Slide the aloe plant out of the container it's in. Place the aloe on top of the soil in the new pot. Pat it down with the flat of your hand. When transplanting large aloes, dig out the roots from several sides before lifting the plant out of the soil. Feed your potted aloe approximately once a month only during the growing season with a balanced half-strength houseplant fertilizer; withhold fertilizer during fall and winter.
- Wait one week before watering the transplant.
- Place the aloe on top of the soil in the new pot.
Tip
If the leaves of your aloe vera shrivel, water it to bring it back to health. If the leaves turn yellow or droop, the roots of the plant are too wet. To keep them from rotting you may need to remove the plant from the wet soil and re-pot in dry soil.
Warning
Keep aloe vera out of the reach of pets and children. Raw aloe vera can have a laxative effect on some who eat it.
Related Articles
References
- National Institutes of Health: Aloe Vera
- University of California, Davis: The Genus Aloe
- University of Hawaii at Maui: Aloe
- Sunset Plant Finder: Genus Aloe
- Fine Gardening: Genus Aloe
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Aloe Vera
- Floridata: Aloe Saponaria
- ASPCA: Aloe
- NC State Extension: Aloe Spp.
- The Old Farmer's Almanac: Aloe Vera
- UCCE El Dorado County Master Gardener: Succulent Basics
Resources
Tips
- If the leaves of your aloe vera shrivel, water it to bring it back to health. If the leaves turn yellow or droop, the roots of the plant are too wet. To keep them from rotting you may need to remove the plant from the wet soil and re-pot in dry soil.
Warnings
- Keep aloe vera out of the reach of pets and children. Raw aloe vera can have a laxative effect on some who eat it.
Writer Bio
Cynthia Myers is the author of numerous novels and her nonfiction work has appeared in publications ranging from "Historic Traveler" to "Texas Highways" to "Medical Practice Management." She has a degree in economics from Sam Houston State University.
