How to Grow Aloe Barbadensis

Aloe barbadensis are easy-to-grow succulent houseplants.

Commonly known as aloe vera, Aloe barbadensis plants are well-known for their leaf sap, which is widely used in cosmetics and for treating skin burns or insect bites and stings. Aloe plants are native to Africa, with 8- to 10-inch-long fleshy leaves and 2- to 3-foot-tall flower stems with numerous tube-shaped yellow flowers. Aloe plants are most commonly grown in pots as houseplants, because they're so cold-tender. They're easy to take care of and can even be moved outdoors during the warmer months.

Things You'll Need

• Planter pot
• Cacti or succulent potting mix
• 10-40-10 NPK fertilizer

Instructions

1. Pot your Aloe barbadensis in a planter pot with drainage holes in the bottom that's filled with a well-draining, porous potting mix. The potting mix should contain extra coarse sand or perlite for proper drainage. Alternatively, use a commercial potting mix made for cacti and succulents. Pot the aloe at the same depth as it was planted in the nursery container.

2. Position your Aloe barbadensis in bright sunlight, such as beside a south- or west-facing window. Maintain air temperatures around the aloe plant of 55 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. In summer, you can set the aloe plant outdoors in a sunny spot, bringing the plant back indoors before the first frost in autumn or before evening temperatures drop below 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Water your aloe plant during the spring and summer when the topmost layer of potting mix feels dry to the touch. Soak the potting soil completely with water, providing water until it drains freely from the bottom of the pot. During fall and winter, water your Aloe barbadensis less frequently, keeping the potting soil moderately dry.

4. Feed your aloe plant once in the spring with a water-soluble or liquid 10-40-10 NPK formula fertilizer (following the directions on the label), diluting the solution to half the normal dosage rate.

Tips & Warnings

• Propagate Aloe barbadensis plants by taking cuttings of the offsets, which are shoots that grow around the base of the plant. Cut the offsets when they're about 2 to 3 inches tall and set them out to air dry for two days, or until a corky scab forms over the severed end. Then, you can plant the cut offset into a separate pot.

• Don't try to grow your Aloe barbadensis outdoors in the ground, unless you live in a climate that doesn't experience frosts or freezing temperatures. Aloe plants can experience chilling injuries even at temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

References

• Arizona State University Cooperative Extension: Growing Aloe Vera
• North Carolina State University Extension: Houseplant List
• Michigan Sate University Extension: Aloe -- Medicine Plant

Resources

• University of Illinois Extension: Cacti and Succulents as Houseplants