Aloe vera is a popular indoor plant. It has medicinal properties and is great for skin care. It has a gel-like pulp, which when rubbed directly on skin, serves as homemade skin toner and gives your face a glow. If you have bought home a beautiful aloe vera plant, you must know how to care for it.
Usually, people make a mistake in the placement and the watering of the plant. Aloe vera is different from your usual plant. It is a succulent cactus.
Here are a few tips to care for it.
Mistake #1: Keeping the plant at the wrong place
Have you kept your aloe vera in the bedroom or bathroom or a place in the house that gets no sunlight at all? It’s a wrong choice of place.
Place the plant on a windowsill where it gets sufficient sunlight. The plant loves sunshine, atleast 4-6 hours daily. It attains a lovely green color with sun exposure.
The best place is at a window that faces south or west so that the plant gets enough of afternoon sun.
If you have already kept your plant in shade, avoid moving it to direct sunlight suddenly. Acclimatize it slowly by keeping it under sunshine for an hour or less at first, then increase the duration. Sudden change may burn the leaves.
Mistake #2: Overwatering the plant
Leaves of aloe vera are fleshy. They easily retain water. That’s why aloe vera juice can be easily made. You must water the plant deeply. Do the next watering only when you see the topsoil going dry.
The plant can withstand shortage of water, but not overwatering.
Watering twice a week is enough. It is important to have well-drained soils for aloe vera so that the plant does not stay submerged in moisture.
Tip to check whether your plant needs watering:
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Insert your index finger 2-3 inches deep into the soil. If the soil is moist or wet, do not water the plant. If your finger comes out with dry soil, your aloe vera needs watering.
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If your plant is outdoors, water it twice a week.
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If your plant is indoors, water once a fortnight or month.
Apart from this, do the watering as per the season. For example, if it’s summer, water more. If it’s winter, water less. Use the finger test.
Also remember that the soil should never be flooded with water on the surface. As you do the watering, the water should seep inside, leaving the soil only moist on the surface.
Sign of overwatering
Root rot is a consequence of overwatering. The first sign is drooping leaves. You will also notice the leaves becoming kind of transparent.
Do you know root rot is one of the major causes of death of aloe vera plant?
If your plant has root rot, you must repot it to save it. Do not water immediately after repotting. Wait for a few days, as the plant needs time to readjust to its new “home” and to repair its broken roots, if any.
