Aloe Vera and Their Pups

When you have one aloe plant, you'll have at least five more by the end of the year from the same plant... We have a friend who gave us a "few" aloe plants last year, stating that they would need to be transplanted before winter hit. It was about three pots, but once separated and individually transplanted they became 10 large plants and over the course of the winter 10 pups sprung up, slowly filling the extra space in the pots. Needless to say, we will be selling a few "puppies" this year.

Aloe vera gel and leaves are traditionally medicinal besides ornamental. The gel has been used to relieve, soothe and heal burns (as well as sunburn), cuts and scrapes, bruising and stretched, itchy skin. Aloe vera is used commonly in natural skin and beauty products, it can help reduce visible scarring, reduce inflammation around wounds while also help tighten loose, stretched skin. I have used aloe vera while pregnant to reduce stomach pain from itchy, stretching skin, then to reduce swelling and discomfort during recovery. It helped tremendously and worked effectively for reducing the discomfort of a swelling/shrinking belly from a growing baby. They truly are amazing plants and very underutilized. Even I have a hard time remembering to use them since I have so many other plants and remedies available all year round. "You have a very large table full of aloe plants sitting in the middle of the living room floor that we have to walk around every day..." I know, I know... I just forgot...

Aloes require relatively warm temperatures all year to grow well and produce many leaves swollen with gel. 50 degrees and above and minimal shade and water are required for healthy plants. They can be kept inside all year in a wide mouth pot (wider than deep, they have a shallow but broad rooting system and they like to spread out and produce pups) and they do not require very much water. You can either spray them with water from a spray bottle every other day to daily or water them lightly (enough to dampen but not soak the soil) every few days. A sign of over watering is a grey almost moldy color, not enough water or too much sun and they will turn yellow. A healthy plant will be a bright green color with very vivid white markings throughout the leaves. Aloes are very easy plants for those who want greenery in the house, but don't have a lot of extra time for maintenance or are a forgetful gardener. I strongly recommend using a good potting soil unless they are in a greenhouse. There was a mistake made quite a few years ago by using rich, composted farm dirt in the house and the feeling of bitter hatred from all surrounding family members as hundreds of thousands of gnats bombarded our faces all winter long (planting fever started in December...) and died by the thousands in the windowsills. It was a winter that drove that someone outside... for more reasons then simple cabin fever...

A side note, aloes are toxic to cats and dogs and should be above or out of their reach if growing them yourself. A sunny windowsill or an area that gets sun for a few hours would work just fine. Aloes are not very needy plants and do not require much effort to keep alive. We will be offering aloe plants and pups as they grow to the right size for sale on our website coming soon, if you are interested go take a look!

-The Norseman's Wife