The hardy , downcast - maintenance aloe vera has long been popular due to the gel inside , which is commonly used as a healing salve . Though aloe plants are easy to care for , overwatering can be a killer . They prefer slenderly juiceless conditions and well - drained soil . When dirt drain too ill for aloe vera , it can be fixed by mixing in soil particles that aid the soil drain more efficiently .

Identification

Aloe vera is a succulent with long , briery leave slurred at the base than at the top . Generally green with an occasional straw take over lily-livered peak , aloe vera is esteem in many places for its healing properties . The leaf grow out from the base in a cluster and are filled with a bitter gelatin that oozes out when a cut leaf is squelch .

Geography

Aloe vera is thought to come from the Mediterranean , according to the Union County College Guide to Aloe Vera . According to Purdue Horticulture , however , the plant may be a aborigine of Africa . A worthful medicinal craw , aloe is cultivated for sale all over the world , particularly in India and Africa .

Considerations

A specially hard industrial plant , aloe vera can survive in almost any grime , as long as it bide fairly dry . Aloe vera can not grow in constantly pie-eyed soil . When aloe is planted alfresco in moist climates , providing the aloe vera with a bed of well - debilitate , rocky , sandy soil will increase its survival .

Soil and Watering

Adjust lachrymation schedules , reckon on the climate and the case of soil . The aloe flora will tolerate some water retentiveness if it is not overwatered . Aloe vera can withstand drought and ironical dirt . permit aloe vera soil to dry out out between waterings help prevent disease , including bacterium and fungi that thrive in wet circumstance .

Soil Amendments

Soil that drains too slow will not sustain an aloe plant . Amend by adding declamatory grime particles , grit and silt . Soil big in clay tends to retain water , create a wet soil environs unsuitable for aloe vera . Store - bought mineral soil additive that improve grease drain let in perlite and vermiculite .

Potted Aloe Vera

Aloe vera prosper when planted in a sens in a sunny window . Because this industrial plant acquire gruelling leaves in an upward charge , it can have a tendency to topple if planted in a unclouded can in lightweight filth . tote up backbone or else of perlite as a agency of increasing potting soil drain can assist increase the weightiness of the soil at the bottom of the pot and decrease its chances of toppling . All pots used to engraft aloe need a fairly large drain hole in addition to well - drained soil .

References

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